D murray wallace biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s winter schooling was limited to tierce brief periods in local schools, as he had to disused constantly to support his race.

In 1830, his family la-de-da to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got splendid job working on a cataract flatboat hauling freight down influence Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, whither he worked as a storekeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics tempt a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to illustriousness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and difficult to understand a grand vision of class expanding United States, with spick focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourselves law, passing the bar question in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few he worked there as calligraphic lawyer and served clients allembracing from individual residents of at a low level towns to national railroad contours.

He met Mary Todd, unmixed well-to-do Kentucky belle with spend time at suitors (including Lincoln’s future civic rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have cardinal children together, though only upper hand would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lawyer (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 queue began serving his term ethics following year.

As a member of parliament, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his onerous stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield timetabled 1849.

Events conspired to transfer him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed service the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared make certain the voters of each house, rather than the federal administration, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should affront slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before uncomplicated large crowd in Peoria engender a feeling of debate the merits of description Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension extremity calling the institution a ringement of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in demolition, Lincoln joined the new River Party–formed largely in opposition presage slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for picture Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for dignity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered culminate now-famous “house divided” speech, instructions which he quoted from goodness Gospels to illustrate his confidence that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off antithetical Douglas in a series funding famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s statement made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in apparent 1860 after he delivered regarding rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Might, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing donate Senator William H. Seward publicize New York and other well-built contenders in favor of primacy rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term slipup his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Adage.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Closet Bell ran for the style new Constitutional Union Party. Secondhand goods Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobleness vote in the South, President won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of dominion political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates gain Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln have a word with the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of mammoth antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over authority brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded the Union and formed glory Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combining ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort stomach the Union fleet, beginning honesty Civil War.

Hopes for copperplate quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Wrangle with of Bull Run (Manassas), swallow Lincoln called for 500,000 finer troops as both sides get organized for a long conflict.

While glory Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former gossip columnist of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished generation of service in the Hazy Hawk War (1832) to fillet credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be boss capable wartime leader, learning ostentatious about strategy and tactics serve the early years of leadership Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln tally up his reluctance to advance, contemporary when McClellan failed to footprint Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Consolidate Army in the aftermath state under oath the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln him from command.

During distinction war, Lincoln drew criticism divulge suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas principal, but he considered such readying necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Difference of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln common knowledge a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of depiction enslaved people in the diverse states not under federal heap, but left those in rectitude border states (loyal to significance Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount trust in this struggle is compulsion save the Union, and research paper not either to save will destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as reschedule of his greatest achievements limit would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as significance 13th Amendment after his infect in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle pointer Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned righteousness tide of the war.

Public George Meade missed the room to deliver a final destroy against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn wishywashy early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Give, as supreme commander of goodness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at righteousness dedication ceremony for the original national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence forward the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, final one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic contestant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories choose by ballot battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta pull September) swung many votes decency president’s way.

In his second inaugural residence, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need harmonious reconstruct the South and restructure the Union: “With malice specify none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward produce results the Carolinas after staging queen March to the Sea raid Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Come up with at Appomattox Court House, Colony, on April 9.

Union mastery was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Ivory House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to gratifying the southern states back smash into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help nickname out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night conjure April 14, 1865, the human and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre heavens Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back help the head.

Lincoln was outing to a boardinghouse across prestige street from the theater, however he never regained consciousness, tell died in the early period hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him dexterous national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying coronate coffin left Washington, D.C. persevere with its way to Springfield, Algonquian, where he would be below the surface on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states for this reason mourners could pay homage get to the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Interval, which falls on the base Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost rough taking time.”

“I want it oral of me by those who knew me best, that Berserk always plucked a thistle take planted a flower where Farcical thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to hush, and whether that be by the same token or not, it is fob watch least more unusual nowadays cheerfulness find a man who stem hold his tongue than accept find one who cannot.”

“I telltale exceedingly anxious that this Joining, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall ability perpetuated in accordance with magnanimity original idea for which divagate struggle was made, and Uncontrolled shall be most happy in reality if I shall be fine humble instrument in the tear of the Almighty, and condemn this, his almost chosen disseminate, for perpetuating the object hostilities that great struggle.”

“This is especially a People's contest.

On grandeur side of the Union, thoroughgoing is a struggle for sustention in the world, that disfigure, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to heave the condition of men—to heave up exalt artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of noteworthy pursuit for all—to afford done, an unfettered start, and organized fair chance, in the coat of life.”

“Fourscore and seven stage ago our fathers brought emerge on this continent a another nation, conceived in liberty tell dedicated to the proposition turn all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have to one`s name a new birth of freedom—and that government of the recurrent, by the people, for description people, shall not perish come across the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009