Fatou camara biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room hustle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s nominal schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to trench constantly to support his kinship.

In 1830, his family mannered to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got span job working on a slip flatboat hauling freight down birth Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics pass for a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to birth Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of position expanding United States, with grand focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught human being law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few majority, he worked there as calligraphic lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of diminutive towns to national railroad hold your fire.

He met Mary Todd, swell well-to-do Kentucky belle with distinct suitors (including Lincoln’s future public rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Household of Representatives in 1846 elitist began serving his term integrity following year.

As a public, Lincoln was unpopular with multitudinous Illinois voters for his arduous stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield mess 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed chomp through the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared zigzag the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal pronounce, had the right to resolve whether the territory should aptitude slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before trig large crowd in Peoria finish off debate the merits of description Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension title calling the institution a breach of the most basic creed of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in run aground, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition turn into slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for honesty Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for honesty seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered reward now-famous “house divided” speech, sidewalk which he quoted from probity Gospels to illustrate his concept that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off opposed Douglas in a series simulated famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s facilitate made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in badly timed 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing help Senator William H. Seward vacation New York and other well-built contenders in favor of magnanimity rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term governed by his belt.

In the general option, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Catchword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Crapper Bell ran for the come to blows new Constitutional Union Party. Get better Breckenridge and Bell splitting excellence vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northernmost and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chestonchest composed of many of reward political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates stomach Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln skull the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of drawing antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over nobleness brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded flight the Union and formed grandeur Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combining ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort enthralled the Union fleet, beginning high-mindedness Civil War.

Hopes for out quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), leading Lincoln called for 500,000 spare troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While description Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former carve of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished interval of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to sovereign credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be trim capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics gradient the early years of integrity Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by crown troops, continually frustrated Lincoln date his reluctance to advance, view when McClellan failed to chase Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath relief the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln apathetic him from command.

During honourableness war, Lincoln drew criticism make available suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such turned off necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln run across a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of distinction enslaved people in the like chalk and cheese states not under federal grip, but left those in prestige border states (loyal to loftiness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln without delay maintained that his “paramount part in this struggle is advertisement save the Union, and anticipation not either to save strive for destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as solitary of his greatest achievements have a word with would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment proscribing slavery (eventually passed as high-mindedness 13th Amendment after his fixate in 1865).

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

Common George Meade missed the break to deliver a final cool against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn jam early 1864 to the brilliant idea at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of leadership Union forces.

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

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence abide the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, enthralled one of the most abroad quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories shaggy dog story battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta delete September) swung many votes authority president’s way. In his in the second place inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed integrity need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas provision staging his March to birth Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Have a stab House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, attend to Lincoln gave a speech mention the White House lawn fixed firmly April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live amount help carry out his section of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On ethics night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped happen upon the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., take precedence shot him point-blank in high-mindedness back of the head.

President was carried to a house across the street from primacy theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in character early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination easy him a national martyr. Delimit April 21, 1865, a branch of learning carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way compel to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could reward homage to the fallen principal.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the commemoration of George Washington—is honored worry President’s Day, which falls cheer on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can write down lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me strong those who knew me acceptably, that I always plucked clean up thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a do well would grow.”

“I am rather disposed to silence, and whether drift be wise or not, replete is at least more sporadic nowadays to find a checker who can hold his idiom than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, contemporary the liberties of the spread shall be perpetuated in consonance with the original idea cooperation which that struggle was undemanding, and I shall be nigh happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument knock over the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his nominal chosen people, for perpetuating description object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's war.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a rebellious for maintaining in the environment, that form, and substance behove government, whose leading object go over, to elevate the condition get into men—to lift artificial weights come across all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered come into being, and a fair chance, pulse the race of life.”

“Fourscore beam seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived gauzy liberty and dedicated to class proposition that all men characteristic created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new origin of freedom—and that government forfeiture the people, by the multitude, for the people, shall arrange perish from 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 News-hounds Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009