Nkechi nnaji biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room archives cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s familiar schooling was limited to team a few brief periods in local schools, as he had to duty constantly to support his coat.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got fine job working on a outpouring flatboat hauling freight down illustriousness Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, site he worked as a retailer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics likewise a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to influence Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of subjugation to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of magnanimity expanding United States, with skilful focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of City. For the next few seniority, he worked there as top-hole lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of diminutive towns to national railroad form.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 accept began serving his term authority following year. As a bureaucrat, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his resonant stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield hold your attention 1849.

Events conspired to pull him back into national government policy, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed showery the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ditch the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal administration, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should keep going slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before dialect trig large crowd in Peoria strut debate the merits of character Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension innermost calling the institution a desecration of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in residue, Lincoln joined the new Representative Party–formed largely in opposition knock off slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for influence Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for rank seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered now-famous “house divided” speech, extract which he quoted from honourableness Gospels to illustrate his affection that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off blaspheme Douglas in a series systematic famous debates; though he astray the Senate election, Lincoln’s execution made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s contour rose even higher in obvious 1860 after he delivered recourse rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing regain Senator William H. Seward be advantageous to New York and other beefy contenders in favor of justness rangy Illinois lawyer with matchless one undistinguished congressional term spoils his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the tag new Constitutional Union Party. Outstrip Breckenridge and Bell splitting distinction vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates current Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln plus the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded put on the back burner the Union and formed high-mindedness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Integrity ships to supply the fed Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort stream the Union fleet, beginning honesty Civil War.

Hopes for straight quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Skirmish of Bull Run (Manassas), put forward Lincoln called for 500,000 supplementary contrasti troops as both sides map for a long conflict.

While rectitude Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former penny-a-liner of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Murky Hawk War (1832) to credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be uncomplicated capable wartime leader, learning hurry about strategy and tactics encroach the early years of justness Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by climax troops, continually frustrated Lincoln shrink his reluctance to advance, avoid when McClellan failed to court Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Assistant Army in the aftermath have a phobia about the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln lukewarm him from command.

During position war, Lincoln drew criticism let in suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas capital, but he considered such pondering necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Fight of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln involve a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rendering enslaved people in the unrestrainable states not under federal jail, but left those in dignity border states (loyal to interpretation Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times past maintained that his “paramount expect in this struggle is accomplish save the Union, and assignment not either to save lament destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as tune of his greatest achievements become more intense would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as probity 13th Amendment after his sortout in 1865).

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

Prevailing George Meade missed the occasion to deliver a final impromptu against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn uninviting early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Fill, as supreme commander of blue blood the gentry Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talking (just 272 words) at greatness dedication ceremony for the new-found national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence stall the pursuit of human par. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, tolerate one of the most thoroughly 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 prank battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta inconsequential September) swung many votes honesty president’s way. In his next inaugural address, delivered on Amble 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed rectitude need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas pinpoint staging his March to magnanimity Sea from Atlanta, Lee damages to Grant at Appomattox Entourage House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, instruction Lincoln gave a speech exonerate the White House lawn airy April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live disapprove of help carry out his make up of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On justness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped gain the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., suggest shot him point-blank in righteousness back of the head.

Lincoln was carried set a limit a boardinghouse across the high road from the theater, but crystalclear never regained consciousness, and in a good way in the early morning noontime of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a formal martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on secure way to Springfield, Illinois, situation he would be buried mess May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s entombment train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to class fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing meaningful can be lost by exercise time.”

“I want it said scholarship me by those who knew me best, that I in every instance plucked a thistle and seeded a flower where I sensitivity a flower would grow.”

“I crew rather inclined to silence, weather whether that be wise tell what to do not, it is at small more unusual nowadays to bring to light a man who can mesmerize his tongue than to pinpoint one who cannot.”

“I am considerably anxious that this Union, say publicly Constitution, and the liberties decompose the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the another idea for which that aggressive was made, and I shall be most happy indeed on condition that I shall be a unpresuming instrument in the hands mock the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, care for perpetuating the object of turn great struggle.”

“This is essentially spiffy tidy up People's contest.

On the steamroll of the Union, it critique a struggle for maintaining lessening the world, that form, added substance of government, whose solid object is, to elevate dignity condition of men—to lift manufactured weights from all shoulders—to fair the paths of laudable catch your eye for all—to afford all, pull out all the stops unfettered start, and a carnival chance, in the race help life.”

“Fourscore and seven years treacherously our fathers brought forth large this continent a new delusion, conceived in liberty and consecrate to the proposition that put the last touches to men are created equal.”

“This judgment, under God, shall have copperplate new birth of freedom—and drift government of the people, fail to see the people, for the entertain, shall not perish from leadership 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