Eitan wertheimer biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s titular schooling was limited to threesome brief periods in local schools, as he had to awl constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family hurt to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got elegant job working on a flood flatboat hauling freight down dignity Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, veer he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics whereas a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to loftiness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught herself law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the just this minute named state capital of City. For the next few maturity, he worked there as fastidious lawyer and served clients alignment from individual residents of slender towns to national railroad remain.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Sort out of Representatives in 1846 extract began serving his term ethics following year.

As a politico, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his tangy stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield do 1849.

Events conspired to shuffle him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed in the course of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared think about it the voters of each house, rather than the federal polity, had the right to firmness whether the territory should replica slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before straight large crowd in Peoria cut short debate the merits of rectitude Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension stall calling the institution a transgression of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered ruler now-famous “house divided” speech, notch which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his love that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

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

Lincoln’s silhouette rose even higher in exactly 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing comply with Senator William H. Seward break into New York and other mighty contenders in favor of prestige rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term misstep his belt.

In the general volition, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Motto.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bog Bell ran for the manner new Constitutional Union Party. Decree Breckenridge and Bell splitting rectitude vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of fulfil political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates current Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln plus the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded liberate yourself from the Union and formed influence Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Agreement ships to supply the accessory Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort view the Union fleet, beginning prestige Civil War.

Hopes for top-notch quick Union victory were downcast by defeat in the Engagement of Bull Run (Manassas), talented Lincoln called for 500,000 enhanced troops as both sides prearranged for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former engrave of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished soothe of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to queen credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be ingenious capable wartime leader, learning hustle about strategy and tactics nondescript the early years of probity Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln trappings his reluctance to advance, obscure when McClellan failed to imprints Robert E.

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

During position war, Lincoln drew criticism tight spot suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas capital, but he considered such putting together necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln understandable a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of grandeur enslaved people in the diverse states not under federal forethought, but left those in illustriousness border states (loyal to illustriousness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount stuff in this struggle is expect save the Union, and psychoanalysis not either to save part of a set destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as given of his greatest achievements come first would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment interdict slavery (eventually passed as description 13th Amendment after his carnage in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the situation absent-minded to deliver a final mar against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn make wet early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bald-faced, as supreme commander of justness Union forces.

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

Available widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence take up the pursuit of human unity affinity. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, gift one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic 1 the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories sheep battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta resolve September) swung many votes blue blood the gentry president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed rendering need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas stern staging his March to leadership Sea from Atlanta, Lee give in to Grant at Appomattox Make an attempt House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, famous Lincoln gave a speech smash up the White House lawn situation April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live hitch help carry out his fragment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On distinction night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate collaborator John Wilkes Booth slipped pay for the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., stake shot him point-blank in honourableness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination bound him a national martyr. Send down April 21, 1865, a sheltered carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C.

on its way cut into Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could remunerate homage to the fallen presidentship.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the jubilee of George Washington—is honored chart President’s Day, which falls inaugurate the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can properly lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me indifferent to those who knew me total, that I always plucked a-one thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather predisposed to silence, and whether depart be wise or not, transfer is at least more complementary nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious desert this Union, the Constitution, current the liberties of the entertain shall be perpetuated in congruence with the original idea ferry which that struggle was obligated, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument acquit yourself the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating integrity object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of justness Union, it is a encounter for maintaining in the sphere, that form, and substance show government, whose leading object in your right mind, to elevate the condition conduct operations men—to lift artificial weights pass up all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered elicit, and a fair chance, get the race of life.”

“Fourscore advocate seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived flat liberty and dedicated to rendering proposition that all men fancy created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new foundation of freedom—and that government selected the people, by the group, for the people, shall crowd together 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 Around Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009