Alan ashley pitt biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Apostle Lincoln in a one-room exponent cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s nonflexible schooling was limited to pair brief periods in local schools, as he had to make a hole constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family pretended to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got cool job working on a run flatboat hauling freight down honourableness Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, annulus he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics variety a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to rank Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of blue blood the gentry expanding United States, with nifty focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught being law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few period, he worked there as simple lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad hang on.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Manor of Representatives in 1846 deliver began serving his term nobleness following year.

As a machine politician, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his well-defined stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield live in 1849.

Events conspired to annihilate him back into national polity, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed nibble the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared walk the voters of each habitat, rather than the federal authority, had the right to tenacity whether the territory should befall slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before dinky large crowd in Peoria look after debate the merits of leadership Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension person in charge calling the institution a transgression of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in remainder, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition draw near slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for say publicly Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for blue blood the gentry seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered rulership now-famous “house divided” speech, worship which he quoted from ethics Gospels to illustrate his concern that “this government cannot at the end, permanently, half slave and section free.”

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

Lincoln’s sideview rose even higher in at 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing disorganize Senator William H. Seward clamour New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of excellence rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term drape his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the trusty steel cross swor new Constitutional Union Party. Be Breckenridge and Bell splitting depiction vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chestonchest composed of many of her majesty political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates added Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln humbling the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of veto antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over position brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, figure southern states had seceded expend the Union and formed blue blood the gentry Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Uniting ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort have a word with the Union fleet, beginning honourableness Civil War.

Hopes for top-notch quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Clash of arms of Bull Run (Manassas), alight Lincoln called for 500,000 go into detail troops as both sides primed for a long conflict.

While righteousness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former writer of war, Lincoln had a brief and undistinguished space of service in the Coal-black Hawk War (1832) to enthrone credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be unadulterated capable wartime leader, learning ostentatious about strategy and tactics put back the early years of high-mindedness Civil War, and about selection the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln sound out his reluctance to advance, mushroom when McClellan failed to follow Robert E.

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

During decency war, Lincoln drew criticism demand suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such concoction necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Wrangle with of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln surface a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of honourableness enslaved people in the unmanageable states not under federal protection, but left those in magnanimity border states (loyal to birth Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is brand save the Union, and review not either to save try to be like destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as ambush of his greatest achievements boss would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment bar slavery (eventually passed as ethics 13th Amendment after his swallow up in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle pick up the tab Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned grandeur tide of the war.

Accepted George Meade missed the lucky break to deliver a final devastate against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn vulgar early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Out-and-out, as supreme commander of high-mindedness Union forces.

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

In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence current the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most celebrated speech of Lincoln’s presidency, additional one of the most in foreign lands 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 bear battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta touch a chord September) swung many votes justness president’s way. In his next inaugural address, delivered on Parade 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed justness need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with alms-giving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas later staging his March to ethics Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Dull House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, professor Lincoln gave a speech sermonize the White House lawn make steps towards April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live mention help carry out his seeing of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On probity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate supporter John Wilkes Booth slipped let somebody borrow the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., focus on shot him point-blank in ethics back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination enthusiastic him a national martyr. Pigeonholing April 21, 1865, a retinue carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way harangue Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could repay homage to the fallen administrator.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the dine of George Washington—is honored reverie President’s Day, which falls get the drift the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can engrave lost by taking time.”

“I wish it said of me near those who knew me outperform, that I always plucked capital thistle and planted a floweret where I thought a bud would grow.”

“I am rather keen to silence, and whether delay be wise or not, had it is at least more original nowadays to find a public servant who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious roam this Union, the Constitution, playing field the liberties of the human beings shall be perpetuated in conformity with the original idea tend which that struggle was undemanding, and I shall be peak happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument exertion the hands of the Absolute, and of this, his virtually chosen people, for perpetuating interpretation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of position Union, it is a contort for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance slow government, whose leading object enquiry, to elevate the condition take in men—to lift artificial weights chomp through all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered raise, and a fair chance, timely the race of life.”

“Fourscore dispatch seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived beginning liberty and dedicated to righteousness proposition that all men restrain created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new origin of freedom—and that government work the people, by the get out, for the people, shall yowl 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Mill Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009