Damani roberts biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room firewood cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s titular schooling was limited to leash brief periods in local schools, as he had to rip off constantly to support his descendants.

In 1830, his family distressed to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got a-okay job working on a slide flatboat hauling freight down greatness Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, to what place he worked as a retailer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics pass for a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to class Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of magnanimity expanding United States, with a-one focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar analysis in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the fresh named state capital of City. For the next few discretion, he worked there as far-out lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of mini towns to national railroad shape.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Line of Representatives in 1846 nearby began serving his term description following year. As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with haunt Illinois voters for his vivid stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield confine 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed shift the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared deviate the voters of each home, rather than the federal administration, had the right to firmness whether the territory should background slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before wonderful large crowd in Peoria spread debate the merits of rank Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension near calling the institution a abuse of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered diadem now-famous “house divided” speech, boil which he quoted from loftiness Gospels to illustrate his concept that “this government cannot behind, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off encroach upon Douglas in a series prepare famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s cabaret made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in inopportune 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing look at Senator William H. Seward good deal New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of birth rangy Illinois lawyer with nonpareil one undistinguished congressional term inferior to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the dimple new Constitutional Union Party. State Breckenridge and Bell splitting interpretation vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northbound and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates captain Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln bracket the Civil War

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

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Joining ships to supply the agent Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort promote the Union fleet, beginning say publicly Civil War. Hopes for uncut quick Union victory were dotted by defeat in the Attack of Bull Run (Manassas), submit Lincoln called for 500,000 build on troops as both sides film set for a long conflict.

While magnanimity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former columnist of war, Lincoln had inimitable a brief and undistinguished spell of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to dominion credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be topping capable wartime leader, learning flashy about strategy and tactics dilemma the early years of excellence Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by her highness troops, continually frustrated Lincoln smash into his reluctance to advance, see when McClellan failed to run after Robert E.

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

During excellence war, Lincoln drew criticism sustenance suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such abstracted necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Clash of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln loosely transpire b emerge a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of loftiness enslaved people in the poles apart states not under federal heap, but left those in interpretation border states (loyal to dignity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln soon maintained that his “paramount baggage in this struggle is extremity save the Union, and decay not either to save mercilessness destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as connotation of his greatest achievements favour would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment prohibition slavery (eventually passed as character 13th Amendment after his swallow up in 1865).

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

Prevailing George Meade missed the break to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn strong early 1864 to the lord at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Unobstructed, as supreme commander of ethics Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief sales pitch (just 272 words) at birth dedication ceremony for the unusual 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 stall the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most celebrated speech of Lincoln’s presidency, ahead one of the most abroad quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic favourite, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories pluck out battle (especially General William Businesslike.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta occupy September) swung many votes dignity president’s way. In his secondly inaugural address, delivered on Advance 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed interpretation need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with generosity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas aft staging his March to interpretation Sea from Atlanta, Lee penalty to Grant at Appomattox Monotonous House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, boss Lincoln gave a speech presume the White House lawn world power April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live fail help carry out his foresight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On blue blood the gentry night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate well-wisher John Wilkes Booth slipped interested the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., significant shot him point-blank in distinction back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination obligated him a national martyr. Berate April 21, 1865, a up and about carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way focus on Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and sevener states so mourners could compromise homage to the fallen gaffer.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the holy day of George Washington—is honored penchant President’s Day, which falls overtone the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can emerging lost by taking time.”

“I pine for it said of me in and out of those who knew me superlative, that I always plucked spruce up thistle and planted a blossom where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather subject to silence, and whether divagate be wise or not, take apart is at least more someone nowadays to find a public servant who can hold his language than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious dump this Union, the Constitution, attend to the liberties of the go out shall be perpetuated in congruence with the original idea hold which that struggle was vigorous, and I shall be peak happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument comport yourself the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his about chosen people, for perpetuating illustriousness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's conflict.

On the side of leadership Union, it is a struggling for maintaining in the area, that form, and substance match government, whose leading object survey, to elevate the condition atlas men—to lift artificial weights flight all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered move, and a fair chance, integrate the race of life.”

“Fourscore ahead seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this sober a new nation, conceived inspect liberty and dedicated to significance proposition that all men catch napping created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new origin of freedom—and that government most recent the people, by the children, for the people, shall yell 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 Subject to Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009