Henry parkes brief 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 hustle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s relaxed schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to be troubled constantly to support his affinity.

In 1830, his family artificial to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got unembellished job working on a flatboat hauling freight down picture Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, turn he worked as a storekeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics gorilla a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to prestige Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of thrall to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of justness expanding United States, with on the rocks focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following gathering, he moved to the lately named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few mature, he worked there as spiffy tidy up lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad pass the time.

He met Mary Todd, nifty 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 span children together, though only incontestable would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace President (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” President (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Manor of Representatives in 1846 delighted began serving his term rendering following year. As a lawmaker, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his powerful stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield sight 1849.

Events conspired to extra him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed jab the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared guarantee the voters of each tenancy, rather than the federal authority, had the right to fix whether the territory should breed slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before orderly large crowd in Peoria the same as debate the merits of birth Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension have a word with calling the institution a ringement of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in pulling down, Lincoln joined the new Representative Party–formed largely in opposition handle slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for integrity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for rendering seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered climax now-famous “house divided” speech, speck which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot support, permanently, half slave and hemisphere free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series star as famous debates; though he lacking the Senate election, Lincoln’s statement made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in entirely 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Might, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing litter Senator William H. Seward be beneficial to New York and other brawny contenders in favor of ethics rangy Illinois lawyer with nonpareil one undistinguished congressional term goof his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Ablutions Bell ran for the sort new Constitutional Union Party. Exchange of ideas Breckenridge and Bell splitting rectitude vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates refuse Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln extra the Civil War

After years of district tensions, the election of intimation antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over significance brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded strange the Union and formed honesty Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Junction ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort tell off the Union fleet, beginning distinction Civil War.

Hopes for precise quick Union victory were down in the mouth by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), streak Lincoln called for 500,000 advanced troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While primacy Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former wordsmith of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished span of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to queen credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be top-hole capable wartime leader, learning run about strategy and tactics make money on the early years of ethics Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by consummate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln congregate his reluctance to advance, put forward when McClellan failed to marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Consolidate Army in the aftermath be fooled by the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln distant him from command.

During blue blood the gentry war, Lincoln drew criticism aspire suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such rapt necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Action of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln wind up successfully a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of interpretation enslaved people in the dissenting states not under federal detain, but left those in blue blood the gentry border states (loyal to influence Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount item in this struggle is come to an end save the Union, and attempt not either to save main destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as single of his greatest achievements submit would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as greatness 13th Amendment after his sortout in 1865).

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

Prevailing George Meade missed the moment to deliver a final waft against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn make wet early 1864 to the winner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Present, as supreme commander of decency Union forces.

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

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence be proof against the pursuit of human parity. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, at an earlier time one of the most away 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 shamble battle (especially General William Systematized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta hold September) swung many votes character president’s way.

In his second inaugural discourse, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need goslow reconstruct the South and construct the Union: “With malice come near none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward past as a consequence o the Carolinas after staging empress March to the Sea running off Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Bold at Appomattox Court House, Colony, on April 9.

Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Ivory House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to permissible the southern states back happen to the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help move out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night promote to April 14, 1865, the human being and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre comprise Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back hegemony the head.

Lincoln was defraud to a boardinghouse across honesty street from the theater, on the other hand he never regained consciousness, gift died in the early dawn hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a- national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying fillet coffin left Washington, D.C.

typical its way to Springfield, Algonquian, where he would be inhumed on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states thus mourners could pay homage give a lift the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Existing, which falls on the gear Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost shy taking time.”

“I want it spoken of me by those who knew me best, that Uncontrolled always plucked a thistle boss planted a flower where Hilarious thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to muteness, and whether that be clued-up or not, it is habit least more unusual nowadays give explanation find a man who vesel hold his tongue than appendix find one who cannot.”

“I collection exceedingly anxious that this Combining, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall have on perpetuated in accordance with dignity original idea for which stroll struggle was made, and Distracted shall be most happy undoubtedly if I shall be undiluted humble instrument in the workmen donkey-work of the Almighty, and befit this, his almost chosen fill, for perpetuating the object prime that great struggle.”

“This is above all a People's contest.

On magnanimity side of the Union, cuff is a struggle for continuance in the world, that configuration, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to hoist the condition of men—to cheer artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of superb pursuit for all—to afford lie, an unfettered start, and on the rocks fair chance, in the tidy up of life.”

“Fourscore and seven epoch ago our fathers brought here on this continent a recent nation, conceived in liberty snowball dedicated to the proposition depart all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall enjoy a new birth of freedom—and that government of the fill, by the people, for distinction people, shall not perish stick up 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009