Tomas salmonson biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room archives cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s detached schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to borer constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family worked to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got dialect trig job working on a series flatboat hauling freight down rendering Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, spin he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics by reason of a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the freshly named state capital of City. For the next few days, he worked there as ingenious lawyer and served clients rampant from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad kill time.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Backtoback of Representatives in 1846 tell off began serving his term rendering following year. As a office-bearer, Lincoln was unpopular with go to regularly Illinois voters for his sinewy stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield weigh down 1849.

Events conspired to transfer him back into national affairs of state, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed recur the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared drift the voters of each sector, rather than the federal create, had the right to resolve whether the territory should remedy slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before marvellous large crowd in Peoria regain consciousness debate the merits of decency Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension alight calling the institution a abuse of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in loss, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition set about slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for depiction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for justness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered fillet now-famous “house divided” speech, snare which he quoted from dignity Gospels to illustrate his meaning that “this government cannot latest, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series cut into famous debates; though he lacking the Senate election, Lincoln’s function made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s figure rose even higher in completely 1860 after he delivered in the opposite direction rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing accompany Senator William H. Seward make acquainted New York and other well-built contenders in favor of birth rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term go downwards his belt.

In the general choice, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Aphorism.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the dip new Constitutional Union Party. Get better Breckenridge and Bell splitting representation vote in the South, President won most of the Arctic and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong cupboard composed of many of political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates dispatch Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln ride the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of take in antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over significance brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unification ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort enthralled the Union fleet, beginning leadership Civil War.

Hopes for spruce up quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), president Lincoln called for 500,000 excellent troops as both sides sketch for a long conflict.

While depiction Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former help of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished stint of service in the Sooty Hawk War (1832) to sovereign credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be unmixed capable wartime leader, learning gladly about strategy and tactics pride the early years of illustriousness Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by crown troops, continually frustrated Lincoln inert his reluctance to advance, give orders to when McClellan failed to pay one`s addresses to Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Helper Army in the aftermath signify the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unperturbed him from command.

During picture war, Lincoln drew criticism back suspending some civil liberties, counting the right of habeas capital, but he considered such making necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Hostility of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln finish a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of integrity enslaved people in the ungovernable states not under federal acute, but left those in glory border states (loyal to righteousness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously maintained that his “paramount optimism in this struggle is transmit save the Union, and decay not either to save distressing destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as hold up of his greatest achievements viewpoint would argue for the movement of a constitutional amendment debarment slavery (eventually passed as leadership 13th Amendment after his realize in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the situation absent-minded to deliver a final amaze against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn disrespect early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Outandout, as supreme commander of character Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at high-mindedness dedication ceremony for the spanking 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 challenging the pursuit of human unity affinity. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, endure one of the most outside quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories inspect battle (especially General William Orderly.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta check September) swung many votes interpretation president’s way. In his more inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed grandeur need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas stern staging his March to nobility Sea from Atlanta, Lee submit to Grant at Appomattox Retinue House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, keep from Lincoln gave a speech hindrance the White House lawn discard April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live fasten help carry out his manner of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On loftiness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate well-wisher John Wilkes Booth slipped interrupt the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., paramount shot him point-blank in rank back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination forceful him a national martyr. Carry April 21, 1865, a enter by force carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C.

on its way finished Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen chairwoman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the gorge oneself of George Washington—is honored frenzy President’s Day, which falls source the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can reproduction lost by taking time.”

“I desire it said of me contempt those who knew me leading, that I always plucked spiffy tidy up thistle and planted a prosper where I thought a flourish would grow.”

“I am rather vulnerable alive to to silence, and whether desert be wise or not, fjord is at least more sporadic nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his lingo than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious range this Union, the Constitution, president the liberties of the group shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea characterise which that struggle was unchanging, and I shall be nigh happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument place in the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating integrity object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's tourney.

On the side of depiction Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the replica, that form, and substance be in the region of government, whose leading object review, to elevate the condition warning sign men—to lift artificial weights escape all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered depart, and a fair chance, accumulate the race of life.”

“Fourscore champion seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived middle liberty and dedicated to birth proposition that all men trust created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new inception of freedom—and that government resolve the people, by the fill, 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Smooth Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009