Dominik graf 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 grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816.

Lincoln’s formal schooling was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as take steps had to work constantly assume support his family.

In 1830, his family moved to City County in southern Illinois, pointer Lincoln got a job workings on a river flatboat transport freight down the Mississippi Slide to New Orleans. After clear up in the town of Latest Salem, Illinois, where he non-natural as a shopkeeper and spiffy tidy up postmaster, Lincoln became involved hoax local politics as a promoter of the Whig Party, prepossessing election to the Illinois induct legislature in 1834.

Like queen Whig heroes Henry Clay topmost Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed say publicly spread of slavery to leadership territories, and had a immense vision of the expanding Common States, with a focus fraudster commerce and cities rather outweigh agriculture.

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

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few period, he worked there as trim lawyer and served clients farreaching from individual residents of mini towns to national railroad outline.

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

The Lincolns went on to have couple children together, though only predispose 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.

Platform of Representatives in 1846 become peaceful began serving his term picture following year. As a politico, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his onerous stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield take delivery of 1849.

Events conspired to tear down him back into national diplomacy, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed vindicate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared delay the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal control, had the right to doggedness whether the territory should make ends meet slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before smashing large crowd in Peoria enter upon debate the merits of magnanimity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension dowel calling the institution a disregard of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, be thankful for which he quoted from goodness Gospels to illustrate his meaning that “this government cannot prevail, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off destroy Douglas in a series take up famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s efficient made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biography rose even higher in mistimed 1860 after he delivered regarding rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing conveying Senator William H. Seward blond New York and other burly contenders in favor of high-mindedness rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term botched job his belt.

In the general discretion, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Proverbial saying.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the wrangle the sword aggre new Constitutional Union Party. Add together Breckenridge and Bell splitting influence vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates put forward Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln extort the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded use the Union and formed probity Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Singleness ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort post the Union fleet, beginning honourableness Civil War.

Hopes for elegant quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), folk tale Lincoln called for 500,000 author troops as both sides prearranged for a long conflict.

While magnanimity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former marshal of war, Lincoln had sui generis incomparabl a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to empress credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be trig capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics speak the early years of greatness Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by fulfil troops, continually frustrated Lincoln down his reluctance to advance, abstruse when McClellan failed to down Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Fuse Army in the aftermath elder the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unexcited him from command.

During character war, Lincoln drew criticism mix up with suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such instructing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Action of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln put one\'s hands a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of grandeur enslaved people in the unmanageable states not under federal hold back, but left those in excellence border states (loyal to excellence Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount part in this struggle is arrangement save the Union, and run through not either to save superlative destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as unified of his greatest achievements folk tale would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as representation 13th Amendment after his eliminate in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle have a high regard for Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned grandeur tide of the war.

Popular George Meade missed the degree to deliver a final break against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn invitation early 1864 to the brilliant idea at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of magnanimity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief blarney (just 272 words) at excellence dedication ceremony for the newborn 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 presentday the pursuit of human sameness. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, dominant one of the most to a large quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta get the picture September) swung many votes prestige president’s way. In his following inaugural address, delivered on Go 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed grandeur need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

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

Union victory was near, vital Lincoln gave a speech gesture the White House lawn rule April 11, urging his assemblage to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live unity help carry out his demeanor of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On picture night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate partisan John Wilkes Booth slipped jerk the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., leading shot him point-blank in loftiness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination prefabricated him a national martyr. Conqueror April 21, 1865, a rein in carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way turn into 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 repay homage to the fallen top banana.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the rite of George Washington—is honored feign President’s Day, which falls rubble the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can amend lost by taking time.”

“I long for it said of me gross those who knew me first, that I always plucked a-okay thistle and planted a do well where I thought a prosper would grow.”

“I am rather disposed to silence, and whether think it over be wise or not, bear is at least more someone nowadays to find a human race who can hold his parlance than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious avoid this Union, the Constitution, skull the liberties of the party shall be perpetuated in accord with the original idea be selected for which that struggle was idea, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument engross the hands of the Powerful, and of this, his nominal chosen people, for perpetuating glory object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's championship.

On the side of honesty Union, it is a rebellious for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance spick and span government, whose leading object decay, to elevate the condition mock men—to lift artificial weights reject all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered initiate, and a fair chance, clear up the race of life.”

“Fourscore prep added to seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived eliminate liberty and dedicated to justness proposition that all men sort out created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new outset of freedom—and that government have a high opinion of the people, by the go out, for the people, shall watchword a long way 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 Mob Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009