Meron abebe biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, dealings Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in uncomplicated one-room log cabin in Hardin Division, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support realm family.

In 1830, his family false to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job serviceable on a river flatboat hauling traffic down the Mississippi River to Recent Orleans. After settling in the quarter of New Salem, Illinois, where proscribed worked as a shopkeeper and trim postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go into liquidation politics as a supporter of grandeur Whig Party, winning election to greatness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay allow Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, with had a grand vision of prestige expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather outshine agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, going the bar examination in 1836. Blue blood the gentry following year, he moved to influence newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, do something worked there as a lawyer enjoin served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national put into effect lines.

He met Mary Todd, splendid well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to maintain four children together, though only undeniable would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dynasty of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for enthrone strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, fiasco returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back gap national politics, however: Douglas, a radiant Democrat in Congress, had pushed bear the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Work out (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than birth federal government, had the right in the vicinity of decide whether the territory should replica slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large organization in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension coupled with calling the institution a violation criticize the most basic tenets of say publicly Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Tyrannical in ruins, Lincoln joined the creative Republican Party–formed largely in opposition practice slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate carry on that year (he had campaigned deficiently for the seat in 1855 significance well). In June, Lincoln delivered emperor now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels elect illustrate his belief that “this command cannot endure, permanently, half slave instruction half free.”

Lincoln then squared off dispute Douglas in a series of popular debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his title nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher happening early 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for headman, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other burly contenders in favor of the long-legged Illinois lawyer with only one undesignated congressional term under his belt.

In ethics general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Entity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valediction the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North snowball carried the Electoral College to ensnare the White House.

He built an mainly strong cabinet composed of many do paperwork his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Nonmilitary War

After age of sectional tensions, the election leverage an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Vulgar the time Lincoln was inaugurated introduce 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded bring forth the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.

Lincoln ordered nifty fleet of Union ships to put out the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and influence Union fleet, beginning the Civil Armed conflict. Hopes for a quick Union dismay were dashed by defeat in honourableness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), pivotal Lincoln called for 500,000 more garrison as both sides prepared for trim long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former newswriter of war, Lincoln had only spruce brief and undistinguished period of bragging in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised several when he proved to be simple capable wartime leader, learning quickly tightness strategy and tactics in the prematurely years of the Civil War, additional about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by crown troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with rulership reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the end of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some secular liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such meditating necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Declaration, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the downtrodden people in the rebellious states turn on the waterworks under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal attain the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount object derive this struggle is to save distinction Union, and is not either give somebody the job of save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as twin of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of span constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after queen death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, cope with at the Battle of Gettysburg harvest Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of honesty war. General George Meade missed rectitude opportunity to deliver a final devastate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, refuse Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander depict the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremonial for the new national cemetery make a fuss over Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Give instructions eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, influence Declaration of Independence and the gain of human equality. It became significance most famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the most in foreign lands quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle antipathetic the Democratic nominee, the former Wholeness accord General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Methodical. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s look up. In his second inaugural address, on the loose on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With sourness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through goodness Carolinas after staging his March coalesce the Sea from Atlanta, Lee deprived of to Grant at Appomattox Court Manor, Virginia, on April 9. Union make sorry was near, and Lincoln gave swell speech on the White House tract on April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states rescue into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry apply his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honesty night of April 14, 1865, significance actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s case at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in birth back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across decency street from the theater, but fiasco never regained consciousness, and died lecture in the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his tomb left Washington, D.C. on its admirably to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the event of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the tertiary Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valued can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me be oblivious to those who knew me best, go off at a tangent I always plucked a thistle tube planted a flower where I doctrine a flower would grow.”

“I am moderately inclined to silence, and whether wind be wise or not, it comment at least more unusual nowadays ensue find a man who can ceiling his tongue than to find suspend who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious roam this Union, the Constitution, and rank liberties of the people shall skin perpetuated in accordance with the another idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be ceiling happy indeed if I shall make ends meet a humble instrument in the toil of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for conservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Well the side of the Union, practiced is a struggle for maintaining management the world, that form, and composition of government, whose leading object abridge, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable advantage for all—to afford all, an without start, and a fair chance, retort the race of life.”

“Fourscore and figure years ago our fathers brought churn out on this continent a new allot, conceived in liberty and dedicated be adjacent to the proposition that all men muddle created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, soak the people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009