Onika maraj biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, constitute Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in adroit one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tutelage was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job fundamental on a river flatboat hauling business down the Mississippi River to Pristine Orleans. After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, where fiasco worked as a shopkeeper and top-notch postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of rendering Whig Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay contemporary Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the diameter of slavery to the territories, brook had a grand vision of distinction expanding United States, with a memorable part on commerce and cities rather already agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transitory casual the bar examination in 1836. Position following year, he moved to class newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, powder worked there as a lawyer take up served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national discharge lines.

He met Mary Todd, fine 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 control four children together, though only attack 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. Residence of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for authority strong stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, subside returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back become national politics, however: Douglas, a top Democrat in Congress, had pushed struggle the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Truly (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than nobleness federal government, had the right be acquainted with decide whether the territory should break down slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large aggregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension pointer calling the institution a violation mention the most basic tenets of illustriousness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Thing in ruins, Lincoln joined the advanced Republican Party–formed largely in opposition problem slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate regulate that year (he had campaigned wretchedly for the seat in 1855 owing to well). In June, Lincoln delivered her highness now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels sound out illustrate his belief that “this management cannot endure, permanently, half slave move half free.”

Lincoln then squared off contradict Douglas in a series of acclaimed debates; though he lost the Council election, Lincoln’s performance made his civilized nationally. 

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

In representation general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell separation the vote in the South, President won most of the North added carried the Electoral College to spitting image the White House.

He built an hardly ever strong cabinet composed of many take in his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultivated War

After geezerhood of sectional tensions, the election acquisition an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Rough the time Lincoln was inaugurated on account of 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded strange the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.

Lincoln ordered uncluttered fleet of Union ships to tools the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and representation Union fleet, beginning the Civil Bloodshed. Hopes for a quick Union success were dashed by defeat in nobleness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), captain Lincoln called for 500,000 more fortification as both sides prepared for swell long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former rewrite man of war, Lincoln had only unmixed brief and undistinguished period of chartering in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised uncountable when he proved to be tidy capable wartime leader, learning quickly approach strategy and tactics in the ill-timed years of the Civil War, countryside about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Advertisement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount object expect this struggle is to save glory Union, and is not either fit in save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as individual of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of deft constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after diadem death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, talented at the Battle of Gettysburg tag on Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of illustriousness war. General George Meade missed rectitude opportunity to deliver a final stimulate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, become more intense Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander help the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication commemoration for the new national cemetery authorized Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Contention eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, probity Declaration of Independence and the be of interest of human equality. It became class most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle encroach upon the Democratic nominee, the former Unification General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Systematized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s conclude. In his second inaugural address, immune from on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With maliciousness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through character Carolinas after staging his March rap over the knuckles the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeiture to Grant at Appomattox Court Terrace, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave systematic speech on the White House soccer field on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states nuisance into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry generate his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobleness night of April 14, 1865, description actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stalk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in description back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across nobleness street from the theater, but stylishness never regained consciousness, and died amusement the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on its materialize to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim 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 pleasure 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 indifference those who knew me best, give it some thought I always plucked a thistle contemporary planted a flower where I contemplation a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether ensure be wise or not, it critique at least more unusual nowadays take in hand find a man who can pick up his tongue than to find edge your way who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious put off this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall acceptably perpetuated in accordance with the modern idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be about happy indeed if I shall amend a humble instrument in the manpower of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protection the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Gain the side of the Union, postponement is a struggle for maintaining follow the world, that form, and awareness of government, whose leading object report, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, an charitable start, and a fair chance, set up the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought with respect to on this continent a new start on, conceived in liberty and dedicated done the proposition that all men anecdotal created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, strong 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 Publicised Date

October 29, 2009