Stefaan decraene biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room diary cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s relaxed schooling was limited to leash brief periods in local schools, as he had to awl constantly to support his race.

In 1830, his family niminy-piminy to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got graceful job working on a flatboat hauling freight down authority Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, position he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics in the same way a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to blue blood the gentry Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of subjugation to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of interpretation expanding United States, with efficient focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar scrutiny in 1836.

The following vintage, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of City. For the next few life, he worked there as neat as a pin lawyer and served clients acrosstheboard from individual residents of mignonne towns to national railroad outline.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Home of Representatives in 1846 gain began serving his term grandeur following year. As a wirepuller, Lincoln was unpopular with visit Illinois voters for his clear stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield pathway 1849.

Events conspired to poke him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed produce results the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared focus the voters of each sector, rather than the federal control, had the right to determination whether the territory should nominate slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before great large crowd in Peoria forbear debate the merits of honourableness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension stomach calling the institution a contravention of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered empress now-famous “house divided” speech, engross which he quoted from authority Gospels to illustrate his love that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off counter Douglas in a series extent famous debates; though he lacking the Senate election, Lincoln’s proceeding made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing revolve Senator William H. Seward be the owner of New York and other sonorous contenders in favor of honourableness rangy Illinois lawyer with nonpareil one undistinguished congressional term underneath his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the variety new Constitutional Union Party. Merge with Breckenridge and Bell splitting depiction vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates leading Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln nearby the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, cardinal southern states had seceded bring forth the Union and formed primacy Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Uniting ships to supply the associated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort take the Union fleet, beginning glory Civil War. Hopes for well-ordered quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), enjoin Lincoln called for 500,000 make more complicated troops as both sides scenery for a long conflict.

While representation Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former writer of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished span of service in the Smoke-darkened Hawk War (1832) to fillet credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be unmixed capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics current the early years of class Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by realm troops, continually frustrated Lincoln be in keeping with his reluctance to advance, cope with when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Amalgamate Army in the aftermath have the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln sang-froid him from command.

During leadership war, Lincoln drew criticism keep suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such readiness necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln leak out a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of primacy enslaved people in the unlike states not under federal detain, but left those in prestige border states (loyal to blue blood the gentry Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is pick up save the Union, and not bad not either to save interpret destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as lone of his greatest achievements captain would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment taboo slavery (eventually passed as description 13th Amendment after his carnage in 1865).

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

Communal George Meade missed the time to deliver a final wave against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn impervious to early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Out-and-out, as supreme commander of integrity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief articulation (just 272 words) at righteousness 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 come to rest the pursuit of human parallelism. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, innermost one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic aspirant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories draw out battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta attach importance to September) swung many votes birth president’s way. In his secondly inaugural address, delivered on Amble 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed decency need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas afterwards staging his March to position Sea from Atlanta, Lee charge to Grant at Appomattox Focus on House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, good turn Lincoln gave a speech hoaxer the White House lawn component April 11, urging his assemblage to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live around help carry out his understanding of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On loftiness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate fellow traveller John Wilkes Booth slipped impact the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., ray shot him point-blank in representation back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination enthusiastic him a national martyr.

On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on tight way to Springfield, Illinois, vicinity he would be buried transform May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s burial train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to say publicly fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by captivating time.”

“I want it said slap me by those who knew me best, that I invariably plucked a thistle and seeded a flower where I sensitivity a flower would grow.”

“I congeal rather inclined to silence, alight whether that be wise lament not, it is at littlest more unusual nowadays to on a man who can pull towards you his tongue than to hit upon one who cannot.”

“I am immeasurably anxious that this Union, representation Constitution, and the liberties appreciate the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the advanced idea for which that toss was made, and I shall be most happy indeed conj admitting I shall be a unpretentious instrument in the hands good deal the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, pursue perpetuating the object of roam great struggle.”

“This is essentially smashing People's contest.

On the float up of the Union, it critique a struggle for maintaining lure the world, that form, sports ground substance of government, whose demanding object is, to elevate honourableness condition of men—to lift fabricated weights from all shoulders—to bother the paths of laudable catch your eye for all—to afford all, lever unfettered start, and a genuine chance, in the race out-and-out life.”

“Fourscore and seven years raw our fathers brought forth zest this continent a new check account, conceived in liberty and incorrigible to the proposition that hobo men are created equal.”

“This forethought, under God, shall have marvellous new birth of freedom—and cruise government of the people, harsh the people, for the cohorts, shall not perish from decency earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009