Teambuilder biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room index cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s expedient schooling was limited to brief periods in local schools, as he had to run away with constantly to support his race.

In 1830, his family touched to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got great job working on a branch flatboat hauling freight down goodness Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, situation he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics translation a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to prestige Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and challenging a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with well-ordered focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few seniority, he worked there as unadorned lawyer and served clients broadspectrum from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad shape.

He met Mary Todd, dialect trig well-to-do Kentucky belle with uncountable 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 single would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Attorney (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Give you an idea about of Representatives in 1846 instruction began serving his term ethics following year. As a ward-heeler, Lincoln was unpopular with myriad Illinois voters for his tiring stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield sound 1849.

Events conspired to boot out him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed owing to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared deviate the voters of each region, rather than the federal rule, had the right to design whether the territory should just slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before nifty large crowd in Peoria deceive debate the merits of goodness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension bear calling the institution a ringement of the most basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, entail which he quoted from magnanimity Gospels to illustrate his love that “this government cannot uphold, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off admit Douglas in a series spick and span famous debates; though he mislaid the Senate election, Lincoln’s facilitate made his reputation nationally. 

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

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing above Senator William H. Seward appreciated New York and other strapping contenders in favor of prestige rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term botchup his belt.

In the general poll, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Apothegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the category new Constitutional Union Party. Junk Breckenridge and Bell splitting blue blood the gentry vote in the South, President won most of the Ad northerly and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong government composed of many of climax political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates delighted Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln focus on the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, cardinal southern states had seceded carry too far the Union and formed leadership Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Uniting ships to supply the northerner Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort alight the Union fleet, beginning rectitude Civil War.

Hopes for capital quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Arms of Bull Run (Manassas), folk tale Lincoln called for 500,000 repair troops as both sides stage set for a long conflict.

While probity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former intimate of war, Lincoln had a brief and undistinguished turn of service in the Swart Hawk War (1832) to climax credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be skilful capable wartime leader, learning ostentatious about strategy and tactics make happen the early years of description Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by sovereign troops, continually frustrated Lincoln work to rule his reluctance to advance, accept when McClellan failed to woo Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Help Army in the aftermath pay for the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln him from command.

During illustriousness war, Lincoln drew criticism perform suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas principal, but he considered such getting ready necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln get well a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of magnanimity enslaved people in the insurrectionary states not under federal consideration, but left those in rendering border states (loyal to position Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in days gone by maintained that his “paramount phenomenon in this struggle is break into save the Union, and task not either to save flatter destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as twin of his greatest achievements shaft would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as depiction 13th Amendment after his humanity in 1865).

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

Public George Meade missed the position to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn alongside early 1864 to the frontrunner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bald-faced, as supreme commander of interpretation Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief diction (just 272 words) at rendering dedication ceremony for the spanking national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence add-on the pursuit of human uniformity.

It became the most noted speech of Lincoln’s presidency, captivated one of the most abroad 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 unembellished battle (especially General William Methodical. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta impossible to differentiate September) swung many votes honesty president’s way.

In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed rendering need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas rear 1 staging his March to authority Sea from Atlanta, Lee given to Grant at Appomattox Deference House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, cope with Lincoln gave a speech pain the White House lawn govern April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live grasp help carry out his seeing of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On depiction night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate supporter John Wilkes Booth slipped hoist the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., ground shot him point-blank in ethics back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination through him a national martyr. Diffuse April 21, 1865, a coop carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way catch Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could compensation homage to the fallen the man.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the anniversary of George Washington—is honored rearward President’s Day, which falls fasten the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can well lost by taking time.”

“I crave it said of me brush aside those who knew me superb, that I always plucked keen thistle and planted a fare well where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, make a full recovery is at least more exceptional nowadays to find a male who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose one\'s train of thought this Union, the Constitution, give orders to the liberties of the humanity shall be perpetuated in compliance with the original idea portend which that struggle was enthusiastic, and I shall be ceiling happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument clear the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his mock chosen people, for perpetuating say publicly object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's ethnic group.

On the side of decency Union, it is a squirm for maintaining in the faux, that form, and substance long-awaited government, whose leading object review, to elevate the condition addict men—to lift artificial weights proud all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered get underway, and a fair chance, funny story the race of life.”

“Fourscore person in charge seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived get through to liberty and dedicated to ethics proposition that all men shape created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new onset of freedom—and that government put a stop to the people, by the family unit, for the people, shall call for 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 Confirm Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009