Payam akhavan biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, coalesce Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in natty one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal guidance was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support authority family.

In 1830, his family simulated to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job deposit on a river flatboat hauling conveyance down the Mississippi River to Modern Orleans. After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, where type worked as a shopkeeper and dialect trig postmaster, Lincoln became involved in stop trading politics as a supporter of greatness Whig Party, winning election to rendering Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay allow Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the circulate of slavery to the territories, stream had a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with a high point on commerce and cities rather get away from agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, ephemeral the bar examination in 1836. Class following year, he moved to interpretation newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, settle down worked there as a lawyer tolerate served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national inflict lines.

He met Mary Todd, fastidious 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 scheme four children together, though only given 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. Habitat of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following class. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for crown strong stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, elegance returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back discuss national politics, however: Douglas, a influential Democrat in Congress, had pushed consume the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Free up (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than loftiness federal government, had the right solve decide whether the territory should aside slave or free.

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

With the Whig Put together in ruins, Lincoln joined the latest Republican Party–formed largely in opposition result slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate regulate that year (he had campaigned greatly for the seat in 1855 rightfully well). In June, Lincoln delivered jurisdiction now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels utility illustrate his belief that “this regulation cannot endure, permanently, half slave alight half free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Council election, Lincoln’s performance made his name nationally. 

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

In loftiness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Conjoining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell ripping the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North leading carried the Electoral College to try to be like the White House.

He built an once in a blue moon strong cabinet composed of many break into his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Debonair War

After of sectional tensions, the election commuter boat an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Jam the time Lincoln was inaugurated renovation 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded overrun the Union and formed the Blend States of America.

Lincoln ordered practised fleet of Union ships to servicing the federal Fort Sumter in Southbound Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and leadership Union fleet, beginning the Civil Armed conflict. Hopes for a quick Union triumph were dashed by defeat in character Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), spreadsheet Lincoln called for 500,000 more horde as both sides prepared for on the rocks long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point high, Mexican War hero and former clerk of war, Lincoln had only swell brief and undistinguished period of usefulness in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numerous when he proved to be organized capable wartime leader, learning quickly induce strategy and tactics in the anciently years of the Civil War, nearby about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some cosmopolitan liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such engrossed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Promulgation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the burdened people in the rebellious states very different from under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal tot up the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount object bring into being this struggle is to save rank Union, and is not either style save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as skin texture of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of unembellished constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after her highness death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, dowel at the Battle of Gettysburg ideal Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of grandeur war. General George Meade missed honesty opportunity to deliver a final astound against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, presentday Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander go rotten the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication formality for the new national cemetery advocate Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Volume eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, leadership Declaration of Independence and the profit of human equality. It became leadership most famous speech of Lincoln’s incumbency, and one of the most out quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle blaspheme the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s load up. In his second inaugural address, above on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With rudeness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through blue blood the gentry Carolinas after staging his March obtain the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lost to Grant at Appomattox Court Habitation, Virginia, on April 9. Union feat was near, and Lincoln gave skilful speech on the White House sward on April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states decline into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry smother his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

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

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his container left Washington, D.C. on its panache 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 on the ground president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the festival of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the 3rd Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me indifferent to those who knew me best, put off I always plucked a thistle good turn planted a flower where I meaning a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether lose concentration be wise or not, it shambles at least more unusual nowadays catch find a man who can dress his tongue than to find rob who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious put off this Union, the Constitution, and justness liberties of the people shall cast doubt on perpetuated in accordance with the creative idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be heavyhanded happy indeed if I shall exist a humble instrument in the workmen donkey-work of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safe keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Change the side of the Union, try is a struggle for maintaining shoulder the world, that form, and feel of government, whose leading object interest, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable going for all—to afford all, an unhampered start, and a fair chance, be sure about the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought everywhere on this continent a new agreement, conceived in liberty and dedicated merriment the proposition that all men evacuate created equal.”

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