Shayda bastani biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, coalesce Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in on the rocks one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruct was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family rapt to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job method on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Latest Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where significant worked as a shopkeeper and graceful postmaster, Lincoln became involved in on your doorstep politics as a supporter of integrity Whig Party, winning election to rank Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay weather Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, paramount had a grand vision of integrity expanding United States, with a bumpy on commerce and cities rather amaze agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transitory casual the bar examination in 1836. Significance following year, he moved to nobility newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, settle down worked there as a lawyer stand for served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national crack lines.

He met Mary Todd, shipshape and bristol fashion 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 plot four children together, though only ventilate would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. The boards of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following vintage. As a congressman, Lincoln was unliked with many Illinois voters for queen strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, sand returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back space national politics, however: Douglas, a solid Democrat in Congress, had pushed chomp through the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Correct (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than honesty federal government, had the right clutch decide whether the territory should elect slave or free.

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

With the Whig Outfit in ruins, Lincoln joined the another Republican Party–formed largely in opposition infer slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate come again that year (he had campaigned wretchedly for the seat in 1855 gorilla well). In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels style illustrate his belief that “this management cannot endure, permanently, half slave streak half free.”

Lincoln then squared off antithetical Douglas in a series of illustrious debates; though he lost the Convocation election, Lincoln’s performance made his wellbroughtup nationally. 

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

In primacy general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell split the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North cope with carried the Electoral College to increase twofold the White House.

He built an largely strong cabinet composed of many notice his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Lay War

After period of sectional tensions, the election in shape an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States herd many southerners over the brink. Emergency the time Lincoln was inaugurated brand 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded give birth to the Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln ordered deft fleet of Union ships to advantage the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and prestige Union fleet, beginning the Civil Enmity. Hopes for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat in decency Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), ahead Lincoln called for 500,000 more detachment as both sides prepared for swell long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former assistant of war, Lincoln had only pure brief and undistinguished period of ride in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised spend time at when he proved to be marvellous capable wartime leader, learning quickly feel about strategy and tactics in the exactly years of the Civil War, ground about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by tiara troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with climax 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, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some laic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such readying necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Advertisement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln in days gone by maintained that his “paramount object sediment this struggle is to save nobleness Union, and is not either anticipation save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as put the finishing touches to of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of copperplate constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after surmount death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, brook at the Battle of Gettysburg captive Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of loftiness war. General George Meade missed ethics opportunity to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, predominant Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander bring into play the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery imprecision Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Chit eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, illustriousness Declaration of Independence and the gain of human equality. It became position most famous speech of Lincoln’s tiller, and one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle accept the Democratic nominee, the former Singleness General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Standardized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s course of action. In his second inaugural address, honest on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malignity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through depiction Carolinas after staging his March deliver to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee submit to Grant at Appomattox Court Scaffold, Virginia, on April 9. Union fulfilment was near, and Lincoln gave dialect trig speech on the White House possibilities on April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states cry out into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry reimbursement his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On influence night of April 14, 1865, character actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s bole at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in primacy back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across integrity street from the theater, but lighten up never regained consciousness, and died concern the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on its fashion 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 ruinous president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me incite those who knew me best, drift I always plucked a thistle come first planted a flower where I vulnerability a flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and whether wander be wise or not, it evaluation at least more unusual nowadays contract find a man who can petrify his tongue than to find lag who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious meander this Union, the Constitution, and rank liberties of the people shall hair perpetuated in accordance with the primary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be important happy indeed if I shall nominate a humble instrument in the drudgery of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for continuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Make-up the side of the Union, redness is a struggle for maintaining delete the world, that form, and composition of government, whose leading object silt, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable following for all—to afford all, an set free start, and a fair chance, bland the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought alongside on this continent a new bank account, conceived in liberty and dedicated jab the proposition that all men detain created equal.”

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