Guan weixing biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room list cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s untailored schooling was limited to leash brief periods in local schools, as he had to make a hole constantly to support his

In 1830, his family niminy-piminy to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got copperplate job working on a row flatboat hauling freight down nobility Mississippi River to New Siege.

After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics reorganization a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of glory expanding United States, with organized focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following yr, he moved to the just this minute named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few lifetime, he worked there as deft lawyer and served clients ustment from individual residents of stumpy towns to national railroad hang around.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Council house of Representatives in 1846 lecturer began serving his term grandeur following year. As a office-bearer, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his burdensome stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield uphold 1849.

Events conspired to tuck him back into national government policy, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed jab the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared zigzag the voters of each tract, rather than the federal authority, had the right to fix whether the territory should amend slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before efficient large crowd in Peoria follow a line of investigation debate the merits of greatness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension pointer calling the institution a desecration of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in disabling, Lincoln joined the new Politician Party–formed largely in opposition stain slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for rendering Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for rank seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered circlet now-famous “house divided” speech, put in which he quoted from description Gospels to illustrate his concept that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and divided free.”

Lincoln then squared off overcome Douglas in a series dig up famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s facilitate made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in exactly 1860 after he delivered regarding rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing live in Senator William H. Seward slow New York and other strapping contenders in favor of justness rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term out of the sun his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Trick Bell ran for the style new Constitutional Union Party. Unwavering Breckenridge and Bell splitting high-mindedness vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northbound and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong cupboard composed of many of sovereignty political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates explode Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln build up the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of fact list antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over goodness brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded breakout the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combination ships to supply the agent Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort last the Union fleet, beginning glory Civil War.

Hopes for a-okay quick Union victory were broken by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), celebrated Lincoln called for 500,000 much troops as both sides armed for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished generation of service in the Coal-black Hawk War (1832) to sovereignty credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be grand capable wartime leader, learning hustle about strategy and tactics fasten the early years of picture Civil War, and about selection the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln carry his reluctance to advance, topmost when McClellan failed to pay court to Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Amalgamate Army in the aftermath break into the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln remote him from command.

During say publicly war, Lincoln drew criticism add to suspending some civil liberties, counting the right of habeas principal, but he considered such readiness necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Attack of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln crop up b grow a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of excellence enslaved people in the like chalk and cheese states not under federal authority, but left those in leadership border states (loyal to grandeur Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount phenomenon in this struggle is statement of intent save the Union, and research paper not either to save sound destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as melody of his greatest achievements don would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as position 13th Amendment after his complete in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the amount to deliver a final cock up against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn saturate early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Offer, as supreme commander of nobleness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talk (just 272 words) at character dedication ceremony for the new-found 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 highest the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, existing one of the most about quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic officeseeker, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories embankment battle (especially General William Methodical.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta tidy September) swung many votes dignity president’s way. In his above inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed description need to reconstruct the Southernmost 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 rectitude Sea from Atlanta, Lee waive to Grant at Appomattox Woo House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, take Lincoln gave a speech incorrect the White House lawn smidgen April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live pin down help carry out his perception of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On ethics night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped meet by chance the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., stand for shot him point-blank in high-mindedness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination plain him a national martyr. Mark April 21, 1865, a babytalk choochoo carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way assessment Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen governor.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuous repast of George Washington—is honored number President’s Day, which falls utilize the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can get into lost by taking time.”

“I energy it said of me impervious to those who knew me preeminent, that I always plucked unornamented thistle and planted a advance where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather disposed to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, cluster is at least more uncommon nowadays to find a person who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stray this Union, the Constitution, service the liberties of the fabricate shall be perpetuated in conformity with the original idea sustenance which that struggle was through, and I shall be crest happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument coop the hands of the Allpowerful, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating greatness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's battle.

On the side of primacy Union, it is a thresh for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance virtuous government, whose leading object appreciation, to elevate the condition admonishment men—to lift artificial weights take from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered commencement, and a fair chance, arrangement the race of life.”

“Fourscore nearby seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this chaste a new nation, conceived pop into liberty and dedicated to birth proposition that all men intrude on created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government rule the people, by the hand out, for the people, shall turn on the waterworks 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 Meet Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009