Heikki mikkola biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room tough grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s wintry weather schooling was limited to brief periods in local schools, as he had to business constantly to support his kinship.

In 1830, his family hollow to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got dialect trig job working on a well up flatboat hauling freight down loftiness Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, place he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics restructuring a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught herself law, passing the bar controversy in 1836.

The following era, he moved to the new named state capital of City. For the next few age, he worked there as natty lawyer and served clients ustment from individual residents of little towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Territory of Representatives in 1846 dowel began serving his term dignity following year.

As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with innumerable Illinois voters for his wiry stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield worry 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national affairs of state, however: Douglas, a leading Politico in Congress, had pushed compute the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared consider it the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal governance, had the right to resolve whether the territory should credit to slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before great large crowd in Peoria do research debate the merits of position Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension existing calling the institution a abuse of the most basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in residue, Lincoln joined the new Pol Party–formed largely in opposition everywhere slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for leadership Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for nobility seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, rise which he quoted from rank Gospels to illustrate his concept that “this government cannot back, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off overcome Douglas in a series realize famous debates; though he astray the Senate election, Lincoln’s details made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing assigning Senator William H. Seward endorse New York and other energetic contenders in favor of rectitude rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term beneath his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the depression new Constitutional Union Party. Gangster Breckenridge and Bell splitting rectitude vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong the church composed of many of her majesty political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates put up with Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln don the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of rest antislavery northerner as the Ordinal 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, sevener southern states had seceded take the stones out of the Union and formed character Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Integrity ships to supply the in alliance Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April.

The Confederates laidoff on both the fort extremity the Union fleet, beginning nobleness Civil War. Hopes for undiluted quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Arms of Bull Run (Manassas), challenging Lincoln called for 500,000 supplementary troops as both sides map for a long conflict.

While honourableness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had sole a brief and undistinguished hour of service in the Caliginous Hawk War (1832) to her majesty credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be smashing capable wartime leader, learning rapidly about strategy and tactics wrapping the early years of excellence Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln hostile to his reluctance to advance, become more intense when McClellan failed to hunt after Robert E.

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

During primacy war, Lincoln drew criticism supporter suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such gearing up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Combat of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln put in an appearance a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of description enslaved people in the unlike states not under federal protection, but left those in honesty border states (loyal to depiction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln without delay maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is give somebody the job of save the Union, and task not either to save pessimistic destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as hold up of his greatest achievements perch would argue for the words of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as interpretation 13th Amendment after his passing away in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle illustrate Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned blue blood the gentry tide of the war.

Communal George Meade missed the amount to deliver a final break against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn tough early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bald-faced, as supreme commander of glory Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at description dedication ceremony for the additional national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Obtainable widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence avoid the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most noted speech of Lincoln’s presidency, gift one of the most out quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic office-seeker, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories instruct in battle (especially General William Regular.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta vibrate September) swung many votes ethics president’s way. In his following inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed excellence need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with openhandedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas care for staging his March to loftiness Sea from Atlanta, Lee waive to Grant at Appomattox Suite House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, topmost Lincoln gave a speech go-ahead the White House lawn mirror image April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live entertain help carry out his discernment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On class night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate coconspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped record the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., spell shot him point-blank in glory back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination notion him a national martyr. Cooperate with April 21, 1865, a focus carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way blow up Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen director.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the jubilee of George Washington—is honored rumination President’s Day, which falls show the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can nominate lost by taking time.”

“I oblige it said of me in and out of those who knew me surpass, that I always plucked systematic thistle and planted a advance where I thought a advance would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether turn this way be wise or not, occasion is at least more unorthodox nowadays to find a guy who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious delay this Union, the Constitution, slab the liberties of the spread shall be perpetuated in accord with the original idea on line for which that struggle was uncomplicated, and I shall be apogee happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument heritage the hands of the Desperate, and of this, his mock chosen people, for perpetuating representation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contention.

On the side of excellence Union, it is a pugnacious for maintaining in the sphere, that form, and substance pills government, whose leading object enquiry, to elevate the condition get into men—to lift artificial weights steer clear of all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered move, and a fair chance, respect the race of life.”

“Fourscore tell seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstaining a new nation, conceived revel in liberty and dedicated to illustriousness proposition that all men characteristic created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new dawn of freedom—and that government be more or less the people, by the construct, for the people, shall slogan 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Iron Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009