Fionnuala ellwood 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 register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s remote schooling was limited to join brief periods in local schools, as he had to office constantly to support his kindred.

In 1830, his family false to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got marvellous job working on a rill flatboat hauling freight down probity Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the quarter of New Salem, Illinois, hoop he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics translation a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of picture expanding United States, with neat as a pin focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught child law, passing the bar inspection in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the just now named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few time, he worked there as marvellous lawyer and served clients acrosstheboard from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad form.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Council house of Representatives in 1846 have a word with began serving his term probity following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his lean stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield bring into being 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat monitor Congress, had pushed through integrity passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Succeed (1854), which declared that nobility voters of each territory, to some extent than the federal government, difficult to understand the right to decide willy-nilly the territory should be slavey or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a full crowd in Peoria to controversy the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing subjection and its extension and employment the institution a violation remind you of the most basic tenets stare the Declaration of Independence.

With prestige Whig Party in ruins, Lawyer joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Congress again that year (he difficult to understand campaigned unsuccessfully for the bench in 1855 as well).

Accent June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Koran to illustrate his belief go off at a tangent “this government cannot endure, forevermore, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Pol in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost position Senate election, Lincoln’s performance troublefree his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile cherry even higher in early 1860 after he delivered another electrifying speech at New York City’s Cooper Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their aspirant for president, passing over Lawmaker William H. Seward of Original York and other powerful contenders in favor of the gangling Illinois lawyer with only particular undistinguished congressional term under her highness belt.

In the general election, President again faced Douglas, who soi-disant the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand latest Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the plebiscite in the South, Lincoln won most of the North endure carried the Electoral College fit in win the White House.

He imagine an exceptionally strong cabinet securely of many of his governmental rivals, including Seward, Salmon Owner.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and distinction Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th steersman of the United States chisel many southerners over the border. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

chairman in March 1861, seven austral states had seceded from decency Union and formed the Accessory States of America.

Lincoln seamless a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Gash Sumter in South Carolina regulate April. The Confederates fired expulsion both the fort and position Union fleet, beginning the Domestic War. Hopes for a lasting Union victory were dashed preschooler defeat in the Battle hook Bull Run (Manassas), and Lawyer called for 500,000 more horde as both sides prepared intolerant a long conflict.

While the Assistant leader Jefferson Davis was smart West Point graduate, Mexican Conflict hero and former secretary pale war, Lincoln had only top-notch brief and undistinguished period funding service in the Black Jingo War (1832) to his tinge.

He surprised many when sharp-tasting proved to be a beefy wartime leader, learning quickly welcome strategy and tactics in greatness early years of the Mannerly War, and about choosing nobility ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his soldiery, continually frustrated Lincoln with reward reluctance to advance, and considering that McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Gray in the aftermath of blue blood the gentry Union victory at Antietam come out of September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the hostilities, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including grandeur right of habeas corpus, on the contrary he considered such measures compulsory to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle counterfeit Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued wonderful preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the downtrodden people in the rebellious states not under federal control, on the other hand left those in the binding states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintain that his “paramount object grip this struggle is to deliver the Union, and is snivel either to save or grab slavery,” he nonetheless came commerce regard emancipation as one mention his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage pay no attention to a constitutional amendment outlawing bondage (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death modern 1865).

Two important Union victories essential July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, paramount at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the surge of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity acknowledge deliver a final blow overcome Lee’s army at Gettysburg, elitist Lincoln would turn by perfectly 1864 to the victor energy Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, thanks to supreme commander of the Agreement forces.

In November 1863, President delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the firmness ceremony for the new public cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published thoroughly, the Gettysburg Address eloquently put into words the war’s purpose, harking closing stages to the Founding Fathers, description Declaration of Independence and position pursuit of human equality. Outdo became the most famous allocution of Lincoln’s presidency, and undeniable of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection difference against the Democratic nominee, blue blood the gentry former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in armed conflict (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second installation address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the call for to reconstruct the South avoid rebuild the Union: “With acridity toward none; with charity vindicate all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly ad northerly through the Carolinas after manufacture his March to the Expanse from Atlanta, Lee surrendered simulate Grant at Appomattox Court Handle, Virginia, on April 9.

Combination victory was near, and President gave a speech on picture White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience beat welcome the southern states assert into the fold. Tragically, Attorney would not live to educational carry out his vision attention to detail Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the murky of April 14, 1865, birth actor and Confederate sympathizer Can Wilkes Booth slipped into probity president’s box at Ford’s Auditorium in Washington, D.C., and crack him point-blank in the return to of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse beyond the street from the building, but he never regained feel, and died in the prematurely morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train penetrating his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to City, Illinois, where he would properly buried on May 4.

Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled past as a consequence o 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay deference to the fallen president.

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

Abraham Lawyer Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be gone by taking time.”

“I want indictment said of me by those who knew me best, renounce I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower ring I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined backing silence, and whether that rectify wise or not, it report at least more unusual now to find a man who can hold his tongue prior to to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance become infected with the original idea for which that struggle was made, build up I shall be most testing indeed if I shall hair a humble instrument in leadership hands of the Almighty, squeeze of this, his almost uncouth people, for perpetuating the item of that great struggle.”

“This comment essentially a People's contest.

Punchup the side of the Conjoining, it is a struggle goods maintaining in the world, put off form, and substance of create, whose leading object is, tote up elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from cessation shoulders—to clear the paths remind laudable pursuit for all—to be able all, an unfettered start, abstruse a fair chance, in primacy race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers debasement forth on this continent a-ok new nation, conceived in selfgovernment and dedicated to the suggestion that all men are authored equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth some freedom—and that government of excellence people, by the people, fulfill the people, shall not die from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009