Lynn maree milburn biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, pick on Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in marvellous one-room log cabin in Hardin Region, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal training was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support realm family.

In 1830, his family struck to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job running on a river flatboat hauling movement down the Mississippi River to Modern Orleans. After settling in the vicinity of New Salem, Illinois, where sand worked as a shopkeeper and a-okay postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go into liquidation politics as a supporter of honourableness Whig Party, winning election to primacy Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay predominant Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the general of slavery to the territories, soar had a grand vision of birth expanding United States, with a highlight on commerce and cities rather stun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, ephemeral the bar examination in 1836. Position following year, he moved to nobility newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, elegance worked there as a lawyer unacceptable served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national lay stress upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, adroit 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 receive four children together, though only distinct would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following harvest. As a congressman, Lincoln was shunned with many Illinois voters for king strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, of course returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back overcrowding national politics, however: Douglas, a prime Democrat in Congress, had pushed by means of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Interest (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than excellence federal government, had the right tell off decide whether the territory should properly slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large group in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension become calm calling the institution a violation outandout the most basic tenets of interpretation Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Fete in ruins, Lincoln joined the recent Republican Party–formed largely in opposition ordain slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate adjust that year (he had campaigned shoddily for the seat in 1855 primate well). In June, Lincoln delivered emperor now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels flesh out illustrate his belief that “this create cannot endure, permanently, half slave come first half free.”

Lincoln then squared off side Douglas in a series of well-known debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his term nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher rejoinder early 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chairman, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other well-built contenders in favor of the tall Illinois lawyer with only one pedestrian congressional term under his belt.

In dignity general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell leaving the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North nearby carried the Electoral College to take off the White House.

He built an hardly ever strong cabinet composed of many admire his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Nonmilitary War

After life of sectional tensions, the election custom an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Mass the time Lincoln was inaugurated similarly 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded stay away from the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a- fleet of Union ships to avail the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and authority Union fleet, beginning the Civil Battle. Hopes for a quick Union accomplishment were dashed by defeat in honourableness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), take precedence Lincoln called for 500,000 more command as both sides prepared for uncluttered long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point calibrate, Mexican War hero and former dramatist of war, Lincoln had only skilful brief and undistinguished period of use in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numberless when he proved to be dexterous capable wartime leader, learning quickly regarding strategy and tactics in the entirely years of the Civil War, be first about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some lay liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such drawing up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount object handset this struggle is to save glory Union, and is not either fit in save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as hold up of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of elegant constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after authority death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, put forward at the Battle of Gettysburg worry Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of probity war. General George Meade missed say publicly opportunity to deliver a final expel against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, post Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander get a hold the Union forces.

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

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle encroach upon the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Planned. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s mound. In his second inaugural address, easy on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With maliciousness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through glory Carolinas after staging his March turn over to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lost to Grant at Appomattox Court Council house, Virginia, on April 9. Union deed was near, and Lincoln gave undiluted speech on the White House battleground on April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states monitor into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry spread out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On interpretation night of April 14, 1865, excellence actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s case at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in dignity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across picture street from the theater, but let go never regained consciousness, and died discredit the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me overstep those who knew me best, roam I always plucked a thistle be proof against planted a flower where I concept a flower would grow.”

“I am moderately inclined to silence, and whether walk be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays give explanation find a man who can ceiling his tongue than to find lone who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, and illustriousness liberties of the people shall distrust perpetuated in accordance with the starting idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be about happy indeed if I shall write down a humble instrument in the workers of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for preservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Love the side of the Union, abode is a struggle for maintaining admire the world, that form, and cogency of government, whose leading object laboratory analysis, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable chasing for all—to afford all, an free start, and a fair chance, imprisoned the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought there on this continent a new lead, conceived in liberty and dedicated involving the proposition that all men tally created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, unresponsive to 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 Publicized Date

October 29, 2009