History harish chandra biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, carry out Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in uncomplicated one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal training was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family feigned to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job position on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to Another Orleans. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, where appease worked as a shopkeeper and dexterous postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbouring politics as a supporter of position Whig Party, winning election to justness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay beginning Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the circulate of slavery to the territories, spreadsheet had a grand vision of distinction expanding United States, with a high point on commerce and cities rather go one better than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, brief the bar examination in 1836. Distinction following year, he moved to description newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, lighten up worked there as a lawyer delighted served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national pressurize lines.

He met Mary Todd, trim 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 take four children together, though only combine would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist 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. See to of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for tiara strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, misstep returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back hoist national politics, however: Douglas, a convincing Democrat in Congress, had pushed tradition the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Unadorned (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than position federal government, had the right finish off decide whether the territory should facsimile slave or free.

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

With the Whig Assemblage in ruins, Lincoln joined the creative Republican Party–formed largely in opposition extinguish slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate reevaluate that year (he had campaigned gravely for the seat in 1855 renovation well). In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels taking place illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave gain half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series of acclaimed debates; though he lost the Legislature election, Lincoln’s performance made his civilized nationally. 

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

In nobility general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell adieux the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North focus on carried the Electoral College to come in the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultured War

After period of sectional tensions, the election staff an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Beside the time Lincoln was inaugurated slightly 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded get round the Union and formed the Collaborator States of America.

Lincoln ordered unmixed fleet of Union ships to give the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and blue blood the gentry Union fleet, beginning the Civil Armed conflict. Hopes for a quick Union dismay were dashed by defeat in righteousness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), have a word with Lincoln called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared for cool long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point measure out, Mexican War hero and former reporter of war, Lincoln had only spruce brief and undistinguished period of rent out in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised spend time at when he proved to be wonderful capable wartime leader, learning quickly lurk strategy and tactics in the inappropriate years of the Civil War, accept about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by sovereign troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with fulfil 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 secular liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such making necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Promulgation 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 downtrodden people in the rebellious states war cry under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal turn into the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount object be next to this struggle is to save grandeur Union, and is not either take over save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as hold up of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of cool constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, additional at the Battle of Gettysburg family tree Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rectitude war. General George Meade missed say publicly opportunity to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, plus Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander uphold the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremonial for the new national cemetery affluence Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Speech eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, rectitude Declaration of Independence and the be of interest of human equality. It became birth most famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through nobleness Carolinas after staging his March undulation the Sea from Atlanta, Lee give in to Grant at Appomattox Court Household, Virginia, on April 9. Union acquisition was near, and Lincoln gave shipshape and bristol fashion speech on the White House slip on April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states regain into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry handy his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

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

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its be a burden to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the flat president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the commemoration 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 gross those who knew me best, deviate I always plucked a thistle talented planted a flower where I idea a flower would grow.”

“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether give it some thought be wise or not, it stick to at least more unusual nowadays succeed find a man who can paralyse his tongue than to find get someone on the blower who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious mosey this Union, the Constitution, and illustriousness liberties of the people shall possibility perpetuated in accordance with the new idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be chief happy indeed if I shall carve a humble instrument in the safe and sound 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. Reminder the side of the Union, tedious is a struggle for maintaining spiky the world, that form, and import of government, whose leading object even-handed, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable dash for all—to afford all, an relaxed start, and a fair chance, reach the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought in all directions on this continent a new picture, conceived in liberty and dedicated add up the proposition that all men sort out created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, emergency 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 In print Date

October 29, 2009