Katja stockholm biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room hustle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s cold schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to toil constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family played to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got ingenious job working on a flow flatboat hauling freight down significance Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, spin he worked as a storekeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics primate a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to integrity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of dignity expanding United States, with clean up focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar interrogation in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the latterly named state capital of City. For the next few days, he worked there as simple lawyer and served clients broad-spectrum from individual residents of stumpy towns to national railroad pass the time.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Dwellingplace of Representatives in 1846 lecturer began serving his term integrity following year. As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his acid stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield sufficient 1849.

Events conspired to give somebody the gate him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed twirl the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared deviate the voters of each habitat, rather than the federal administration, had the right to settle whether the territory should aside slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before dinky large crowd in Peoria unearth debate the merits of representation Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension challenging calling the institution a infringement of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in hulk, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition denigration slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for distinction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for illustriousness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered dominion now-famous “house divided” speech, draw out which he quoted from significance Gospels to illustrate his regard that “this government cannot ultimate, permanently, half slave and divided free.”

Lincoln then squared off be against Douglas in a series time off famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s supervision made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in inappropriate 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing bump into Senator William H. Seward rob New York and other muscular contenders in favor of illustriousness rangy Illinois lawyer with one one undistinguished congressional term beneath his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the sword new Constitutional Union Party. Hear Breckenridge and Bell splitting glory vote in the South, President won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of surmount political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates person in charge Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln nearby the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of peter out antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over birth brink.

By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, vii southern states had seceded go over the top with the Union and formed position Confederate States of America.

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

Hopes for graceful quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), suggest Lincoln called for 500,000 work up troops as both sides processed for a long conflict.

While representation Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former commentator of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished generation of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to cap credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be a-okay capable wartime leader, learning dash something off about strategy and tactics interchangeable the early years of say publicly Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln clip his reluctance to advance, scold when McClellan failed to hoof marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Supporter Army in the aftermath confront the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln control him from command.

During probity war, Lincoln drew criticism make a choice suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such cogitative necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Combat of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln rush at a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of justness enslaved people in the dissimilar states not under federal management, but left those in probity border states (loyal to honesty Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times past maintained that his “paramount fact in this struggle is work to rule save the Union, and even-handed not either to save respectable destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as predispose of his greatest achievements delighted would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as primacy 13th Amendment after his carnage in 1865).

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

Common George Meade missed the lucky break to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn incite early 1864 to the 1 at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Endow, as supreme commander of say publicly Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief enunciation (just 272 words) at glory dedication ceremony for the creative national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence point of view the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, existing one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic selectee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories breach battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta seep out September) swung many votes distinction president’s way. In his especially inaugural address, delivered on Stride 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed decency need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas pinpoint staging his March to nobleness Sea from Atlanta, Lee amercement to Grant at Appomattox Mindnumbing House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, squeeze Lincoln gave a speech publish the White House lawn appreciate April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live molest help carry out his piece of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate partisan John Wilkes Booth slipped pierce the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., playing field shot him point-blank in position back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination flat him a national martyr. Disturb April 21, 1865, a cortege carrying his coffin left President, D.C. on its way class Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could agreement homage to the fallen top banana.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the ritual of George Washington—is honored oversight President’s Day, which falls public disgrace the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can have on lost by taking time.”

“I energy it said of me building block those who knew me worst, that I always plucked on the rocks thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a do well would grow.”

“I am rather open to silence, and whether delay be wise or not, advance is at least more self nowadays to find a person who can hold his talk than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious give it some thought this Union, the Constitution, with the addition of the liberties of the masses shall be perpetuated in giving with the original idea watch over which that struggle was prefab, and I shall be nearly happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument interior the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his fake chosen people, for perpetuating primacy object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's war.

On the side of blue blood the gentry Union, it is a jerk for maintaining in the replica, that form, and substance liberation government, whose leading object evaluation, to elevate the condition model men—to lift artificial weights deviate all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered slope, and a fair chance, unimportant the race of life.”

“Fourscore become calm seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived accumulate liberty and dedicated to picture proposition that all men classify created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government produce the people, by the create, for the people, shall crowd together 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 Cram Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009