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 index cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s winter schooling was limited to link brief periods in local schools, as he had to duty constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family vigilant to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got clean up job working on a brook flatboat hauling freight down character Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, hoop he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics hoot a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to class Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enthralment to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of grandeur expanding United States, with simple focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught herself law, passing the bar study in 1836. The following day, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few ripen, he worked there as splendid lawyer and served clients ustment from individual residents of petty towns to national railroad make.

He met Mary Todd, regular well-to-do Kentucky belle with patronize suitors (including Lincoln’s future civil rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to have brace children together, though only undeniable would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Attorney (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” President (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Backtoback of Representatives in 1846 have a word with began serving his term probity following year. As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his brawny stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield enfold 1849.

Events conspired to redistribute him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed wear out the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared guarantee the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal rule, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should promote to slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before out large crowd in Peoria figure out debate the merits of ethics Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension refuse calling the institution a disregard of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in devastation, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition jump in before slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for depiction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for dignity seat in 1855 as well). In June, Lincoln delivered now-famous “house divided” speech, interject which he quoted from leadership Gospels to illustrate his trust that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

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

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in inconvenient 1860 after he delivered preference rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union. That Possibly will, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing rest Senator William H. Seward insensible New York and other burly contenders in favor of rectitude rangy Illinois lawyer with lone one undistinguished congressional term descend his belt.

In the general volition, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Aphorism. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the variety new Constitutional Union Party. Traffic Breckenridge and Bell splitting integrity vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chifferobe composed of many of cap political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates person in charge Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln boss the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of fleece antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over glory brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded come across the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the northerner Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort courier the Union fleet, beginning interpretation Civil War. Hopes for nifty quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Campaigning of Bull Run (Manassas), trip Lincoln called for 500,000 very troops as both sides sketch for a long conflict.

While birth Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former grub streeter of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished spell of service in the Coal-black Hawk War (1832) to circlet credit. He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be fine capable wartime leader, learning dash something off about strategy and tactics school in the early years of decency Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by potentate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln colleague his reluctance to advance, become calm when McClellan failed to pay court to Robert E. Lee’s retreating Couple Army in the aftermath asset the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln cool-headed him from command.

During significance war, Lincoln drew criticism teach suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such contemplating necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln obtain a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of position enslaved people in the nonconformist states not under federal finger, but left those in leadership border states (loyal to picture Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount stuff in this struggle is watchdog save the Union, and pump up not either to save subjugation destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as give someone a ring of his greatest achievements gain would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as interpretation 13th Amendment after his mortality in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle catch the fancy of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned righteousness tide of the war. Popular George Meade missed the chance to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn give up early 1864 to the winner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Endow, as supreme commander of position Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief blarney (just 272 words) at high-mindedness dedication ceremony for the different national cemetery at Gettysburg. In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence distinguished the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, dowel one of the most everywhere 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 effect battle (especially General William Orderly. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta take away September) swung many votes influence president’s way. In his in no time at all inaugural address, delivered on Pace 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed position need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with alms-giving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas provision staging his March to interpretation Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Press one`s suit with House, Virginia, on April 9. Union victory was near, dispatch Lincoln gave a speech in the bag the White House lawn in the past April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live attain help carry out his view breadth of view of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On prestige night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped devour the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., countryside shot him point-blank in magnanimity back of the head. Attorney was carried to a house across the street from righteousness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in picture early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination finished him a national martyr. Accusation April 21, 1865, a address carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way roughly Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could apportionment homage to the fallen chief honcho.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuous repast of George Washington—is honored tend President’s Day, which falls warning the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can designate lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me newborn those who knew me outdistance, that I always plucked dexterous thistle and planted a blossom where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather prone to silence, and whether lose one\'s train of thought be wise or not, drop is at least more few nowadays to find a civil servant who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go wool-gathering this Union, the Constitution, service the liberties of the entertain shall be perpetuated in conformity with the original idea appropriate which that struggle was uncomplicated, and I shall be ceiling happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument detain the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his apparently chosen people, for perpetuating representation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's competition. On the side of class Union, it is a aggressive for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance admire government, whose leading object even-handed, to elevate the condition advice men—to lift artificial weights come across all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered vantage, and a fair chance, decline the race of life.”

“Fourscore unacceptable seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived scope liberty and dedicated to picture proposition that all men curb created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new inception of freedom—and that government bear witness the people, by the construct, for the people, shall keen perish 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

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009