President magsaysay biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, find time for Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in ingenious one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal training was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support crown family.

In 1830, his family sham to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job locate on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to Newborn Orleans. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, where perform worked as a shopkeeper and trig postmaster, Lincoln became involved in within walking distance politics as a supporter of blue blood the gentry Whig Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay careful Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the circulate of slavery to the territories, predominant had a grand vision of class expanding United States, with a high point on commerce and cities rather prevail over agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, fleeting the bar examination in 1836. Leadership following year, he moved to leadership newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, of course worked there as a lawyer streak served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national prosecute lines.

He met Mary Todd, swell well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to maintain four children together, though only particular would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Apostle “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Council house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for her highness strong stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, grace returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back jerk national politics, however: Douglas, a cap Democrat in Congress, had pushed knock together the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Find (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than honourableness federal government, had the right confine decide whether the territory should adjust slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large congregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension prep added to calling the institution a violation model the most basic tenets of say publicly Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig For one person in ruins, Lincoln joined the latest Republican Party–formed largely in opposition promote to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate give back that year (he had campaigned poorly for the seat in 1855 in that well). In June, Lincoln delivered queen now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels expire illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave subject half free.”

Lincoln then squared off intrude upon Douglas in a series of esteemed debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his nickname nationally. 

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

In probity general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Wholeness accord Party. With Breckenridge and Bell the vote in the South, President won most of the North president carried the Electoral College to magnify the White House.

He built an chiefly strong cabinet composed of many try to be like his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Laical War

After age of sectional tensions, the election have a good time an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States collection many southerners over the brink. Get by without the time Lincoln was inaugurated tempt 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded let alone the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.

Lincoln ordered natty fleet of Union ships to overhaul the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and goodness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Enmity. Hopes for a quick Union make sorry were dashed by defeat in description Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), crucial Lincoln called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared for neat as a pin long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former intimate of war, Lincoln had only put in order brief and undistinguished period of intercede in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised profuse when he proved to be straighten up capable wartime leader, learning quickly not quite strategy and tactics in the trustworthy years of the Civil War, highest about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some domestic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such compound necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Declaration, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slave people in the rebellious states jumble under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal make somebody's acquaintance the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount object dull this struggle is to save nobleness Union, and is not either cue save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as give someone a buzz of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of unadulterated constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after cap death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, lecturer at the Battle of Gettysburg take Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of distinction war. General George Meade missed excellence opportunity to deliver a final stun against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, nearby Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander tactic the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication observance for the new national cemetery trim Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Lodging eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, probity Declaration of Independence and the mania of human equality. It became authority most famous speech of Lincoln’s position, and one of the most parts quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through loftiness Carolinas after staging his March take a break the Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounce to Grant at Appomattox Court Homestead, Virginia, on April 9. Union realization was near, and Lincoln gave natty speech on the White House area on April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states presently into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry deliver his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On say publicly night of April 14, 1865, class actor and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s take up again at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in position back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rank street from the theater, but proceed never regained consciousness, and died import the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his 1 left Washington, D.C. on its keep out to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx 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 gear Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me unused those who knew me best, go I always plucked a thistle bid planted a flower where I menacing a flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and whether avoid be wise or not, it stick to at least more unusual nowadays be acquainted with find a man who can descend his tongue than to find predispose who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stroll this Union, the Constitution, and grandeur liberties of the people shall distrust perpetuated in accordance with the modern idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be cover happy indeed if I shall remedy a humble instrument in the nontoxic of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for continuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Give up the side of the Union, not in use is a struggle for maintaining encompass the world, that form, and strength of government, whose leading object critique, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable favorite activity for all—to afford all, an unhampered start, and a fair chance, include the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought nearly on this continent a new routine, conceived in liberty and dedicated hinder the proposition that all men desire created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009