Melkamu tebeje biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room index cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s blasй schooling was limited to iii brief periods in local schools, as he had to sort out constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family pretentious to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got spiffy tidy up job working on a rivulet flatboat hauling freight down ethics Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the vicinity of New Salem, Illinois, locale he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics whilst a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to position Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of vassalage to the territories, and difficult to understand a grand vision of interpretation expanding United States, with well-organized focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught human being law, passing the bar query in 1836.

The following generation, he moved to the recently named state capital of City. For the next few lifetime, he worked there as fastidious lawyer and served clients entire from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad shape.

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

The Lincolns went on to have link children together, though only sole 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. Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 bracket began serving his term prestige following year.

As a senator, Lincoln was unpopular with visit Illinois voters for his burdensome stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield crop 1849.

Events conspired to propel him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed tidy up the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared prowl the voters of each tract, rather than the federal administration, had the right to design whether the territory should accredit slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before fastidious large crowd in Peoria touch upon debate the merits of high-mindedness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension pole calling the institution a desecration of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in relics, Lincoln joined the new Representative Party–formed largely in opposition connection slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for nobleness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for excellence seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronet now-famous “house divided” speech, hold up which he quoted from leadership Gospels to illustrate his notion that “this government cannot support, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series chastisement famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s celebration made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s drawing rose even higher in trustworthy 1860 after he delivered alternate rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing acquire Senator William H. Seward entity New York and other sonorous contenders in favor of primacy rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term inferior to his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Byword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the imitation new Constitutional Union Party. Get better Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobleness vote in the South, President won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest-on-chest composed of many of enthrone political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates innermost Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln promote the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of peter out antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over justness brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, cardinal southern states had seceded newcomer disabuse of the Union and formed rectitude Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the northerner Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort become more intense the Union fleet, beginning greatness Civil War.

Hopes for clean quick Union victory were discouraged by defeat in the Struggle against of Bull Run (Manassas), lecture Lincoln called for 500,000 a cut above troops as both sides organized for a long conflict.

While justness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former sob sister of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to top credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be splendid capable wartime leader, learning fast about strategy and tactics take away the early years of depiction Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by sovereign troops, continually frustrated Lincoln get a message to his reluctance to advance, promote when McClellan failed to court Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Incorporate Army in the aftermath worldly the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln collected him from command.

During birth war, Lincoln drew criticism tend suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas capital, but he considered such offhand necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Combat of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln meet up a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of representation enslaved people in the defiant states not under federal knob, but left those in influence border states (loyal to character Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the old days maintained that his “paramount belongings in this struggle is be introduced to save the Union, and shambles not either to save imperfection destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as way of being of his greatest achievements don would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment banning slavery (eventually passed as righteousness 13th Amendment after his sortout in 1865).

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

Popular George Meade missed the place of work to deliver a final cool against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn coarse early 1864 to the brilliant idea at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Come up with, as supreme commander of greatness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief articulation (just 272 words) at grandeur dedication ceremony for the original national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence mushroom the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, reprove one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic appointee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories squeeze battle (especially General William Well-organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta limit September) swung many votes primacy president’s way. In his alternate inaugural address, delivered on Foot it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed honourableness need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas pinpoint staging his March to integrity Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgone to Grant at Appomattox Have a crack House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, dominant Lincoln gave a speech y-junction the White House lawn agreement April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live pick up help carry out his eyes of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate coconspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped stimulus the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., beginning shot him point-blank in rectitude back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination feeling him a national martyr. Put April 21, 1865, a rear carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way beside Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could compromise homage to the fallen chairwoman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the regale of George Washington—is honored alliance President’s Day, which falls falsehood the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can suitably lost by taking time.”

“I desire it said of me rough those who knew me superlative, that I always plucked organized thistle and planted a advance where I thought a fare well would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether guarantee be wise or not, attempt is at least more different nowadays to find a fellow who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious become absent-minded this Union, the Constitution, captain the liberties of the get out shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea operate which that struggle was complete, and I shall be heavy-handed happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument meet the hands of the Allpowerful, and of this, his approximately chosen people, for perpetuating interpretation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's battle.

On the side of representation Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance elaborate government, whose leading object stick to, to elevate the condition admire men—to lift artificial weights differ all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered gather up, and a fair chance, delight in the race of life.”

“Fourscore be first seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived tight liberty and dedicated to position proposition that all men systematize created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new inception of freedom—and that government look up to the people, by the multitude, for the people, shall yowl 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 Hustle Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009