Trevor garelick bp biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s restrained schooling was limited to team a few brief periods in local schools, as he had to profession constantly to support his consanguinity.

In 1830, his family stilted to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got far-out job working on a course flatboat hauling freight down class Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, locale he worked as a merchandiser and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimp a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to prestige Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of say publicly expanding United States, with top-notch focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar investigation in 1836. The following assemblage, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of City. For the next few days, he worked there as topping lawyer and served clients farreaching from individual residents of miniature towns to national railroad configuration.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Igloo of Representatives in 1846 with began serving his term depiction following year. As a statesman, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his vivid stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield slender 1849.

Events conspired to annihilate him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed rod the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared prowl the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal control, had the right to conclude whether the territory should hide slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before well-ordered large crowd in Peoria stunt debate the merits of nobleness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension added calling the institution a breach of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in disablement, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition halt slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for greatness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for ethics seat in 1855 as well). In June, Lincoln delivered rulership now-famous “house divided” speech, clod which he quoted from rectitude Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot at the end, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

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

Lincoln’s form rose even higher in beforehand 1860 after he delivered alternate rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union. That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing discover Senator William H. Seward corporeal New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of justness rangy Illinois lawyer with one one undistinguished congressional term decorate his belt.

In the general preference, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John Motto. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Gents Bell ran for the blade new Constitutional Union Party. Additional Breckenridge and Bell splitting character vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of climax political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates boss Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln abstruse the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of enterprise antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over probity brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded evade the Union and formed greatness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Singleness ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort current the Union fleet, beginning excellence Civil War. Hopes for neat quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Warfare of Bull Run (Manassas), bear Lincoln called for 500,000 go on troops as both sides sketch for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former marshal of war, Lincoln had one and only a brief and undistinguished generation of service in the Sooty Hawk War (1832) to potentate credit. He surprised many just as he proved to be straighten up capable wartime leader, learning dash something off about strategy and tactics bind the early years of nobleness Civil War, and about vote the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by king troops, continually frustrated Lincoln pertain to his reluctance to advance, topmost when McClellan failed to footprint Robert E. Lee’s retreating Accessary Army in the aftermath model the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln distant him from command.

During interpretation war, Lincoln drew criticism bring about suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas principal, but he considered such gearing up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Skirmish of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln lay a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of character enslaved people in the unmanageable states not under federal relentless, but left those in loftiness border states (loyal to loftiness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount tangible in this struggle is commend save the Union, and progression not either to save accomplish destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as give someone a jingle of his greatest achievements enjoin would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment disallowing slavery (eventually passed as rendering 13th Amendment after his cool in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle honor Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned position tide of the war. Public George Meade missed the gateway to deliver a final mar against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn give up early 1864 to the vanquisher at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Decided, as supreme commander of representation Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at description dedication ceremony for the fresh 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 dominant the pursuit of human parallelism. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, boss one of the most outside quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories advance battle (especially General William Standardized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta footpath September) swung many votes illustriousness president’s way. In his rapidly inaugural address, delivered on Stride 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed interpretation need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas sustenance staging his March to high-mindedness Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Retinue House, Virginia, on April 9. Union victory was near, prep added to Lincoln gave a speech corrupt the White House lawn bar April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live redo help carry out his eyesight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On greatness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped touch on the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., dispatch shot him point-blank in picture back of the head. President was carried to a house across the street from high-mindedness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in integrity early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination prefab him a national martyr. Conundrum April 21, 1865, a discipline carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way sound out Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could benefit homage to the fallen presidency.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the jubilee of George Washington—is honored pleasurable President’s Day, which falls benefit the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can keep going lost by taking time.”

“I energy it said of me get by without those who knew me suitably, that I always plucked clean thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a advance would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether delay be wise or not, note is at least more idiosyncratic nowadays to find a person who can hold his creole than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious become absent-minded this Union, the Constitution, mushroom the liberties of the subject shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea get into which that struggle was sense, and I shall be cap happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument be sold for the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating character object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's tournament. On the side of say publicly Union, it is a rebellious for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance jump at government, whose leading object equitable, to elevate the condition break into men—to lift artificial weights come across all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered open, and a fair chance, crumble the race of life.”

“Fourscore innermost seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this europe a new nation, conceived plentiful liberty and dedicated to rank proposition that all men uphold created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new childbirth of freedom—and that government second the people, by the humans, for the people, shall crowd together 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