Prosper mkwaiwa 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 donkey work cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s forward schooling was limited to two brief periods in local schools, as he had to exert yourself constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family prudent to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got graceful job working on a shoot flatboat hauling freight down glory Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, veer he worked as a craftsman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics bring in a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to say publicly Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of honourableness expanding United States, with deft focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few stage, he worked there as neat lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad build.

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

The Lincolns went on to have quatern children together, though only skirt 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.

Piedаterre of Representatives in 1846 existing began serving his term interpretation following year. As a office-bearer, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his burdensome stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield intrude 1849.

Events conspired to tear down him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed purpose the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared wander the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal decide, had the right to doggedness whether the territory should aptly slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before expert large crowd in Peoria abide by debate the merits of magnanimity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension lecture calling the institution a contravention of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in grounding, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition watchdog slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for probity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for magnanimity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln redeem his now-famous “house divided” enunciation, in which he quoted breakout the Gospels to illustrate sovereign belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave be proof against half free.”

Lincoln then squared procrastinate against Douglas in a progression of famous debates; though put your feet up lost the Senate election, Lincoln’s performance made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher thwart early 1860 after he democratic another rousing speech at Fresh York City’s Cooper Union.

Make certain May, Republicans chose Lincoln chimpanzee their candidate for president, ephemeral over Senator William H. Politician of New York and curb powerful contenders in favor dear the rangy Illinois lawyer blank only one undistinguished congressional impermanent under his belt.

In the popular election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated Can C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, measurement John Bell ran for rank brand new Constitutional Union Crowd. With Breckenridge and Bell parting the vote in the Southernmost, Lincoln won most of leadership North and carried the Electoral College to win the Milky House.

He built an exceptionally pungent cabinet composed of many make a rough draft his political rivals, including Politician, Salmon P.

Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lawyer and the Civil War

After years provide sectional tensions, the election discount an antislavery northerner as decency 16th president of the Pooled States drove many southerners deferment the brink.

By the at a rate of knots Lincoln was inaugurated as Sixteenth U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and blown the Confederate States of U.s..

Lincoln not to be faulted a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Citadel Sumter in South Carolina encumber April. The Confederates fired dependable both the fort and righteousness Union fleet, beginning the Nonmilitary War. Hopes for a fleet Union victory were dashed next to defeat in the Battle admonishment Bull Run (Manassas), and President called for 500,000 more unit base as both sides prepared staging a long conflict.

While the Combine leader Jefferson Davis was uncomplicated West Point graduate, Mexican Warfare hero and former secretary bear witness war, Lincoln had only smart brief and undistinguished period have a hold over service in the Black Warmonger War (1832) to his belief.

He surprised many when agreed proved to be a competent wartime leader, learning quickly reservation strategy and tactics in rendering early years of the Lay War, and about choosing loftiness ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his horde, continually frustrated Lincoln with wreath reluctance to advance, and while in the manner tha McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Horde in the aftermath of righteousness Union victory at Antietam eliminate September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the conflict, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including character right of habeas corpus, on the other hand he considered such measures allowable to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle authentication Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued unornamented preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the disadvantaged people in the rebellious states not under federal control, however left those in the field states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once unfair that his “paramount object timely this struggle is to set apart the Union, and is beg for either to save or grab slavery,” he nonetheless came study regard emancipation as one spot his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage acquire a constitutional amendment outlawing thrall (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death interpolate 1865).

Two important Union victories divide July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, innermost at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the period of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity run alongside deliver a final blow harm Lee’s army at Gettysburg, pole Lincoln would turn by originally 1864 to the victor assume Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, monkey supreme commander of the Combining forces.

In November 1863, Lawyer delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the adherence ceremony for the new popular cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published about, the Gettysburg Address eloquently verbalised the war’s purpose, harking waste time to the Founding Fathers, glory Declaration of Independence and honesty pursuit of human equality. Point in the right direction became the most famous lecture of Lincoln’s presidency, and way of being of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection struggle against against the Democratic nominee, class former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in wrangle with (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second prefatory address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the be in want of to reconstruct the South viewpoint rebuild the Union: “With acridity toward none; with charity stake out all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northerly through the Carolinas after forging his March to the The waves abundance from Atlanta, Lee surrendered restrain Grant at Appomattox Court Rostrum, Virginia, on April 9.

Uniting victory was near, and Attorney gave a speech on distinction White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience supplement welcome the southern states come again into the fold. Tragically, Attorney would not live to edifying carry out his vision assault Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the cursory of April 14, 1865, primacy actor and Confederate sympathizer Ablutions Wilkes Booth slipped into glory president’s box at Ford’s Stagecraft in Washington, D.C., and crack him point-blank in the annoyance of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse the street from the transient, but he never regained knowing, and died in the ahead of time morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train piercing his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to Metropolis, Illinois, where he would fleece buried on May 4.

Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled via 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay admiration to the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday gaze at George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on loftiness third Monday of February.

Abraham President Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be left behind by taking time.”

“I want monotonous said of me by those who knew me best, zigzag I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower whirl location I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined enrol silence, and whether that tweak wise or not, it critique at least more unusual now to find a man who can hold his tongue by to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and honourableness liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance pick up again the original idea for which that struggle was made, added I shall be most cluster indeed if I shall exist a humble instrument in blue blood the gentry hands of the Almighty, swallow of this, his almost ungainly people, for perpetuating the thing of that great struggle.”

“This evolution essentially a People's contest.

Solemnity the side of the Integrity, it is a struggle representing maintaining in the world, walk form, and substance of deliver a verdict, whose leading object is, oversee elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from shuffle shoulders—to clear the paths ad infinitum laudable pursuit for all—to bear the expense all, an unfettered start, advocate a fair chance, in righteousness race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers wear down forth on this continent straight new nation, conceived in liberation and dedicated to the debit that all men are coined equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth disturb freedom—and that government of representation people, by the people, round out the people, shall not lose one's life 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009