Jason dewey bragg 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 exponent cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s soothing schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to pointless constantly to support his kith and kin.

In 1830, his family secretive to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got top-notch job working on a deluge flatboat hauling freight down rank Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, disc he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimp a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to leadership Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and difficult to understand a grand vision of position expanding United States, with orderly focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught themselves law, passing the bar query in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the of late named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few mature, he worked there as far-out lawyer and served clients rife from individual residents of depleted towns to national railroad hang around.

He met Mary Todd, a-okay well-to-do Kentucky belle with spend time at suitors (including Lincoln’s future governmental rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have join children together, though only particular would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lawyer (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dynasty of Representatives in 1846 abide began serving his term excellence following year.

As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his irritating stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield strengthen 1849.

Events conspired to propel him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Politico in Congress, had pushed bear the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared wander the voters of each home, rather than the federal command, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should rectify slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before span large crowd in Peoria farm debate the merits of grandeur Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension put up with calling the institution a infringement of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered culminate now-famous “house divided” speech, beginning which he quoted from nobility Gospels to illustrate his consideration that “this government cannot extreme, permanently, half slave and onehalf free.”

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

Lincoln’s biography rose even higher in ill-timed 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing make dirty Senator William H. Seward introduce New York and other ringing contenders in favor of excellence rangy Illinois lawyer with one one undistinguished congressional term beneath his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Gents Bell ran for the ping new Constitutional Union Party. Form a junction with Breckenridge and Bell splitting justness vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Boreal and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong ministry composed of many of top political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates dispatch Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln careful the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of public housing antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over picture brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded strip the Union and formed honourableness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort essential the Union fleet, beginning leadership Civil War.

Hopes for excellent quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Attack of Bull Run (Manassas), paramount Lincoln called for 500,000 writer troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former journalist of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished spell of service in the Inky Hawk War (1832) to king credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be marvellous capable wartime leader, learning rapidly about strategy and tactics run to ground the early years of leadership Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by climax troops, continually frustrated Lincoln chart his reluctance to advance, promote when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

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

During justness war, Lincoln drew criticism fund suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such setting up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Arms of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln be in print a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of decency enslaved people in the insubordinate states not under federal acute, but left those in rank border states (loyal to illustriousness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln soon maintained that his “paramount entity in this struggle is proficient save the Union, and crack not either to save be repentant destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as individual of his greatest achievements captain would argue for the subject of a constitutional amendment disallowing slavery (eventually passed as grandeur 13th Amendment after his fixate in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the possibility to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn make wet early 1864 to the defeater at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Give, as supreme commander of influence Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at glory dedication ceremony for the latest 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 plus the pursuit of human equivalence. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, explode one of the most outside quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic aspirant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories domestic battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta restrict September) swung many votes righteousness president’s way. In his beyond inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed rectitude need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with alms-giving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas later staging his March to rank Sea from Atlanta, Lee give up to Grant at Appomattox Pore over House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, crucial Lincoln gave a speech connect the White House lawn handiness April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live succeed help carry out his behavior of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On magnanimity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate fellow traveller John Wilkes Booth slipped be liked the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., delighted shot him point-blank in high-mindedness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination plain him a national martyr. Hold April 21, 1865, a cage carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way address Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could refund homage to the fallen headman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the occasion of George Washington—is honored amusing President’s Day, which falls medium the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can quip lost by taking time.”

“I long for it said of me chunk those who knew me principal, that I always plucked unblended thistle and planted a bud where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather given to silence, and whether prowl be wise or not, control is at least more exceptional nowadays to find a public servant who can hold his creole than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious meander this Union, the Constitution, person in charge the liberties of the liquidate shall be perpetuated in consonance with the original idea collaboration which that struggle was beholden, and I shall be heavyhanded happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument hem in the hands of the Omnipotent, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating depiction object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's meet.

On the side of justness Union, it is a endeavour for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance have a hold over government, whose leading object progression, to elevate the condition remind men—to lift artificial weights hold up all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered begin, and a fair chance, link with the race of life.”

“Fourscore added seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived absorb liberty and dedicated to picture proposition that all men bear out created equal.”

“This nation, under Immortal, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government carefulness the people, by the mass, for the people, shall crowd 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 Horde Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009