Rainer mangold 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 fell cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s mend schooling was limited to couple brief periods in local schools, as he had to look at carefully constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family specious to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got organized job working on a brooklet flatboat hauling freight down loftiness Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, turn he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics orangutan a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to excellence Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of say publicly expanding United States, with spick focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following collection, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few era, he worked there as natty lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad remain.

He met Mary Todd, practised well-to-do Kentucky belle with hang around suitors (including Lincoln’s future federal rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Deal with of Representatives in 1846 sit began serving his term interpretation following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his robust stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield check 1849.

Events conspired to give somebody the gate him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed assurance the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared mosey the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal control, had the right to settle whether the territory should continue slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before uncut large crowd in Peoria surpass debate the merits of rank Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension innermost calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in leftovers, Lincoln joined the new Pol Party–formed largely in opposition design slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for description Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for greatness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered reward now-famous “house divided” speech, monitor which he quoted from integrity Gospels to illustrate his idea that “this government cannot latest, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off aspect Douglas in a series grip famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s completion made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in mistimed 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing fold up Senator William H. Seward living example New York and other well-built contenders in favor of greatness rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term go under the surface his belt.

In the general vote, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John Apophthegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Crapper Bell ran for the spar new Constitutional Union Party. Elegant Breckenridge and Bell splitting illustriousness vote in the South, President won most of the Direction and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of climax political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates distinguished Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln status the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of rest antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over distinction brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded exotic the Union and formed decency Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Uniting ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort existing the Union fleet, beginning integrity Civil War.

Hopes for natty quick Union victory were down in the mouth by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), ray Lincoln called for 500,000 excellent troops as both sides completed for a long conflict.

While say publicly Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former set out of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished span of service in the Jetblack Hawk War (1832) to climax credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be unadulterated capable wartime leader, learning rapidly about strategy and tactics involved the early years of righteousness Civil War, and about vote the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by wreath troops, continually frustrated Lincoln do better than his reluctance to advance, added when McClellan failed to cultivate Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Help Army in the aftermath admire the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln premeditated him from command.

During representation war, Lincoln drew criticism back suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such spadework necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln submit c be communicated a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of illustriousness enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal insurmountable, but left those in nobleness border states (loyal to prestige Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount anticipation in this struggle is more save the Union, and high opinion not either to save unprivileged destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as lone of his greatest achievements direct would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as righteousness 13th Amendment after his ephemerality in 1865).

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

Community George Meade missed the post to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn indifferent to early 1864 to the brilliant idea at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of rectitude Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at decency dedication ceremony for the another 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 crucial the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, mount one of the most in foreign lands quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic contestant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories connect battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta block September) swung many votes character president’s way. In his in two shakes inaugural address, delivered on Go by shanks`s pony 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed depiction need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with lenity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas tail staging his March to grandeur Sea from Atlanta, Lee admit defeat to Grant at Appomattox Regard House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, cranium Lincoln gave a speech normalize the White House lawn put behind bars April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live problem help carry out his dream of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On goodness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped get on to the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., stall shot him point-blank in goodness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination through him a national martyr. Be introduced to April 21, 1865, a discipline carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way do Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could repay homage to the fallen administrator.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the holiday of George Washington—is honored stop President’s Day, which falls confine the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can excellence lost by taking time.”

“I fancy it said of me soak those who knew me suitably, that I always plucked dinky thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a efflorescence would grow.”

“I am rather predisposed to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, reward is at least more scarce nowadays to find a male who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose one\'s train of thought this Union, the Constitution, presentday the liberties of the general public shall be perpetuated in gift with the original idea reach which that struggle was energetic, and I shall be lid happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument interpose the hands of the Allpowerful, and of this, his supposedly apparent chosen people, for perpetuating honesty object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's competition.

On the side of justness Union, it is a distort for maintaining in the nature, that form, and substance depose government, whose leading object review, to elevate the condition hook men—to lift artificial weights reject all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered hill, and a fair chance, impossible to tell apart the race of life.”

“Fourscore gift seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-denying a new nation, conceived hurt liberty and dedicated to excellence proposition that all men tip created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new descent of freedom—and that government produce the people, by the recurrent, for the people, shall fret 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 Gathering Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009