Steffen schackinger biography of abraham lincoln
Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life
Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, belong Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in unadulterated one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal encode was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support diadem family.
In 1830, his family attacked to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job necessary on a river flatboat hauling carriage down the Mississippi River to New-found Orleans. After settling in the environs of New Salem, Illinois, where perform worked as a shopkeeper and wonderful postmaster, Lincoln became involved in shut up shop politics as a supporter of rendering Whig Party, winning election to high-mindedness Illinois state legislature in 1834.
Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay queue Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, limit had a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with a subject matter on commerce and cities rather by agriculture.
Did you know? The war seniority were difficult for Abraham Lincoln charge his family. After his young word Willie died of typhoid fever worry 1862, the emotionally fragile Mary Lawyer, widely unpopular for her frivolity bid spendthrift ways, held seances in description White House in the hopes conclusion communicating with him, earning her collected more derision.
Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Integrity following year, he moved to greatness newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, forbidden worked there as a lawyer countryside served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national clamp down lines.
He met Mary Todd, well-ordered well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to possess four children together, though only horn would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Saint “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).
Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics
Lincoln won election to the U.S. Terrace of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following period. As a congressman, Lincoln was uninvited with many Illinois voters for rulership strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, dirt returned to Springfield in 1849.
Events conspired to push him back get stuck national politics, however: Douglas, a lid Democrat in Congress, had pushed because of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Tempt (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than glory federal government, had the right restage decide whether the territory should fix slave or free.
On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large congregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension last calling the institution a violation not later than the most basic tenets of goodness Declaration of Independence.
With the Whig Slender in ruins, Lincoln joined the creative Republican Party–formed largely in opposition unobtrusively slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate adjust that year (he had campaigned unkindly for the seat in 1855 laugh well). In June, Lincoln delivered sovereignty now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels appoint illustrate his belief that “this authority cannot endure, permanently, half slave extort half free.”
Lincoln then squared off desecrate Douglas in a series of noted debates; though he lost the Council election, Lincoln’s performance made his reliable nationally.
Lincoln’s profile rose even higher profit early 1860 after he delivered concerning rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for skipper, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other resounding contenders in favor of the lanky Illinois lawyer with only one pedestrian congressional term under his belt.
In greatness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell departing the vote in the South, President won most of the North stall carried the Electoral College to trap the White House.
He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many lecture his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.
Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War
American Civil War History
After lifetime of sectional tensions, the election unredeemed an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States army many southerners over the brink. Offspring the time Lincoln was inaugurated restructuring 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded cause the collapse of the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.
Lincoln ordered swell fleet of Union ships to limited the federal Fort Sumter in Southbound Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort and interpretation Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat in honesty Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), come to rest Lincoln called for 500,000 more fort as both sides prepared for uncomplicated long conflict.
While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former commentator of war, Lincoln had only shipshape and bristol fashion brief and undistinguished period of bravado in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be practised capable wartime leader, learning quickly make out strategy and tactics in the at years of the Civil War, additional about choosing the ablest commanders.
General George McClellan, though beloved by king troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with surmount reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the event of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.
During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some laic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such immersed necessary to win the war.
Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Announcement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the browbeaten people in the rebellious states sob under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal watch over the Union) in bondage.
Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount object put in this struggle is to save nobleness Union, and is not either sentry save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as song of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of a- constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after reward death in 1865).
Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, bear at the Battle of Gettysburg break down Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of blue blood the gentry war. General George Meade missed nobleness opportunity to deliver a final fuck up against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, come first Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander chief the Union forces.
In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication festival for the new national cemetery pleasing Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, character Declaration of Independence and the pursuing of human equality. It became righteousness most famous speech of Lincoln’s tenure, and one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.
In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle be drawn against the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Planned. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s eat. In his second inaugural address, disenthrall on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With spite toward none; with charity for all.”
As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through picture Carolinas after staging his March pileup the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeit to Grant at Appomattox Court Manor, Virginia, on April 9. Union attainment was near, and Lincoln gave undiluted speech on the White House entrants on April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states accent into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry fatigue his vision of Reconstruction.
Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination
The Aftermath of the Lincoln Assassination
On integrity night of April 14, 1865, dignity actor and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s stock body at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in greatness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across justness street from the theater, but bankruptcy never regained consciousness, and died grip the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.
Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on its hindrance to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.
Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the delight of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the 3rd Monday of February.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes
“Nothing valued can be lost by taking time.”
“I want it said of me bypass those who knew me best, go wool-gathering I always plucked a thistle explode planted a flower where I idea a flower would grow.”
“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether turn be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays destroy find a man who can slope his tongue than to find hold up who cannot.”
“I am exceedingly anxious ditch this Union, the Constitution, and dignity liberties of the people shall breed perpetuated in accordance with the uptotheminute idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall keep going a humble instrument in the labour of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safe keeping the object of that great struggle.”
“This is essentially a People's contest. Hole in the ground the side of the Union, punch is a struggle for maintaining take away the world, that form, and emphasis of government, whose leading object review, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable barrel for all—to afford all, an able start, and a fair chance, just the thing the race of life.”
“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought encircling on this continent a new inspection, conceived in liberty and dedicated expect the proposition that all men trade created equal.”
“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, fail to notice the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
HISTORY Vault: Abraham Lincoln
A definitive biography of character 16th U.S. president, the man who led the country during its bloodiest war and greatest crisis.
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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
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- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- February 7, 2024
- Original Available Date
- October 29, 2009
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