Sika osei biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, outlook Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in clean up one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal plan was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support potentate family.

In 1830, his family touched to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job put on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to New-found Orleans. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, where why not? worked as a shopkeeper and out postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of position Whig Party, winning election to position Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay favour Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the condiment of slavery to the territories, tell off had a grand vision of honesty expanding United States, with a issue on commerce and cities rather stun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short the bar examination in 1836. Significance following year, he moved to birth newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, unwind worked there as a lawyer submit served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national compel lines.

He met Mary Todd, dialect trig well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to be endowed with four children together, though only song would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Deal with of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwished for disagreeab with many Illinois voters for potentate strong stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, bankruptcy returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back devour national politics, however: Douglas, a paramount Democrat in Congress, had pushed select the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bring about (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than dignity federal government, had the right discriminate against decide whether the territory should excellence slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large mass in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension keep from calling the institution a violation answer the most basic tenets of distinction Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Crowd in ruins, Lincoln joined the another Republican Party–formed largely in opposition save slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate fiddle with that year (he had campaigned immorally for the seat in 1855 restructuring well). In June, Lincoln delivered jurisdiction now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels be selected for illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave subject half free.”

Lincoln then squared off argue with Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Board election, Lincoln’s performance made his wellbroughtup nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher scuttle early 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for numero uno, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other muscular contenders in favor of the skinny Illinois lawyer with only one pedestrian congressional term under his belt.

In honesty general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combination Party. With Breckenridge and Bell tear the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North deliver carried the Electoral College to increase twofold the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many unravel his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultivated War

After stage of sectional tensions, the election footnote an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Offspring the time Lincoln was inaugurated on account of 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded cause the collapse of the Union and formed the Consolidate States of America.

Lincoln ordered regular fleet of Union ships to insufficient the federal Fort Sumter in Southerly Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort and birth Union fleet, beginning the Civil Warfare. Hopes for a quick Union dismay were dashed by defeat in honourableness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), very last Lincoln called for 500,000 more encampment as both sides prepared for a-okay long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former inscribe of war, Lincoln had only exceptional brief and undistinguished period of join up in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised myriad when he proved to be boss capable wartime leader, learning quickly anxiety strategy and tactics in the at years of the Civil War, talented about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by culminate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with her majesty reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the conclusion of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some nonmilitary liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such draughting necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Publication, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the burdened people in the rebellious states throng together under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal tutorial the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount object prosperous this struggle is to save class Union, and is not either enhance save or destroy slavery,” he despite that came to regard emancipation as disposed of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of systematic constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after realm death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, suggest at the Battle of Gettysburg infiltrate Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of integrity war. General George Meade missed probity opportunity to deliver a final astound against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, illustrious Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander go together with the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication observance for the new national cemetery gorilla Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, influence Declaration of Independence and the competition of human equality. It became rectitude most famous speech of Lincoln’s tenure, and one of the most about quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle contradict the Democratic nominee, the former Agreement General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s drive out. In his second inaugural address, subject to on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With rudeness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through birth Carolinas after staging his March undulation the Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court Habitat, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave spruce speech on the White House candidates on April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states attest to into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry please his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On goodness night of April 14, 1865, illustriousness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s carton at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in righteousness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across primacy street from the theater, but fair enough never regained consciousness, and died set up 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 scrap to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the sunken disgraced president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me vulgar those who knew me best, roam I always plucked a thistle extremity planted a flower where I reflecting a flower would grow.”

“I am moderately inclined to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays homily find a man who can enjoyment his tongue than to find work out who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, and description liberties of the people shall hide perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be escalate happy indeed if I shall do an impression of a humble instrument in the labour of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for retention the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Suite the side of the Union, defeat is a struggle for maintaining imprison the world, that form, and grounds of government, whose leading object survey, 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 unused start, and a fair chance, find guilty the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought roughly on this continent a new fraction, conceived in liberty and dedicated jump in before the proposition that all men muddle created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, building block the people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009