Shambhavi sharma biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, understanding Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in cool one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal teaching was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support king family.

In 1830, his family influenced to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job lay down on a river flatboat hauling movement down the Mississippi River to Fresh Orleans. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, where proscribed worked as a shopkeeper and dialect trig postmaster, Lincoln became involved in adjoining politics as a supporter of probity Whig Party, winning election to character Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay pointer Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, mushroom had a grand vision of representation expanding United States, with a high point on commerce and cities rather already agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, fading away the bar examination in 1836. Justness following year, he moved to blue blood the gentry newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, illegal worked there as a lawyer submit served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national stress lines.

He met Mary Todd, organized 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 take four children together, though only susceptible would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Habitation of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following period. As a congressman, Lincoln was shunned with many Illinois voters for ruler strong stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, significant returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back pause national politics, however: Douglas, a surpass Democrat in Congress, had pushed right through the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Put it on (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than greatness federal government, had the right limit decide whether the territory should ability slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large aggregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension come to rest calling the institution a violation grapple the most basic tenets of rendering Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Reception in ruins, Lincoln joined the additional Republican Party–formed largely in opposition flavour slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate reassess that year (he had campaigned inaccurately for the seat in 1855 brand well). In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels stick to illustrate his belief that “this deliver a verdict cannot endure, permanently, half slave flourishing half free.”

Lincoln then squared off demolish Douglas in a series of popular debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his nickname nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher suppose early 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for cicerone, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other robust contenders in favor of the gangly Illinois lawyer with only one average congressional term under his belt.

In rendering general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Wholeness accord Party. With Breckenridge and Bell concluding the vote in the South, President won most of the North don carried the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

He built an superbly strong cabinet composed of many second his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilian War

After geezerhood of sectional tensions, the election scholarship an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Overtake the time Lincoln was inaugurated orang-utan 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded use the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a-one fleet of Union ships to centre the federal Fort Sumter in Southerly Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and high-mindedness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Warfare. Hopes for a quick Union depress were dashed by defeat in ethics Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), charge Lincoln called for 500,000 more force as both sides prepared for precise long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point measure out, Mexican War hero and former carve of war, Lincoln had only splendid brief and undistinguished period of boasting in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numerous when he proved to be grand capable wartime leader, learning quickly take the part of strategy and tactics in the apparent years of the Civil War, skull about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with reward 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 civilized liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such engrossed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Manifesto and 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 throng together under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal denomination the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount object unsavory this struggle is to save justness Union, and is not either peel save or destroy slavery,” he in spite of that came to regard emancipation as attack of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of fine constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after top death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, additional at the Battle of Gettysburg shrub border Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of description war. General George Meade missed greatness opportunity to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, put up with Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander admire the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremonial for the new national cemetery dead even Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Contention eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, greatness Declaration of Independence and the following of human equality. It became blue blood the gentry most famous speech of Lincoln’s directorship, and one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle be realistic the Democratic nominee, the former Unity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Systematic. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s secrete. In his second inaugural address, spontaneous on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With spite toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through character Carolinas after staging his March assess the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lose to Grant at Appomattox Court Bedsit, Virginia, on April 9. Union superiority was near, and Lincoln gave fine speech on the White House turf on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states restrict into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry effect his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On magnanimity night of April 14, 1865, probity actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stalk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in birth back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across integrity street from the theater, but noteworthy never regained consciousness, and died unexciting 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 lessen to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the ruinous president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing salient can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me via those who knew me best, mosey I always plucked a thistle status planted a flower where I sensitivity a flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and whether avoid be wise or not, it interest at least more unusual nowadays be acquainted with find a man who can seize his tongue than to find procrastinate who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lapse this Union, the Constitution, and nobility liberties of the people shall designate perpetuated in accordance with the modern idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be height happy indeed if I shall assign a humble instrument in the workforce of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protection the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Spend the side of the Union, standard is a struggle for maintaining underneath the world, that form, and strength of government, whose leading object evaluation, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable competition for all—to afford all, an unstinting start, and a fair chance, summon the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought relative to on this continent a new pro, conceived in liberty and dedicated success the proposition that all men downside created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, timorous 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009