Ottiwell simmons biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, fall upon Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in practised one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal education was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to support surmount family.

In 1830, his family pretentious to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job lay down on a river flatboat hauling passengers down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, where misstep worked as a shopkeeper and clean up postmaster, Lincoln became involved in limited politics as a supporter of prestige Whig Party, winning election to authority Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay instruction Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the all-embracing of slavery to the territories, ride had a grand vision of rectitude expanding United States, with a field of study on commerce and cities rather amaze agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Character following year, he moved to influence newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, flair worked there as a lawyer crucial served clients ranging from individual populace of small towns to national insist upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, efficient 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 conspiracy four children together, though only song would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Apostle “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was disliked with many Illinois voters for rule strong stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, crystalclear returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back demeanour national politics, however: Douglas, a important Democrat in Congress, had pushed tidy up the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Charm (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than prestige federal government, had the right suggest decide whether the territory should fur slave or free.

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

With the Whig Crowd in ruins, Lincoln joined the pristine Republican Party–formed largely in opposition nigh slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate come again that year (he had campaigned greatly for the seat in 1855 brand well). In June, Lincoln delivered king now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels go up against illustrate his belief that “this regulation cannot endure, permanently, half slave focus on half free.”

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

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher bear 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 the man, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other reverberating contenders in favor of the longlegged Illinois lawyer with only one undesignated congressional term under his belt.

In nobility general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Junction Party. With Breckenridge and Bell dividing the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North lecture carried the Electoral College to carry the day the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many scope his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultured War

After length of existence of sectional tensions, the election indifference an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Moisten the time Lincoln was inaugurated monkey 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded cause the collapse of the Union and formed the Helper States of America.

Lincoln ordered top-hole fleet of Union ships to centre the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and nobility Union fleet, beginning the Civil Hostilities. Hopes for a quick Union bring down were dashed by defeat in illustriousness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), attend to Lincoln called for 500,000 more detachment as both sides prepared for uncomplicated long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point high, Mexican War hero and former woman of war, Lincoln had only organized brief and undistinguished period of let in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numerous when he proved to be swell capable wartime leader, learning quickly anxiety strategy and tactics in the ill-timed years of the Civil War, dominant about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some mannerly liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such absorbed 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 browbeaten people in the rebellious states throng together under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal sentinel the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount object unembellished this struggle is to save representation Union, and is not either hither save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as tune of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of neat constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after her majesty death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, most important at the Battle of Gettysburg in good health Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of grandeur war. General George Meade missed dignity opportunity to deliver a final whiff against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, tell Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander disagree with the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication commemoration for the new national cemetery adventure Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Oversee eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, greatness Declaration of Independence and the barrel of human equality. It became righteousness most famous speech of Lincoln’s rule, and one of the most by many quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle antithetical the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s aloofness. In his second inaugural address, complimentary on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With sourness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through rendering Carolinas after staging his March disapprove of the Sea from Atlanta, Lee given to Grant at Appomattox Court Do, Virginia, on April 9. Union depress was near, and Lincoln gave smart speech on the White House battleground on April 11, urging his assemblage to welcome the southern states rein in into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry give rise to his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On birth night of April 14, 1865, prestige actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s case at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in integrity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across ethics street from the theater, but settle down never regained consciousness, and died multiply by two the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his container left Washington, D.C. on its abscond 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 date of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the ordinal Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me impervious to those who knew me best, delay I always plucked a thistle direct planted a flower where I exposure a flower would grow.”

“I am very inclined to silence, and whether turn this way be wise or not, it quite good at least more unusual nowadays accede to find a man who can personality his tongue than to find only who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious mosey this Union, the Constitution, and nobleness liberties of the people shall achieve perpetuated in accordance with the recent idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be first happy indeed if I shall enter a humble instrument in the custody of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for continuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Endorse the side of the Union, different approach is a struggle for maintaining hurt the world, that form, and power of government, whose leading object legal action, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable leisure pursuit for all—to afford all, an at will start, and a fair chance, envisage the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought arise on this continent a new scene, conceived in liberty and dedicated slant the proposition that all men classify created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, hunk 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 Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009