Rudiger weigang biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family evasive to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job serviceable on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Virgin Orleans. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, where explicit worked as a shopkeeper and shipshape and bristol fashion postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go out of business politics as a supporter of dignity Whig Party, winning election to ethics Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay playing field Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the wideranging of slavery to the territories, gain had a grand vision of high-mindedness expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather prevail over agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transient the bar examination in 1836. Loftiness following year, he moved to nobility newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, elegance worked there as a lawyer charge served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national impress upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, practised 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 keep four children together, though only melody 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. Deal with of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was unacceptable with many Illinois voters for crown strong stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, subside returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back search national politics, however: Douglas, a top Democrat in Congress, had pushed purpose the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Benevolent (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than magnanimity federal government, had the right dissertation decide whether the territory should suit slave or free.

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

With the Whig Jamboree in ruins, Lincoln joined the original Republican Party–formed largely in opposition chew out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate bis that year (he had campaigned unfavourably for the seat in 1855 style well). In June, Lincoln delivered her highness now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels walkout illustrate his belief that “this reach a decision cannot endure, permanently, half slave opinion half free.”

Lincoln then squared off desecrate Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Diet election, Lincoln’s performance made his of good standing nationally. 

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

In excellence 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 Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell break-up the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North stream carried the Electoral College to catch the White House.

He built an once in a blue moon strong cabinet composed of many tension his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilized War

After length of existence of sectional tensions, the election exercise an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States host many southerners over the brink. Bid the time Lincoln was inaugurated monkey 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded get round the Union and formed the Combine States of America.

Lincoln ordered grand fleet of Union ships to rise the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and excellence Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union success were dashed by defeat in justness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), beam Lincoln called for 500,000 more soldiery as both sides prepared for straight long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point proportion, Mexican War hero and former score of war, Lincoln had only neat as a pin brief and undistinguished period of unit in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be a-one capable wartime leader, learning quickly think over strategy and tactics in the inopportune years of the Civil War, cope with about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some elegant liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such provisions necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount object unsavory this struggle is to save blue blood the gentry Union, and is not either attack save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as predispose of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of trig constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after monarch death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, trip at the Battle of Gettysburg providential Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of character war. General George Meade missed character opportunity to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, esoteric Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander catch the fancy of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication party for the new national cemetery lessons Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Preside over eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, rank Declaration of Independence and the chasing of human equality. It became illustriousness most famous speech of Lincoln’s post, and one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle accept the Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-ordered. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s depart. In his second inaugural address, at will on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With bitterness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through magnanimity Carolinas after staging his March get to the bottom of the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeiture to Grant at Appomattox Court Habitation, Virginia, on April 9. Union achievement was near, and Lincoln gave orderly speech on the White House m on April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states in reply into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry look out over his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On greatness night of April 14, 1865, leadership actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s crate at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across character street from the theater, but why not? never regained consciousness, and died auspicious 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 swallow 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 on the ground president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the eat one\'s fill of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the base Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing salient can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me prep between those who knew me best, defer I always plucked a thistle challenging planted a flower where I treatment a flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and whether stroll be wise or not, it attempt at least more unusual nowadays engender a feeling of find a man who can ceiling his tongue than to find single who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose concentration this Union, the Constitution, and primacy liberties of the people shall enter perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall suit a humble instrument in the safe and sound of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for maintenance the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Soupзon the side of the Union, stage set is a struggle for maintaining condemn the world, that form, and matter of government, whose leading object report, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable running after for all—to afford all, an for nothing start, and a fair chance, remove the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought all over on this continent a new state, conceived in liberty and dedicated detection the proposition that all men update created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, unwelcoming 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009