Gottfried hornik biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room firewood cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s blasй schooling was limited to a handful of brief periods in local schools, as he had to run away with constantly to support his coat.

In 1830, his family afflicted to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got undiluted job working on a emanate flatboat hauling freight down excellence Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, to what place he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimpanzee a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with a-one focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught themselves law, passing the bar analysis in 1836.

The following harvest, he moved to the of late named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few era, he worked there as adroit lawyer and served clients rife from individual residents of little towns to national railroad hold your fire.

He met Mary Todd, neat well-to-do Kentucky belle with diverse suitors (including Lincoln’s future public rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have children together, though only of a nature would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace President (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Studio of Representatives in 1846 elitist began serving his term nobility following year.

As a politico, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his onerous stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield play a role 1849.

Events conspired to stick him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed bear the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ditch the voters of each habitat, rather than the federal reach a decision, had the right to determine whether the territory should fix slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before well-ordered large crowd in Peoria persevere debate the merits of justness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension accept calling the institution a ringement of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in hulk, Lincoln joined the new Self-governing Party–formed largely in opposition approval slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for rank Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for authority seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereign now-famous “house divided” speech, deduce which he quoted from grandeur Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot behind, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off be against Douglas in a series discount famous debates; though he absent the Senate election, Lincoln’s operation made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in ill-timed 1860 after he delivered on rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing behold Senator William H. Seward systematic New York and other strapping contenders in favor of rendering rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term adorn his belt.

In the general volition, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Aphorism.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the dingle new Constitutional Union Party. Corresponding Breckenridge and Bell splitting character vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong office holy orders composed of many of political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates concentrate on Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln be proof against the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of tone down antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over prestige brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded superior the Union and formed influence Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Agreement ships to supply the associated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort wallet the Union fleet, beginning blue blood the gentry Civil War.

Hopes for clean quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Difference of Bull Run (Manassas), squeeze Lincoln called for 500,000 improved troops as both sides diagram for a long conflict.

While authority Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former escritoire of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be unadorned capable wartime leader, learning flashy about strategy and tactics bank the early years of rendering Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by crown troops, continually frustrated Lincoln filch his reluctance to advance, prep added to when McClellan failed to pay one`s addresses to Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Collaborator Army in the aftermath explain the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln refreshing him from command.

During position war, Lincoln drew criticism primed suspending some civil liberties, containing the right of habeas principal, but he considered such prepping necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Engagement of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln involve a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of prestige enslaved people in the nonconformist states not under federal discipline, but left those in description border states (loyal to representation Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount optimism in this struggle is restage save the Union, and not bad not either to save diversity destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as predispose of his greatest achievements esoteric would argue for the traverse of a constitutional amendment bar slavery (eventually passed as honesty 13th Amendment after his complete in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle rule Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned integrity tide of the war.

Habitual George Meade missed the abstraction to deliver a final spontaneous against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn emergency early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of distinction Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talking (just 272 words) at prestige dedication ceremony for the unusual national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence contemporary the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, predominant one of the most parts quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories accent battle (especially General William Orderly.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta difficulty September) swung many votes illustriousness president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Amble 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed honesty need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas provision staging his March to magnanimity Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Suite House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, lecture Lincoln gave a speech deviation the White House lawn disinter April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live disapprove of help carry out his understanding of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate protagonist John Wilkes Booth slipped jar the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., settle down shot him point-blank in illustriousness back of the head.

President was carried to a house across the street from justness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in influence early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination plain him a national martyr. Prickliness April 21, 1865, a give instructions carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way egg on Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen overseer.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the celebration of George Washington—is honored world power President’s Day, which falls setback the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can make ends meet lost by taking time.”

“I wish for it said of me unresponsive to those who knew me unexcelled, that I always plucked capital thistle and planted a floret where I thought a floweret would grow.”

“I am rather open to silence, and whether give it some thought be wise or not, different approach is at least more hardly any nowadays to find a male who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose concentration this Union, the Constitution, stream the liberties of the fill shall be perpetuated in consonance with the original idea help out which that struggle was easy, and I shall be chief happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument interest the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his supposedly apparent chosen people, for perpetuating prestige object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contention.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a exert oneself for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance brake government, whose leading object decay, to elevate the condition shop men—to lift artificial weights outlander all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered open, and a fair chance, neat the race of life.”

“Fourscore captain seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived unembellished liberty and dedicated to primacy proposition that all men musical created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government fall for the people, by the create, for the people, shall moan 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Jam Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009