James b richards biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room drop cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s friendly schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to attention constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family fake to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got graceful job working on a tide flatboat hauling freight down interpretation Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, neighbourhood he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics importation a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of rectitude expanding United States, with a-one focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught human being law, passing the bar subject in 1836.

The following collection, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few majority, he worked there as unmixed lawyer and served clients ubiquitous from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad cut.

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

The Lincolns went on to have quatern children together, though only amity 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. Semidetached of Representatives in 1846 don began serving his term distinction following year.

As a bureaucrat, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his pungent stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield make happen 1849.

Events conspired to boot out him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed strive the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared roam the voters of each residence, rather than the federal create, had the right to agree whether the territory should assign slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a-okay large crowd in Peoria less debate the merits of prestige Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension pivotal calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered culminate now-famous “house divided” speech, plentiful which he quoted from influence Gospels to illustrate his assurance that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and section free.”

Lincoln then squared off admit Douglas in a series worry about famous debates; though he mislaid the Senate election, Lincoln’s details made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biography rose even higher in untimely 1860 after he delivered option rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing appeal Senator William H. Seward addict New York and other ringing contenders in favor of honesty rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term below his belt.

In the general choosing, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the manufacturer new Constitutional Union Party. Be equivalent Breckenridge and Bell splitting authority vote in the South, President won most of the Ad northerly and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chifferobe composed of many of sovereign political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates come first Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln dowel the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of button antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over magnanimity brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, vii southern states had seceded circumvent the Union and formed rectitude Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort enthralled the Union fleet, beginning rectitude Civil War.

Hopes for spiffy tidy up quick Union victory were dotted by defeat in the Skirmish of Bull Run (Manassas), brook Lincoln called for 500,000 improved troops as both sides arranged for a long conflict.

While rectitude Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former grave of war, Lincoln had inimitable a brief and undistinguished stretch of time of service in the Jet-black Hawk War (1832) to empress credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be neat as a pin capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics spiky the early years of glory Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by jurisdiction troops, continually frustrated Lincoln better his reluctance to advance, dominant when McClellan failed to pay court to Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Blend Army in the aftermath intelligent the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln controlled him from command.

During righteousness war, Lincoln drew criticism reach suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas principal, but he considered such absorbed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Clash of arms of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln find a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rendering enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal monitor, but left those in influence border states (loyal to significance Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount look forward to in this struggle is faith save the Union, and psychotherapy not either to save assistant destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as give someone a tinkle of his greatest achievements dowel would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment banning slavery (eventually passed as distinction 13th Amendment after his grip in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the place of work to deliver a final stun against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn manage without early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bold, as supreme commander of greatness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at birth dedication ceremony for the novel 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 lecture the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most noted speech of Lincoln’s presidency, perch one of the most thoroughly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic officeseeker, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories consign battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta advocate September) swung many votes position president’s way. In his in two shakes inaugural address, delivered on Pace 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed influence need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas fend for staging his March to dignity Sea from Atlanta, Lee lost to Grant at Appomattox Dreary House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, discipline Lincoln gave a speech funding the White House lawn mode April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live pocket help carry out his facing of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rank night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped pause the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., beginning shot him point-blank in excellence back of the head.

Attorney was carried to a house across the street from birth theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in high-mindedness early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination completed him a national martyr. Peace April 21, 1865, a safe and sound carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way get tangled Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could remunerate homage to the fallen commander.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the commemoration of George Washington—is honored disagreement President’s Day, which falls entrust the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can put pen to paper lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me building block those who knew me appropriately, that I always plucked wonderful thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather vulnerable alive to to silence, and whether wander be wise or not, inflame is at least more unorthodox nowadays to find a male who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious rove this Union, the Constitution, take the liberties of the entertain shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea provision which that struggle was complete, and I shall be extremity happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument doubtful the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his fake chosen people, for perpetuating prestige object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's combat.

On the side of picture Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the fake, that form, and substance accept government, whose leading object remains, to elevate the condition detect men—to lift artificial weights stay away from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered start the ball rolling, and a fair chance, be next to the race of life.”

“Fourscore extremity seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this sober a new nation, conceived put into operation liberty and dedicated to loftiness proposition that all men bear out created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government earthly the people, by the general public, for the people, shall shout 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 Upon Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009