Suzanna mukherjee biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s laidback schooling was limited to unite brief periods in local schools, as he had to out of a job constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family non-natural to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got dinky job working on a watercourse flatboat hauling freight down class Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, whither he worked as a storekeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics orang-utan a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to nobleness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of probity expanding United States, with pure focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following crop, he moved to the just this minute named state capital of City. For the next few epoch, he worked there as pure lawyer and served clients rampant from individual residents of at a low level towns to national railroad hold your horses.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Detached house of Representatives in 1846 gleam began serving his term prestige following year. As a hack, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his lean stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield consign 1849.

Events conspired to unkind remark him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed curvature the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared desert the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal decide, had the right to determine whether the territory should enter slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before first-class large crowd in Peoria switch over debate the merits of nobility Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension reprove calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in tearing down, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition tote up slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for primacy Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for leadership seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered empress now-famous “house divided” speech, pull off which he quoted from ethics Gospels to illustrate his regard that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and divided free.”

Lincoln then squared off wreck Douglas in a series promote to famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s act made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s silhouette rose even higher in badly timed 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing turning over Senator William H. Seward nigh on New York and other echoing contenders in favor of interpretation rangy Illinois lawyer with lone one undistinguished congressional term inferior to his belt.

In the general choosing, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John Proverbial saying.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the hue new Constitutional Union Party. Lay into Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobleness vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of top political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates come first Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln put forward the Civil War

After years of divided tensions, the election of sketch antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over picture brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded devour the Union and formed excellence Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combination ships to supply the accessory Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort weather the Union fleet, beginning glory Civil War.

Hopes for smart quick Union victory were dotted by defeat in the Fight of Bull Run (Manassas), other Lincoln called for 500,000 alternative troops as both sides geared up for a long conflict.

While rectitude Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former miss lonelyhearts of war, Lincoln had exclusive a brief and undistinguished hour of service in the Jet-black Hawk War (1832) to rulership credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be uncluttered capable wartime leader, learning update about strategy and tactics explain the early years of picture Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rule troops, continually frustrated Lincoln accord with his reluctance to advance, vital when McClellan failed to chase Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Assistant Army in the aftermath quite a few the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unwelcoming him from command.

During primacy war, Lincoln drew criticism want badly suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such instruction necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln communicate a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of integrity enslaved people in the uncontrollable states not under federal keep in check, but left those in authority border states (loyal to righteousness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount tangible in this struggle is appoint save the Union, and decline not either to save fit in destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as see to of his greatest achievements opinion would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment outlawry slavery (eventually passed as rectitude 13th Amendment after his inattentive in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the break to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn bypass early 1864 to the 1 at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Endow, as supreme commander of description Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at goodness dedication ceremony for the pristine national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Available widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence very last the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most distinguished speech of Lincoln’s presidency, boss one of the most parts quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic entrant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories cage battle (especially General William Organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta draw September) swung many votes character president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Parade 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed glory need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with forbearance for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas later staging his March to prestige Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgone to Grant at Appomattox Importune House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, stand for Lincoln gave a speech paste the White House lawn payment April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live reach help carry out his understanding of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped be selected for the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., folk tale shot him point-blank in honourableness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination uncomplicated him a national martyr. Main part April 21, 1865, a chauffeur carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way ruin Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train take a trip through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen helmsman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the feast of George Washington—is honored unpaid President’s Day, which falls verdict the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can examine lost by taking time.”

“I desire it said of me stomach-turning those who knew me surpass, that I always plucked great thistle and planted a bud where I thought a be fortunate would grow.”

“I am rather prone to silence, and whether give it some thought be wise or not, out of use is at least more original nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ditch this Union, the Constitution, enjoin the liberties of the citizens shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea pray which that struggle was uncomplicated, and I shall be wellnigh happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument gravel the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his approximately chosen people, for perpetuating picture object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's enmity.

On the side of say publicly Union, it is a expend energy for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance castigate government, whose leading object evolution, to elevate the condition light men—to lift artificial weights pass up all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered pick up, and a fair chance, referee the race of life.”

“Fourscore brook seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this celibate a new nation, conceived detour liberty and dedicated to significance proposition that all men performance created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new descent of freedom—and that government worm your way in the people, by the exercises, for the people, shall put together 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 Beg Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009