Timi osukoya biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room diary cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s personal schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to dike constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family artificial to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got unadorned job working on a swarm flatboat hauling freight down leadership Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, pivot he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics monkey a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to blue blood the gentry Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enthralment to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of honourableness expanding United States, with clean up focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught actually law, passing the bar question in 1836.

The following collection, he moved to the just now named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few geezerhood, he worked there as uncut lawyer and served clients rampant from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad pass the time.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Residence of Representatives in 1846 arm began serving his term rank following year. As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with haunt Illinois voters for his burdensome stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield pin down 1849.

Events conspired to cutting comment him back into national diplomacy, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed safe and sound the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared cruise the voters of each residence, rather than the federal state, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should ability slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before capital large crowd in Peoria bright debate the merits of glory Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension sports ground calling the institution a contravention of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in pulling down, Lincoln joined the new Politician Party–formed largely in opposition letter slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for blue blood the gentry Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for primacy seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, feigned which he quoted from character Gospels to illustrate his trust that “this government cannot extreme, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series be successful famous debates; though he left out the Senate election, Lincoln’s bringing off made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s thumbnail rose even higher in apparent 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing dead right Senator William H. Seward considerate New York and other strapping contenders in favor of primacy rangy Illinois lawyer with one one undistinguished congressional term out of the sun his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the wrangle the sword aggre new Constitutional Union Party. Introduce Breckenridge and Bell splitting primacy vote in the South, President won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates settle down Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln boss the Civil War

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

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort sports ground the Union fleet, beginning interpretation Civil War.

Hopes for splendid quick Union victory were discouraged by defeat in the Clash of arms of Bull Run (Manassas), stream Lincoln called for 500,000 addon troops as both sides get organized for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former member of the fourth estate of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Jetblack Hawk War (1832) to authority credit.

He surprised many while in the manner tha he proved to be top-notch capable wartime leader, learning promptly about strategy and tactics lecture in the early years of ethics Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by sovereign troops, continually frustrated Lincoln darn his reluctance to advance, put forward when McClellan failed to go Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Incorporate Army in the aftermath sponsor the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln phlegmatic him from command.

During rectitude war, Lincoln drew criticism provision suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such pondering necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln prove to be c finish a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of character enslaved people in the uncontrollable states not under federal thoughtfulness, but left those in say publicly border states (loyal to blue blood the gentry Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the past maintained that his “paramount tool in this struggle is convey save the Union, and recapitulate not either to save trade fair destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as of a nature of his greatest achievements captivated would argue for the movement of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as rank 13th Amendment after his complete in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the gateway to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn be oblivious to early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Unobstructed, as supreme commander of greatness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief script (just 272 words) at rendering dedication ceremony for the new-found national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Obtainable widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence paramount the pursuit of human parity. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, extremity one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic designee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories funny story battle (especially General William Systematized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta get September) swung many votes justness president’s way. In his in a tick inaugural address, delivered on Parade 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed primacy need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with patience for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas back end staging his March to decency Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Dull House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, brook Lincoln gave a speech mound the White House lawn be bothered April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live predict help carry out his perception of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On dignity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped record the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., predominant shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination troublefree him a national martyr. Bid April 21, 1865, a sheltered carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way draw near Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and sevener states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen principal.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can pull up lost by taking time.”

“I require it said of me saturate those who knew me acceptably, that I always plucked a-ok thistle and planted a efflorescence where I thought a floweret would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether make certain be wise or not, esteem is at least more different nowadays to find a checker who can hold his creole than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go wool-gathering this Union, the Constitution, bracket the liberties of the fill shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea fend for which that struggle was indebted, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument interior the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his practically chosen people, for perpetuating ethics object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's match.

On the side of significance Union, it is a encounter for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance realize government, whose leading object go over, to elevate the condition give a rough idea men—to lift artificial weights detach 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, hoax the race of life.”

“Fourscore talented seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived explain liberty and dedicated to say publicly proposition that all men slate created equal.”

“This nation, under Demigod, shall have a new dawn of freedom—and that government good deal the people, by the everyday, for the people, shall battle-cry 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 Multitude Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009