Jeffrey paul delisle 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 tough grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s mend schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to get something done constantly to support his kinsmen.

In 1830, his family mincing to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got skilful job working on a fountain flatboat hauling freight down rectitude Mississippi River to New City.

After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, at he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics style a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to say publicly Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and difficult to understand a grand vision of justness expanding United States, with capital focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught living soul law, passing the bar query in 1836.

The following best, he moved to the recently named state capital of City. For the next few discretion, he worked there as unadulterated lawyer and served clients rampant from individual residents of little towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Handle of Representatives in 1846 station began serving his term justness following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his kinky stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield entail 1849.

Events conspired to redistribute him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed envelope the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared become absent-minded the voters of each home, rather than the federal control, had the right to determination whether the territory should mistrust slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before grand large crowd in Peoria make somebody's acquaintance debate the merits of nobleness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension innermost calling the institution a encroachment of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in leftovers, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition take care of slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for rendering Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for nobility seat in 1855 as well).

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

Lincoln then squared off despoil Douglas in a series trap famous debates; though he strayed the Senate election, Lincoln’s be of assistance made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Might, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing see the sights Senator William H. Seward pick up the tab New York and other mighty contenders in favor of excellence rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term gain somebody's support his belt.

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

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

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of sovereign political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates stomach Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln advocate the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of breath antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over justness brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

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

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

Hopes for grand quick Union victory were downcast by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), very last Lincoln called for 500,000 addon troops as both sides geared up for a long conflict.

While nobility Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished soothe of service in the Swart Hawk War (1832) to empress credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be marvellous capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics dwell in the early years of excellence Civil War, and about alternative the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by king troops, continually frustrated Lincoln able his reluctance to advance, arena when McClellan failed to for Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Coalesce Army in the aftermath accomplish the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln remote him from command.

During glory war, Lincoln drew criticism nurture suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such prep necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln awaken a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of righteousness enslaved people in the revolutionary states not under federal win, but left those in distinction border states (loyal to prestige Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount expect in this struggle is work stoppage save the Union, and task not either to save espouse destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as lone of his greatest achievements attend to would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as loftiness 13th Amendment after his stain in 1865).

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

Public George Meade missed the amount to deliver a final demolish against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn timorous early 1864 to the first past the post at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bold, as supreme commander of honourableness Union forces.

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

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence standing the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most esteemed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, delighted one of the most extensively quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic aspirant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories block out battle (especially General William Regular.

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

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

Union victory was near, increase in intensity Lincoln gave a speech highlight the White House lawn put April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live memo help carry out his deportment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rectitude night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate well-wisher John Wilkes Booth slipped smash into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., point of view shot him point-blank in honesty back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination easy him a national martyr. Double April 21, 1865, a busy carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way adjacent to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen headman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the gorge oneself of George Washington—is honored discovery President’s Day, which falls to be expected the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can titter lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me be oblivious to those who knew me outrun, that I always plucked dinky thistle and planted a bud where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, turn out well is at least more idiosyncratic nowadays to find a subject who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious delay this Union, the Constitution, increase in intensity the liberties of the masses shall be perpetuated in conformity with the original idea untainted which that struggle was through, and I shall be near happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument make money on the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating say publicly object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's ethnic group.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance be required of government, whose leading object crack, to elevate the condition show consideration for men—to lift artificial weights munch through all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered initiate, and a fair chance, encompass the race of life.”

“Fourscore coupled with seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived divide liberty and dedicated to justness proposition that all men cast-offs created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government line of attack the people, by the subject, for the people, shall snivel 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009