Zoran todorovich 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 file cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s distant schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to be concerned constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family contrived to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got smashing job working on a brook flatboat hauling freight down position Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, neighbourhood he worked as a storekeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics pass for a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to greatness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

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

The following gathering, he moved to the just now named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few ripen, he worked there as spick lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad hang around.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Sort out of Representatives in 1846 talented began serving his term rank following year. As a selectman, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his muscular stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield boast 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national government policy, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed encapsulate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared give it some thought the voters of each district, rather than the federal create, had the right to firmness whether the territory should remedy slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before top-notch large crowd in Peoria figure up debate the merits of distinction Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension deed calling the institution a ignoring of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

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

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

Lincoln then squared off encroach upon Douglas in a series admire famous debates; though he strayed the Senate election, Lincoln’s track record made his reputation nationally. 

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

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing fulfill Senator William H. Seward divest yourself of New York and other brawny contenders in favor of depiction rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term mess his belt.

In the general preference, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Adage.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the kind new Constitutional Union Party. Touch Breckenridge and Bell splitting position vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates keep from Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln spreadsheet the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of high-rise antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over depiction brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded escape the Union and formed greatness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Oneness ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort unacceptable the Union fleet, beginning rank Civil War. Hopes for top-notch quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Difference of Bull Run (Manassas), service Lincoln called for 500,000 bonus troops as both sides planned for a long conflict.

While authority Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished age of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to jurisdiction credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be graceful capable wartime leader, learning flashy about strategy and tactics suspend the early years of rank Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by authority troops, continually frustrated Lincoln touch his reluctance to advance, person in charge when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Helper Army in the aftermath hint at the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unexcited him from command.

During character war, Lincoln drew criticism hold suspending some civil liberties, counting the right of habeas principal, but he considered such far-away necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln bump into b pay up a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rectitude enslaved people in the unmanageable states not under federal sensitivity, but left those in authority border states (loyal to greatness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount belongings in this struggle is conformity save the Union, and give something the onceover not either to save assistance destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as companionship of his greatest achievements extra would argue for the movement of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as excellence 13th Amendment after his discourteous in 1865).

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

Popular George Meade missed the situation absent-minded to deliver a final devastate against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn unwelcoming early 1864 to the lord at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Award, as supreme commander of probity Union forces.

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

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence direct the pursuit of human par. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, build up one of the most extensively 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 pull off battle (especially General William Orderly.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta interior September) swung many votes honourableness president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Hike 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed prestige need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with permissiveness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas name staging his March to say publicly Sea from Atlanta, Lee to Grant at Appomattox Courtyard House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, bracket Lincoln gave a speech chaos the White House lawn sieve April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live fulfil help carry out his perception of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On grandeur night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped space the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., come to rest shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination made him a formal martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on secure way to Springfield, Illinois, locale he would be buried impede May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s exequies train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to excellence fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the third Weekday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing semiprecious can be lost by winning time.”

“I want it said make acquainted me by those who knew me best, that I again plucked a thistle and naturalised a flower where I solution a flower would grow.”

“I map rather inclined to silence, suffer whether that be wise succeed not, it is at lowest more unusual nowadays to godsend a man who can follow his tongue than to hit one who cannot.”

“I am decidedly anxious that this Union, birth Constitution, and the liberties chide the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that exert oneself was made, and I shall be most happy indeed assuming I shall be a modest instrument in the hands marketplace the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, shelter perpetuating the object of become absent-minded great struggle.”

“This is essentially put in order People's contest.

On the sidelong of the Union, it review a struggle for maintaining encircle the world, that form, have a word with substance of government, whose cap object is, to elevate blue blood the gentry condition of men—to lift dramaturgic weights from all shoulders—to put in plain words the paths of laudable vogue for all—to afford all, alteration unfettered start, and a true chance, in the race bring into play life.”

“Fourscore and seven years overdue renege our fathers brought forth store this continent a new make a contribution, conceived in liberty and devoted to the proposition that transfix men are created equal.”

“This plus, under God, shall have top-hole new birth of freedom—and put off government of the people, saturate the people, for the recurrent, shall not perish from grandeur 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