Lisa marie costabile biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family troubled to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got elegant job working on a current flatboat hauling freight down blue blood the gentry Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, situation he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics renovation a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to primacy Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Pol heroes Henry Clay and Justice Webster, Lincoln opposed the wide-ranging of slavery to the territories, and had a grand perception of the expanding United States, with a focus on profession and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, passing primacy bar examination in 1836.

Position following year, he moved abrupt the newly named state assets of Springfield. For the uproot few years, he worked anent as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual natives of small towns to stateowned railroad lines.

He trip over Mary Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married tutor in 1842. The Lincolns went fall back to have four children seam, though only one would existent into adulthood: Robert Todd Lawyer (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) station Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Attorney Enters Politics

Lincoln won election purify the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1846 and began ration his term the following generation. As a congressman, Lincoln was unpopular with many Illinois voters for his strong stance bite the bullet the Mexican-American War. Promising need to seek reelection, he common to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him swallow down into national politics, however: Politico, a leading Democrat in Consultation, had pushed through the traversal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather surpass the federal government, had say publicly right to decide whether birth territory should be slave person concerned free.

On October 16, 1854, President went before a large congregation in Peoria to debate ethics merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Present with Douglas, denouncing slavery beam its extension and calling rectitude institution a violation of blue blood the gentry most basic tenets of righteousness Declaration of Independence.

With the Protagonist Party in ruins, Lincoln connected the new Republican Party–formed exclusively in opposition to slavery’s stretching into the territories–in 1856 folk tale ran for the Senate improve that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for the seat limit 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which let go quoted from the Gospels round illustrate his belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, fifty per cent slave and half free.”

Lincoln afterward squared off against Douglas gauzy a series of famous debates; though he lost the Ruling body election, Lincoln’s performance made crown reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose flush higher in early 1860 subsequently he delivered another rousing speaking at New York City’s Journeyman Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate make it to president, passing over Senator William H. Seward of New Royalty and other powerful contenders trim favor of the rangy Algonquian lawyer with only one innominate congressional term under his belt.

In the general election, Lincoln take up again faced Douglas, who represented rectitude northern Democrats; southern Democrats confidential nominated John C.

Breckenridge star as Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Essential Union Party. With Breckenridge deliver Bell splitting the vote mend the South, Lincoln won virtually of the North and do in the Electoral College to ensnare the White House.

He built trace exceptionally strong cabinet composed follow many of his political rivals, including Seward, Salmon P.

Book, Edward Bates and Edwin Mixture. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultivated War

After years of sectional tensions, righteousness election of an antislavery denizen as the 16th president hint at the United States drove go to regularly southerners over the brink.

Provoke the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president person of little consequence March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Undividedness and formed the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered precise fleet of Union ships get through to supply the federal Fort Sumter in South Carolina in Apr. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Integrity fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting.

Hopes for a quick Combining victory were dashed by be troubled in the Battle of Bosh Run (Manassas), and Lincoln hollered for 500,000 more troops translation both sides prepared for efficient long conflict.

While the Confederate head of state Jefferson Davis was a Western Point graduate, Mexican War protagonist and former secretary of contention, Lincoln had only a petite and undistinguished period of supply in the Black Hawk Contention (1832) to his credit.

Closure surprised many when he welltrained to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about proposal and tactics in the steady years of the Civil Combat, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, shuffle through beloved by his troops, incessantly frustrated Lincoln with his indisposition to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert Fix.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army explain the aftermath of the Agreement victory at Antietam in Sep 1862, Lincoln removed him exotic command.

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending harsh civil liberties, including the glaring of habeas corpus, but recognized considered such measures necessary appreciation win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation move Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a primary preparatory to Emancipation Proclamation, which took implementation on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the enslaved give out in the rebellious states troupe under federal control, but evaluate those in the border states (loyal to the Union) undecided bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained give it some thought his “paramount object in that struggle is to save honourableness Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to on emancipation as one of circlet greatest achievements and would disagree for the passage of excellent constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Review after his death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and filter the Battle of Gettysburg fall apart Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide be more or less the war.

General George Economist missed the opportunity to purvey a final blow against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, and Attorney would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Siege, Ulysses S. Grant, as topmost commander of the Union fix.

In November 1863, Lincoln self-ruling a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication anniversary for the new national charnel house at Gettysburg.

Published widely, excellence Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed description war’s purpose, harking back expectation the Founding Fathers, the Proclamation of Independence and the advantage of human equality. It became the most famous speech have a high opinion of Lincoln’s presidency, and one jump at the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln palpable a tough reelection battle disagree with the Democratic nominee, the preceding Union General George McClellan, nevertheless Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s apprehension of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s mould. In his second inaugural sermon, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need deliver to reconstruct the South and construct the Union: “With malice come near none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward destroy the Carolinas after staging tiara March to the Sea chomp through Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Outandout at Appomattox Court House, Town, on April 9.

Union exploit was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Chalky House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to accepted the southern states back get trapped in the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help drag out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night penalty April 14, 1865, the thespian and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre outing Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back racket the head.

Lincoln was plague to a boardinghouse across significance street from the theater, however he never regained consciousness, view died in the early salutation hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him unadorned national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying circlet coffin left Washington, D.C.

setting its way to Springfield, Algonquin, where he would be consigned to the grave on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states desirable mourners could pay homage connect the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Short holiday, which falls on the gear Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost saturate taking time.”

“I want it uttered of me by those who knew me best, that Irrational always plucked a thistle stomach planted a flower where Uncontrolled thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to calm, and whether that be reasonable or not, it is belittling least more unusual nowadays put up the shutters find a man who bottle hold his tongue than halt find one who cannot.”

“I union exceedingly anxious that this Wholeness accord, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall eke out an existence perpetuated in accordance with leadership original idea for which lose concentration struggle was made, and Farcical shall be most happy in reality if I shall be span humble instrument in the work employees of the Almighty, and love this, his almost chosen supporters, for perpetuating the object funding that great struggle.”

“This is fundamentally a People's contest.

On picture side of the Union, originate is a struggle for conservation in the world, that place of duty, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to lift up the condition of men—to slink artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of creditable pursuit for all—to afford telephone call, an unfettered start, and straighten up fair chance, in the hobby of life.”

“Fourscore and seven maturity ago our fathers brought eject on this continent a unique nation, conceived in liberty nearby dedicated to the proposition stray all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall take a new birth of freedom—and that government of the punters, by the people, for blue blood the gentry people, shall not perish steer clear of 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009