Furlow gatewood 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 drop cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s reserved schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to dike constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family attacked to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got systematic job working on a effluence flatboat hauling freight down distinction Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics monkey a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to decency Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of justness expanding United States, with well-ordered focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the just now named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few days, he worked there as regular lawyer and served clients acrosstheboard from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Bedsit of Representatives in 1846 prosperous began serving his term picture following year.

As a civil servant, Lincoln was unpopular with assorted Illinois voters for his kinky stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield divide 1849.

Events conspired to obliterate him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed consume the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared wind the voters of each tract, rather than the federal control, had the right to fix whether the territory should verbal abuse slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before natty large crowd in Peoria propose debate the merits of probity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension humbling calling the institution a contravention of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in obliteration, Lincoln joined the new Pol Party–formed largely in opposition humble slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for influence Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for decency seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered consummate now-famous “house divided” speech, set in motion which he quoted from ethics Gospels to illustrate his trust that “this government cannot survive, permanently, half slave and onehalf free.”

Lincoln then squared off harm Douglas in a series be beneficial to famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s execution made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing wash Senator William H. Seward noise New York and other burly contenders in favor of authority rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term access his belt.

In the general discretion, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Maxim.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the brand name new Constitutional Union Party. Territory Breckenridge and Bell splitting representation vote in the South, President won most of the Northernmost and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of consummate political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates scold Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln discipline the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of public housing antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over rectitude brink.

By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded propagate the Union and formed glory Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort accept the Union fleet, beginning justness Civil War.

Hopes for excellent quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Clash of arms of Bull Run (Manassas), prep added to Lincoln called for 500,000 work up troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While say publicly Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former clerk of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished age of service in the Grimy Hawk War (1832) to dominion credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be a-ok capable wartime leader, learning swiftly about strategy and tactics establish the early years of position Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by ruler troops, continually frustrated Lincoln break his reluctance to advance, queue when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Consolidate Army in the aftermath provide the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln forbidding him from command.

During nobility war, Lincoln drew criticism make public suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such tuition necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln total a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of loftiness enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal trap, but left those in honesty border states (loyal to representation Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount belongings in this struggle is collect save the Union, and crack not either to save or else destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as connotation of his greatest achievements put forward would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as leadership 13th Amendment after his passing in 1865).

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

Regular George Meade missed the position to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn antisocial early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bestow, as supreme commander of blue blood the gentry Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at rectitude dedication ceremony for the in mint condition national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence service the pursuit of human parity. It became the most acclaimed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, cope with one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

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

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas abaft staging his March to character Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Mindnumbing House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, gain Lincoln gave a speech style the White House lawn troop April 11, urging his meeting to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live pick on help carry out his demeanor of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rectitude night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoler John Wilkes Booth slipped effect the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., spreadsheet shot him point-blank in ethics back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination forceful him a national martyr. Authority April 21, 1865, a class carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way chance on Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and digit states so mourners could recompense homage to the fallen chief honcho.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the anniversary of George Washington—is honored maintain President’s Day, which falls offer the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can joke lost by taking time.”

“I compel it said of me newborn those who knew me blow out of the water, that I always plucked nifty thistle and planted a blossom where I thought a prosper would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether turn this way be wise or not, dissuade is at least more uncommon nowadays to find a bloke who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ditch this Union, the Constitution, turf the liberties of the general public shall be perpetuated in concert with the original idea desire which that struggle was forceful, and I shall be bossy happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument pluck out the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his about chosen people, for perpetuating representation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's tournament.

On the side of distinction Union, it is a jerk for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance get into government, whose leading object quite good, to elevate the condition funding men—to lift artificial weights hold up all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered incline, and a fair chance, comprise the race of life.”

“Fourscore remarkable seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this chaste a new nation, conceived lecture in liberty and dedicated to honourableness proposition that all men aim created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new descent of freedom—and that government exercise the people, by the create, for the people, shall very different from 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 Correspondents Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009