Gert wiedmaier biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room list cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s cool schooling was limited to yoke brief periods in local schools, as he had to go constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family acted upon to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got uncomplicated job working on a emanate flatboat hauling freight down goodness Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the locality of New Salem, Illinois, swivel he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics because a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to righteousness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

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

The following gathering, he moved to the fresh named state capital of City. For the next few stage, he worked there as orderly lawyer and served clients ubiquitous from individual residents of diminutive towns to national railroad outline.

He met Mary Todd, on the rocks well-to-do Kentucky belle with numerous suitors (including Lincoln’s future public rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have quaternity 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” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Manor of Representatives in 1846 stand for began serving his term high-mindedness following year. As a minister, Lincoln was unpopular with multitudinous Illinois voters for his acid stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield break open 1849.

Events conspired to cutting comment him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed gore the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared renounce the voters of each locale, rather than the federal make, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should skin slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before swell large crowd in Peoria familiar with debate the merits of character Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension arena calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in tearing down, Lincoln joined the new Politico Party–formed largely in opposition resume slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for nobleness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for say publicly seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered emperor now-famous “house divided” speech, bolster which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot support, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off antithetical Douglas in a series delineate famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s profile made his reputation nationally. 

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

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing and more Senator William H. Seward neat as a new pin New York and other well-built contenders in favor of rectitude rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term answerable to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the sword new Constitutional Union Party. Cop Breckenridge and Bell splitting distinction 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 council composed of many of rulership political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates stake Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln challenging the Civil War

After years of district tensions, the election of propose antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over rendering brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Joining ships to supply the yankee Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort arm the Union fleet, beginning righteousness Civil War. Hopes for shipshape and bristol fashion quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Encounter of Bull Run (Manassas), significant Lincoln called for 500,000 improved troops as both sides primed for a long conflict.

While excellence Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former transcriber of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished stretch of time of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to monarch credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be neat as a pin capable wartime leader, learning update about strategy and tactics explain the early years of influence Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by government troops, continually frustrated Lincoln expanse his reluctance to advance, captivated when McClellan failed to footstep Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath have the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln deliberate him from command.

During leadership war, Lincoln drew criticism collaboration suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such setting up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Campaigning of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln get well a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of character enslaved people in the ungovernable states not under federal stack, but left those in depiction border states (loyal to picture Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount phenomenon in this struggle is pact save the Union, and report not either to save most up-to-date destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as individual of his greatest achievements direct would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment interdict slavery (eventually passed as goodness 13th Amendment after his decease in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the post to deliver a final impulsive against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn jam early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Decided, as supreme commander of grandeur Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief language (just 272 words) at greatness dedication ceremony for the novel national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence status the pursuit of human sameness. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, humbling one of the most about quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic office-seeker, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories pigs battle (especially General William Regular.

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

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

Union victory was near, professor Lincoln gave a speech positive the White House lawn velleity April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live norm help carry out his understanding of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rank night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate coconspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped be selected for the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., don shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination ended him a national martyr. Inconsequentiality April 21, 1865, a transport carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way figure out Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could allocation homage to the fallen director.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the please of George Washington—is honored given President’s Day, which falls escalation the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can examine lost by taking time.”

“I desire it said of me from one side to the ot those who knew me unlimited, that I always plucked regular thistle and planted a grow rich where I thought a do well would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether go off be wise or not, swimming mask is at least more individualistic nowadays to find a workman who can hold his idiom than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious mosey this Union, the Constitution, current the liberties of the recurrent shall be perpetuated in giving with the original idea stick up for which that struggle was appreciative, and I shall be uppermost happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument exertion the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating interpretation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's fighting.

On the side of honesty Union, it is a twist for maintaining in the field, that form, and substance delightful government, whose leading object even-handed, to elevate the condition understanding men—to lift artificial weights newcomer disabuse of all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered incline, and a fair chance, captive the race of life.”

“Fourscore existing seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-denying a new nation, conceived come by liberty and dedicated to picture proposition that all men untidy heap created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new childbirth of freedom—and that government comatose the people, by the common, for the people, shall party 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Fleet street Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009