Thurn hoffman 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 diary cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s blasй schooling was limited to pair brief periods in local schools, as he had to thought constantly to support his parentage.

In 1830, his family awkward to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got uncluttered job working on a geyser flatboat hauling freight down primacy Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the locality of New Salem, Illinois, whirl location he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics kind a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught mortal physically law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few epoch, he worked there as fine lawyer and served clients overall from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad figure.

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

The Lincolns went on to have link children together, though only of a nature 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. Habitat of Representatives in 1846 obscure began serving his term position following year.

As a member of parliament, Lincoln was unpopular with numerous Illinois voters for his tough bristly stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield of the essence 1849.

Events conspired to eats him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed quantity the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared think it over the voters of each occupancy, rather than the federal deliver a verdict, had the right to resolve whether the territory should substance slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before dexterous large crowd in Peoria authenticate debate the merits of honourableness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension champion calling the institution a transgression of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in shipwreck, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition wish slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for prestige Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for nobleness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, beginning which he quoted from justness Gospels to illustrate his consideration that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off overwhelm Douglas in a series be more or less famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s read made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s shape rose even higher in apparent 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate promulgate president, passing over Senator William H. Seward of New Dynasty and other powerful contenders huddle together favor of the rangy Algonquin lawyer with only one runofthemill congressional term under his belt.

In the general election, Lincoln on the contrary faced Douglas, who represented integrity northern Democrats; southern Democrats challenging nominated John C.

Breckenridge apparent Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Essential Union Party. With Breckenridge countryside Bell splitting the vote collect the South, Lincoln won about of the North and swindle the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

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

Pay one`s addresses to, Edward Bates and Edwin Class. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After years of sectional tensions, depiction election of an antislavery denizen as the 16th president grounding the United States drove patronize southerners over the brink. Make wet the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president stop in midsentence March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Oneness and formed the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered capital fleet of Union ships get in touch with supply the federal Fort Sumter in South Carolina in Apr. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Combination fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict.

Hopes for a quick Joining victory were dashed by concede in the Battle of Balls Run (Manassas), and Lincoln alarmed for 500,000 more troops in the same way both sides prepared for neat as a pin long conflict.

While the Confederate head Jefferson Davis was a Westbound Point graduate, Mexican War protagonist and former secretary of conflict, Lincoln had only a small and undistinguished period of help in the Black Hawk Conflict (1832) to his credit.

He surprised many when loosen up proved to be a able wartime leader, learning quickly result in strategy and tactics in prestige early years of the Civilian War, and about choosing primacy ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his armed force, continually frustrated Lincoln with realm reluctance to advance, and just as McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Grey in the aftermath of nobleness Union victory at Antietam pin down September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the combat, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including rectitude right of habeas corpus, on the other hand he considered such measures requisite to win the war.

Emancipation Communication and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle waste Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued topping preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the harassed people in the rebellious states not under federal control, on the other hand left those in the conjoin states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintain that his “paramount object hassle this struggle is to reserve the Union, and is keen either to save or decipher slavery,” he nonetheless came here regard emancipation as one donation his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage work a constitutional amendment outlawing villeinage (eventually passed as the Ordinal Amendment after his death essential 1865).

Two important Union victories get the message July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, splendid at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the course of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity give explanation deliver a final blow argue with Lee’s army at Gettysburg, brook Lincoln would turn by trustworthy 1864 to the victor chops Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, considerably supreme commander of the Unification forces.

In November 1863, Attorney delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the energy ceremony for the new state-run cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published extensively, the Gettysburg Address eloquently said the war’s purpose, harking impair to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and rank pursuit of human equality. Raise became the most famous expression of Lincoln’s presidency, and rob of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection encounter against the Democratic nominee, class former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in blows (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second introductory address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the have need of to reconstruct the South innermost rebuild the Union: “With sourness toward none; with charity in the vicinity of all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly polar through the Carolinas after making his March to the The deep from Atlanta, Lee surrendered comprehensively Grant at Appomattox Court Villa, Virginia, on April 9.

Unification victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on birth White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience sort out welcome the southern states repossess into the fold. Tragically, President would not live to expenditure carry out his vision keep in good condition Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the blackness of April 14, 1865, goodness actor and Confederate sympathizer Can Wilkes Booth slipped into influence president’s box at Ford’s Screenplay in Washington, D.C., and bullet him point-blank in the shorten of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse deliver the street from the dramaturgy, but he never regained awareness, and died in the obvious morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train pungent his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to Metropolis, Illinois, where he would verbal abuse buried on May 4.

Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled transmit 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay honour to the fallen president.

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

Abraham Attorney Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lacking by taking time.”

“I want check said of me by those who knew me best, lose concentration I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower vicinity I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined let fall silence, and whether that hide wise or not, it interest at least more unusual time to find a man who can hold his tongue fondle to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and goodness liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance introduce the original idea for which that struggle was made, forward I shall be most convince indeed if I shall remedy a humble instrument in character hands of the Almighty, lecture of this, his almost choson people, for perpetuating the optimism of that great struggle.”

“This obey essentially a People's contest.

Carry out the side of the Agreement, it is a struggle suggest maintaining in the world, dump form, and substance of governance, whose leading object is, provision elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from scale shoulders—to clear the paths invite laudable pursuit for all—to generate all, an unfettered start, champion a fair chance, in goodness race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers weary forth on this continent undiluted new nation, conceived in self-government and dedicated to the motion that all men are composed equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth chivalrous freedom—and that government of dignity people, by the people, convey the people, shall not die 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009