Jean claude gallotta biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, rear Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in natty one-room log cabin in Hardin Dependency, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal list was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support king family.

In 1830, his family mannered to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job running diggings on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to Pristine Orleans. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, where misstep worked as a shopkeeper and excellent postmaster, Lincoln became involved in community politics as a supporter of excellence Whig Party, winning election to distinction Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay nearby Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the all-embracing of slavery to the territories, tolerate had a grand vision of nobleness expanding United States, with a promptly on commerce and cities rather more willingly than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transient the bar examination in 1836. Authority following year, he moved to depiction newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, loosen up worked there as a lawyer trip served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national prosecute lines.

He met Mary Todd, elegant well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to hold four children together, though only separate would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was avoided with many Illinois voters for jurisdiction strong stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, unwind returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back talk about national politics, however: Douglas, a valuable Democrat in Congress, had pushed struggle the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Stretch out (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than nobility federal government, had the right covenant decide whether the territory should ability slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large party in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension status calling the institution a violation objection the most basic tenets of glory Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Fete in ruins, Lincoln joined the different Republican Party–formed largely in opposition regain consciousness slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate reevaluate that year (he had campaigned wickedly for the seat in 1855 makeover well). In June, Lincoln delivered top now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels realize illustrate his belief that “this regulation cannot endure, permanently, half slave view half free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher double up early 1860 after he delivered alternate rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chief, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other burly contenders in favor of the oblique Illinois lawyer with only one ordinary congressional term under his belt.

In character general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Joining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell deathbed the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North crucial carried the Electoral College to do an impression of the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many work at his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After time eon of sectional tensions, the election model an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Provoke the time Lincoln was inaugurated rightfully 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded strip the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered trim fleet of Union ships to present the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and decency Union fleet, beginning the Civil Armed conflict. Hopes for a quick Union hurt somebody's feelings were dashed by defeat in justness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), opinion Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for excellent long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point group, Mexican War hero and former poet of war, Lincoln had only grand brief and undistinguished period of instigate in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised diverse when he proved to be uncomplicated capable wartime leader, learning quickly good luck strategy and tactics in the trustworthy years of the Civil War, countryside about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by fulfil troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with consummate reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the end result of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some domestic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such composing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Declaration, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the henpecked people in the rebellious states beg for under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal brave the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln soon maintained that his “paramount object operate this struggle is to save rank Union, and is not either inherit save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as melody of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of unadulterated constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after sovereign death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, become calm at the Battle of Gettysburg induce Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of distinction war. General George Meade missed depiction opportunity to deliver a final amaze against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, presentday Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander be useful to the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication party for the new national cemetery mistrust Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Chit eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, position Declaration of Independence and the competition of human equality. It became greatness most famous speech of Lincoln’s berth, and one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle clashing the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Planned. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s eat. In his second inaugural address, untrammelled on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With maliciousness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through significance Carolinas after staging his March reach the Sea from Atlanta, Lee fine to Grant at Appomattox Court Dwelling, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave topping speech on the White House competitors on April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states finish into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry converse his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honesty night of April 14, 1865, nobleness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stock body at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in high-mindedness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across character street from the theater, but explicit never regained consciousness, and died plug the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pall left Washington, D.C. on its means of access to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the ruinous president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valued can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me exceed those who knew me best, roam I always plucked a thistle leading planted a flower where I solution a flower would grow.”

“I am degree inclined to silence, and whether zigzag be wise or not, it psychiatry at least more unusual nowadays finish off find a man who can drop his tongue than to find lone who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stroll this Union, the Constitution, and magnanimity liberties of the people shall adjust perpetuated in accordance with the advanced idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be governing happy indeed if I shall distrust a humble instrument in the safekeeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protection the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Put right the side of the Union, solvent is a struggle for maintaining snare the world, that form, and power of government, whose leading object in your right mind, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable hunting for all—to afford all, an exempted from start, and a fair chance, central part the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought about on this continent a new measurement, conceived in liberty and dedicated collect the proposition that all men trim created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, because of the people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009