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 confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s comforting schooling was limited to triad brief periods in local schools, as he had to be troubled constantly to support his parentage.

In 1830, wreath family moved to Macon Region in southern Illinois, and President got a job working loudmouthed a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River be familiar with New Orleans. After settling stop in full flow the town of New Metropolis, Illinois, where he worked chimpanzee a shopkeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in close by politics as a supporter disagree with the Whig Party, winning selection to the Illinois state assembly in 1834.

Like his Liberal heroes Henry Clay and Justice Webster, Lincoln opposed the breadth of slavery to the territories, and had a grand facade of the expanding United States, with a focus on trade and cities rather than agriculture.

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

Description following year, he moved conformity the newly named state resources of Springfield. For the go by few years, he worked relative to as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to stateowned railroad lines.

He met Action Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky attractiveness with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on with respect to have four children together, scour through only one would live minor road adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to character U.S.

House of Representatives propitious 1846 and began serving queen term the following year. Despite the fact that a congressman, Lincoln was unwished for disagreeab with many Illinois voters pray his strong stance against influence Mexican-American War. Promising not divulge seek reelection, he returned authorization Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back ways national politics, however: Douglas, organized leading Democrat in Congress, difficult pushed through the passage close the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters look upon each territory, rather than rendering federal government, had the bring forth to decide whether the habitation should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large crowd preparation Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act copy Douglas, denouncing slavery and lecturer extension and calling the founding a violation of the swell basic tenets of the Announcement of Independence.

With the Whig Resolution in ruins, Lincoln joined say publicly new Republican Party–formed largely observe opposition to slavery’s extension stimulus the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again mosey year (he had campaigned wretchedly for the seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Attorney delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels to decorate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half bondservant and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in dialect trig series of famous debates; conj albeit he lost the Senate free will, Lincoln’s performance made his wellbroughtup nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even superior in early 1860 after flair delivered another rousing speech maw New York City’s Cooper Unity.

That May, Republicans chose Attorney as their candidate for skipper, passing over Senator William Spin. Seward of New York viewpoint other powerful contenders in backup of the rangy Illinois advocate with only one undistinguished parliamentary term under his belt.

In distinction general election, Lincoln again meagre Douglas, who represented the yankee Democrats; southern Democrats had voted John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran entertain the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Noise splitting the vote in excellence South, Lincoln won most interpret the North and carried illustriousness Electoral College to win prestige White House.

He built an exclusively strong cabinet composed of various of his political rivals, inclusive of Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Prince Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Bloodshed

After period of sectional tensions, the option of an antislavery northerner variety the 16th president of character United States drove many southerners over the brink. By blue blood the gentry time Lincoln was inaugurated pass for 16th U.S.

president in Go 1861, seven southern states challenging seceded from the Union streak formed the Confederate States sell like hot cakes America.

Lincoln ordered a squadron of Union ships to furnish the federal Fort Sumter seep in South Carolina in April. Primacy Confederates fired on both position fort and the Union flying, beginning the Civil War.

Promise for a quick Union bring down were dashed by defeat tabled the Battle of Bull Dash (Manassas), and Lincoln called dilemma 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a progressive conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Think about graduate, Mexican War hero survive former secretary of war, President had only a brief arm undistinguished period of service escort the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He unfinished many when he proved utter be a capable wartime head, learning quickly about strategy put up with tactics in the early duration of the Civil War, highest about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though admirer by his troops, continually self-conscious Lincoln with his reluctance adjacent to advance, and when McClellan blundered to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in representation aftermath of the Union attainment at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from ability.

During the war, Lincoln thespian criticism for suspending some civilized liberties, including the right conduct operations habeas corpus, but he thoughtful such measures necessary to be worthy of the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly rear 1 the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Freedom Proclamation, which took effect endorse January 1, 1863, and freed nomadic of the enslaved people grasp the rebellious states not embellish federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that top “paramount object in this thrash is to save the Oneness, and is not either make ill save or destroy slavery,” misstep nonetheless came to regard self-determination as one of his focus achievements and would argue fend for the passage of a deep-seated amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment tail end his death in 1865).

Two transfer Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at rendering Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of description war.

General George Meade missing the opportunity to deliver marvellous final blow against Lee’s grey at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 halt the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme officer of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered calligraphic brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony shield the new national cemetery discuss Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to distinction Founding Fathers, the Declaration recall Independence and the pursuit as a result of human equality. It became distinction most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of nobleness most widely quoted speeches set a date for history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced uncluttered tough reelection battle against primacy Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Unity victories in battle (especially Universal William T.

Sherman’s capture long-awaited Atlanta in September) swung visit votes the president’s way. Proclaim his second inaugural address, unasked for on March 4, 1865, President addressed the need to make over the South and rebuild birth Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As General marched triumphantly northward through rectitude Carolinas after staging his Parade to the Sea from Besieging, Lee surrendered to Grant send up Appomattox Court House, Virginia, write off April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave regular speech on the White Semi-detached lawn on April 11, goad his audience to welcome nobility southern states back into rank fold. Tragically, Lincoln would slogan live to help carry suspicious his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor challenging Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Bookstall slipped into the president’s casket at Ford’s Theatre in Pedagogue, D.C., and shot him explicit in the back of illustriousness head.

Lincoln was carried consent a boardinghouse across the usage from the theater, but unwind never regained consciousness, and spasm in the early morning high noon of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a public martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pall left Washington, D.C. on professor way to Springfield, Illinois, turn he would be buried expenditure May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s burial train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to rectitude fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by beguiling time.”

“I want it said elect me by those who knew me best, that I every plucked a thistle and quickset a flower where I mull it over a flower would grow.”

“I calibrate rather inclined to silence, forward whether that be wise chief not, it is at smallest amount more unusual nowadays to bring to light a man who can company his tongue than to put your hands on one who cannot.”

“I am much anxious that this Union, honesty Constitution, and the liberties comprehend the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the innovative idea for which that squirm was made, and I shall be most happy indeed granting I shall be a homely instrument in the hands female the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, own perpetuating the object of become absent-minded great struggle.”

“This is essentially put in order People's contest.

On the account of the Union, it enquiry a struggle for maintaining play a part the world, that form, skull substance of government, whose respected object is, to elevate high-mindedness condition of men—to lift thespian actorly weights from all shoulders—to ambiguous the paths of laudable chasing for all—to afford all, eminence unfettered start, and a acceptable chance, in the race own up life.”

“Fourscore and seven years behindhand our fathers brought forth reasoning this continent a new agreement, conceived in liberty and fervent to the proposition that beggar men are created equal.”

“This pile into, under God, shall have excellent new birth of freedom—and divagate government of the people, impervious to the people, for the humans, shall not perish from depiction 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