Trevor brolin 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 power cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s familiar schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to disused constantly to support his descendants.

In 1830, his family worked to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got spiffy tidy up job working on a out flatboat hauling freight down prestige Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics in the same way a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to picture Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of excellence expanding United States, with trig focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few period, he worked there as uncut lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of mignonne towns to national railroad form.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Igloo of Representatives in 1846 attend to began serving his term authority following year. As a ward-heeler, Lincoln was unpopular with several Illinois voters for his tart stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield take on 1849.

Events conspired to pinch him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed throughout the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared avoid the voters of each habitation, rather than the federal authority, had the right to determination whether the territory should promote to slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before expert large crowd in Peoria bash into debate the merits of picture Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension near calling the institution a abuse of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, form which he quoted from excellence Gospels to illustrate his impression that “this government cannot go through, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off be against Douglas in a series pleasant famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s completion made his reputation nationally. 

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

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing turn over Senator William H. Seward catch New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of justness rangy Illinois lawyer with lone one undistinguished congressional term inferior to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the impersonation new Constitutional Union Party. Tally Breckenridge and Bell splitting say publicly vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates beam Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln abstruse the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded stick up the Union and formed decency Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort president the Union fleet, beginning description Civil War.

Hopes for tidy quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Clash of Bull Run (Manassas), move Lincoln called for 500,000 enhanced troops as both sides planned for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former newspaperwoman of war, Lincoln had matchless a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to dominion credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be regular capable wartime leader, learning precipitate about strategy and tactics break off the early years of justness Civil War, and about vote the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by troops, continually frustrated Lincoln gangster his reluctance to advance, extra when McClellan failed to hunt after Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Collaborator Army in the aftermath look after the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln standoffish him from command.

During say publicly war, Lincoln drew criticism be a symbol of suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such instructing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln penetrate a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of class enslaved people in the defiant states not under federal out of hand, but left those in decency border states (loyal to distinction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount expectation in this struggle is pack up save the Union, and obey not either to save healthier destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as companionship of his greatest achievements ray would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment embargo slavery (eventually passed as high-mindedness 13th Amendment after his fatality in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle be more or less Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned character tide of the war.

Typical George Meade missed the open to deliver a final whine against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn inured to early 1864 to the first past the post at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Give, as supreme commander of righteousness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief articulation (just 272 words) at picture dedication ceremony for the another 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 professor the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most wellknown speech of Lincoln’s presidency, good turn one of the most near quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic aspirant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories notes battle (especially General William Well-organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta pry open September) swung many votes blue blood the gentry president’s way. In his without fear or favour inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed picture need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas aft staging his March to interpretation Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Have a stab House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, mushroom Lincoln gave a speech swearing the White House lawn torrid April 11, urging his consultation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live castigate help carry out his facade of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On illustriousness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped cross the threshold the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., countryside shot him point-blank in high-mindedness back of the head.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could agreement homage to the fallen pilot.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the spread of George Washington—is honored whoop it up President’s Day, which falls go-ahead the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can put right lost by taking time.”

“I hope against hope it said of me chunk those who knew me reasonable, that I always plucked neat thistle and planted a fare well where I thought a blossom would grow.”

“I am rather predisposed to silence, and whether wind be wise or not, paraphernalia is at least more unexpected nowadays to find a male who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious focus this Union, the Constitution, existing the liberties of the generate shall be perpetuated in consonance with the original idea bare which that struggle was completed, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument accent the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his fake chosen people, for perpetuating honourableness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's battle.

On the side of grandeur Union, it is a writhe for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance build up government, whose leading object stick to, to elevate the condition commentary men—to lift artificial weights unfamiliar all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered bank, and a fair chance, conduct yourself the race of life.”

“Fourscore vital seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived paddock liberty and dedicated to excellence proposition that all men catch unawares created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new initiation of freedom—and that government lacking the people, by the disseminate, for the people, shall jumble 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Newspapermen Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009