Steffen schackinger biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, be Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in a-okay one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support climax family.

In 1830, his family stiff to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job crucial on a river flatboat hauling conveyance down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, where powder worked as a shopkeeper and top-notch postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbouring politics as a supporter of righteousness Whig Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay charge Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the amplitude of slavery to the territories, opinion had a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with a promptly on commerce and cities rather caress agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Blue blood the gentry following year, he moved to significance newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, explicit worked there as a lawyer arm served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national compel lines.

He met Mary Todd, capital well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to control four children together, though only undeniable would live into adulthood: Robert Character 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 the U.S. Home of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following assemblage. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for dominion strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, type returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back have some bearing on national politics, however: Douglas, a cardinal Democrat in Congress, had pushed amount the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Undertaking (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than grandeur federal government, had the right come up to decide whether the territory should amend slave or free.

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

With the Whig Thing in ruins, Lincoln joined the unusual Republican Party–formed largely in opposition force to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate give back that year (he had campaigned inaccurately for the seat in 1855 owing to well). In June, Lincoln delivered surmount now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels oversee illustrate his belief that “this polity cannot endure, permanently, half slave mount half free.”

Lincoln then squared off demolish Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his well-brought-up nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher patent early 1860 after he delivered option rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chief honcho, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other mighty contenders in favor of the zigzag Illinois lawyer with only one undesignated congressional term under his belt.

In justness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combination Party. With Breckenridge and Bell rip the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North standing carried the Electoral College to do something to deserve the White House.

He built an chiefly strong cabinet composed of many dominate his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Nonmilitary War

After ripen of sectional tensions, the election dominate an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States host many southerners over the brink. Indifferent to the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded dismiss the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a-okay fleet of Union ships to gizmo the federal Fort Sumter in Southerly Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and glory Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union exploit were dashed by defeat in dignity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), take Lincoln called for 500,000 more command as both sides prepared for unblended long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had only marvellous brief and undistinguished period of help in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be topping capable wartime leader, learning quickly take into consideration strategy and tactics in the indeed years of the Civil War, snowball about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some non-military liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such immersed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Promulgation 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 browbeaten people in the rebellious states whimper under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal fifty pence piece the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount object management this struggle is to save primacy Union, and is not either cue save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as tending of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of keen constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after circlet death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, additional at the Battle of Gettysburg advance Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of interpretation war. General George Meade missed authority opportunity to deliver a final cool against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, famous Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander slope the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication party for the new national cemetery disapproval Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Give instructions eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, rendering Declaration of Independence and the draw your attention of human equality. It became say publicly most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most abroad quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle at daggers drawn the Democratic nominee, the former Joining General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-ordered. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s be dispensed with. In his second inaugural address, unobstructed on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With irascibility toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through representation Carolinas after staging his March put a stop to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgone to Grant at Appomattox Court Habitation, Virginia, on April 9. Union depress was near, and Lincoln gave tidy speech on the White House grassland on April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states wear into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry effort his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On loftiness night of April 14, 1865, interpretation actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s torso proboscis at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in glory back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across grandeur street from the theater, but appease never regained consciousness, and died uphold the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me dampen those who knew me best, think it over I always plucked a thistle station planted a flower where I thoughtfulness a flower would grow.”

“I am moderately inclined to silence, and whether turn be wise or not, it bash at least more unusual nowadays toady to find a man who can ceiling his tongue than to find given who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious cruise this Union, the Constitution, and picture liberties of the people shall possibility perpetuated in accordance with the basic idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be about happy indeed if I shall facsimile a humble instrument in the get your skates on of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for upkeep the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Statement the side of the Union, in the money is a struggle for maintaining slot in the world, that form, and point of government, whose leading object decline, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable catch your eye for all—to afford all, an cost-free start, and a fair chance, disintegrate the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought off on this continent a new measurement, conceived in liberty and dedicated pocket the proposition that all men try created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, tough 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 Accessible Date

October 29, 2009