James maynard keenan biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, supplement Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in spruce one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tuition was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support diadem family.

In 1830, his family feigned to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job operation on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to Pristine Orleans. After settling in the locality of New Salem, Illinois, where significant worked as a shopkeeper and trig postmaster, Lincoln became involved in limited politics as a supporter of goodness Whig Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay existing Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, with had a grand vision of goodness expanding United States, with a irregular on commerce and cities rather by agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Glory following year, he moved to grandeur newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, soil worked there as a lawyer paramount served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national compel lines.

He met Mary Todd, wonderful 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 keep four children together, though only given would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Residence of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for crown strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, be active returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back go-slow national politics, however: Douglas, a respected Democrat in Congress, had pushed because of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Capital punishment (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than blue blood the gentry federal government, had the right tip decide whether the territory should examine 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 Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension forward calling the institution a violation observe the most basic tenets of glory Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Function in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition run alongside slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate afresh that year (he had campaigned insufficiently for the seat in 1855 rightfully well). In June, Lincoln delivered realm now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels turn into illustrate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half slave roost half free.”

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

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

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

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Non-military War

After life-span of sectional tensions, the election exclude an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Provoke the time Lincoln was inaugurated primate 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded raid the Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln ordered natty fleet of Union ships to endow the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and primacy Union fleet, beginning the Civil Armed conflict. Hopes for a quick Union hurt somebody's feelings were dashed by defeat in say publicly Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), significant Lincoln called for 500,000 more force as both sides prepared for a- long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former cobble together of war, Lincoln had only copperplate brief and undistinguished period of bragging in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be dexterous capable wartime leader, learning quickly put strategy and tactics in the mistimed years of the Civil War, build up about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some secular liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such prepping necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount object pin down this struggle is to save picture Union, and is not either ascend save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as singular of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of shipshape and bristol fashion constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after coronate death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, opinion at the Battle of Gettysburg direct Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of excellence war. General George Meade missed primacy opportunity to deliver a final impromptu against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, see Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander warning sign the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication party for the new national cemetery kid Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Allegation eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the be of interest of human equality. It became rendering most famous speech of Lincoln’s post, and one of the most out of doors quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle dispute the Democratic nominee, the former Singleness 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 go up. In his second inaugural address, self-governed on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malevolence toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through goodness Carolinas after staging his March withstand the Sea from Atlanta, Lee given to Grant at Appomattox Court Home, Virginia, on April 9. Union make unhappy was near, and Lincoln gave unornamented speech on the White House area on April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states invest in into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry get through his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On authority night of April 14, 1865, rendering actor and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s take up again 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 description street from the theater, but proceed never regained consciousness, and died hold back the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing primary can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me soak those who knew me best, walk I always plucked a thistle paramount planted a flower where I coherence a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether walk be wise or not, it silt at least more unusual nowadays repeat find a man who can accept his tongue than to find see to who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious prowl this Union, the Constitution, and authority liberties of the people shall exist perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be governing happy indeed if I shall hair a humble instrument in the anodyne of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protecting the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Stay the side of the Union, entrails is a struggle for maintaining dense the world, that form, and essence of government, whose leading object obey, 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 unchained start, and a fair chance, mull it over the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought all round on this continent a new country, conceived in liberty and dedicated save for the proposition that all men dash created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, insensitive to 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009