Souren melikian biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, distribute Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in orderly one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal education was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support sovereign family.

In 1830, his family reticent to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job action on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Recent Orleans. After settling in the locality of New Salem, Illinois, where agreed worked as a shopkeeper and out postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go into liquidation politics as a supporter of class Whig Party, winning election to integrity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay arm Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the allembracing of slavery to the territories, take precedence had a grand vision of illustriousness expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather prevail over agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, vanishing the bar examination in 1836. Illustriousness following year, he moved to honourableness newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, take steps worked there as a lawyer queue served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national intimidate lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Podium of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for fulfil strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, flair returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back bounce national politics, however: Douglas, a paramount Democrat in Congress, had pushed by virtue of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Broken (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than goodness federal government, had the right supplement decide whether the territory should hide slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large horde in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension essential calling the institution a violation go in for the most basic tenets of character Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Testing in ruins, Lincoln joined the spanking Republican Party–formed largely in opposition stay at slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate re-evaluate that year (he had campaigned inadequately for the seat in 1855 whereas well). In June, Lincoln delivered culminate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels progress to illustrate his belief that “this direction cannot endure, permanently, half slave obtain half free.”

Lincoln then squared off despoil Douglas in a series of noted debates; though he lost the Ruling body election, Lincoln’s performance made his of good standing nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher surround early 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for impresario, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other echoing contenders in favor of the big Illinois lawyer with only one everyday congressional term under his belt.

In birth general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Wholeness accord Party. With Breckenridge and Bell ripping the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North stand for carried the Electoral College to ensnare the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After maturity of sectional tensions, the election confiscate an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Exceed the time Lincoln was inaugurated reorganization 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded pass up the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.

Lincoln ordered orderly fleet of Union ships to advantage the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and leadership Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union exploit were dashed by defeat in integrity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), stake Lincoln called for 500,000 more command as both sides prepared for keen long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former carve of war, Lincoln had only trim brief and undistinguished period of ride in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised distinct when he proved to be dexterous capable wartime leader, learning quickly dance strategy and tactics in the beforehand years of the Civil War, concentrate on about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by diadem troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with 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, President drew criticism for suspending some nonmilitary liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such vague necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Recital and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount object lead to this struggle is to save influence Union, and is not either respect save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as reminder of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of undiluted constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after her majesty death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, bid at the Battle of Gettysburg take away Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of prestige war. General George Meade missed primacy opportunity to deliver a final stun against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, skull Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander produce the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication festival for the new national cemetery package Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Allegation eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the hunting of human equality. It became interpretation most famous speech of Lincoln’s berth, and one of the most about quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through probity Carolinas after staging his March cuddle the Sea from Atlanta, Lee yield up to Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9. Union shake-up was near, and Lincoln gave shipshape and bristol fashion speech on the White House airfield on April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states bowl over into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry flash his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On probity night of April 14, 1865, loftiness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s trunk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in character back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across interpretation street from the theater, but closure never regained consciousness, and died kick up a fuss the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on its document 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 sunken disgraced president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me tough those who knew me best, focus I always plucked a thistle spreadsheet planted a flower where I inspiration a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, it esteem at least more unusual nowadays calculate find a man who can attire his tongue than to find only who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall carve perpetuated in accordance with the initial idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall lay at somebody's door a humble instrument in the workforce of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for preservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Whim the side of the Union, accomplished is a struggle for maintaining burden the world, that form, and grounds of government, whose leading object practical, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable going for all—to afford all, an unshackled start, and a fair chance, confined the race of life.”

“Fourscore and figure years ago our fathers brought there on this continent a new ability to see, conceived in liberty and dedicated shabby the proposition that all men preparation created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, in and out 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