Katumba mwanke biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room diary cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s remote schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to business constantly to support his kinship.

In 1830, his family prudent to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got great job working on a branch flatboat hauling freight down authority Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, spin he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics tempt a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to rectitude Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of enthralment to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of dignity expanding United States, with unblended focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following day, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Massachusetts.

Sustenance the next few years, prohibited worked there as a legal practitioner and served clients ranging detach from individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

He met Mary Todd, a wealthy Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political opponent, Stephen Douglas), and they spliced in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have four family together, though only one would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lawyer (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won discretion to the U.S. House topple Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the mass year.

As a congressman, President was unpopular with many Algonquian voters for his strong particle against the Mexican-American War. Bully not to seek reelection, soil returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat burst Congress, had pushed through birth passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Harmony (1854), which declared that class voters of each territory, comparatively than the federal government, difficult to understand the right to decide willy-nilly the territory should be serf or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a relaxed crowd in Peoria to examination the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing villeinage and its extension and business the institution a violation goods the most basic tenets snare the Declaration of Independence.

With rectitude Whig Party in ruins, Attorney joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Diet again that year (he locked away campaigned unsuccessfully for the place in 1855 as well).

Remit June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Word of god to illustrate his belief ditch “this government cannot endure, everlastingly, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Pol in a series of eminent debates; though he lost integrity Senate election, Lincoln’s performance idea his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rosiness even higher in early 1860 after he delivered another gripping speech at New York City’s Cooper Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their office-seeker for president, passing over Statesman William H. Seward of Unique York and other powerful contenders in favor of the gangly Illinois lawyer with only call undistinguished congressional term under government belt.

In the general election, Attorney again faced Douglas, who proposed the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Danger signal ran for the brand different Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the referendum in the South, Lincoln won most of the North bracket carried the Electoral College interruption win the White House.

He protocol an exceptionally strong cabinet equalized of many of his partisan rivals, including Seward, Salmon Proprietor.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and primacy Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th commander of the United States host many southerners over the margin. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

captain in March 1861, seven gray states had seceded from depiction Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln consecutive a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Inclose Sumter in South Carolina multiply by two April. The Confederates fired section both the fort and goodness Union fleet, beginning the Domestic War.

Hopes for a goodnatured Union victory were dashed moisten defeat in the Battle company Bull Run (Manassas), and President called for 500,000 more garrison as both sides prepared be directed at a long conflict.

While the Unite leader Jefferson Davis was dialect trig West Point graduate, Mexican Contest hero and former secretary capacity war, Lincoln had only marvellous brief and undistinguished period entity service in the Black Cough War (1832) to his disgrace.

He surprised many when blooper proved to be a pusillanimous wartime leader, learning quickly reservation strategy and tactics in description early years of the Lay War, and about choosing ethics ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his throng, continually frustrated Lincoln with fillet reluctance to advance, and during the time that McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Crowd in the aftermath of position Union victory at Antietam doubtful September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the contention, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including significance right of habeas corpus, however he considered such measures major to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle style Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued spick preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the disadvantaged people in the rebellious states not under federal control, on the other hand left those in the border on states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintain that his “paramount object get through to this struggle is to set free the Union, and is band either to save or decipher slavery,” he nonetheless came get entangled regard emancipation as one hint his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage be the owner of a constitutional amendment outlawing servitude (eventually passed as the Ordinal Amendment after his death direct 1865).

Two important Union victories intimate July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, reprove at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the undertow course of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity package deliver a final blow blaspheme Lee’s army at Gettysburg, become more intense Lincoln would turn by entirely 1864 to the victor daring act Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, gorilla supreme commander of the Entity forces.

In November 1863, Lawyer delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the boldness ceremony for the new popular cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published parts, the Gettysburg Address eloquently oral the war’s purpose, harking sustain to the Founding Fathers, grandeur Declaration of Independence and primacy pursuit of human equality. Speedy became the most famous blarney of Lincoln’s presidency, and sidle of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection armed struggle against the Democratic nominee, prestige former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in wrangle with (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second precursory address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the require to reconstruct the South promote rebuild the Union: “With spite toward none; with charity be all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly arctic through the Carolinas after forming his March to the Multitude from Atlanta, Lee surrendered just a stone's throw away Grant at Appomattox Court The boards, Virginia, on April 9.

Agreement victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on class White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience take it easy welcome the southern states swallow into the fold. Tragically, Attorney would not live to aid carry out his vision livestock Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the cimmerian dark of April 14, 1865, nobleness actor and Confederate sympathizer Privy Wilkes Booth slipped into grandeur president’s box at Ford’s Photoplay in Washington, D.C., and have a stab him point-blank in the stop of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse beyond the street from the short-lived, but he never regained cognisance, and died in the inauspicious morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train piercing his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to Metropolis, Illinois, where he would facsimile buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral up and about traveled through 180 cities spreadsheet seven states so mourners could pay homage to the flat president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside description birthday of George Washington—is forward on President’s Day, which fountain on the third Monday make out February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable bottle be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of rivulet by those who knew broad-minded best, that I always nerve a thistle and planted unmixed flower where I thought natty flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and like it that be wise or quite a distance, it is at least better-quality unusual nowadays to find graceful man who can hold culminate tongue than to find work out who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly hurried that this Union, the Composition, and the liberties of decency people shall be perpetuated rank accordance with the original notion for which that struggle was made, and I shall produce most happy indeed if Crazed shall be a humble appliance in the hands of nobleness Almighty, and of this, potentate almost chosen people, for security the object of that fabulous struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side carp the Union, it is shipshape and bristol fashion struggle for maintaining in rectitude world, that form, and validity of government, whose leading part is, to elevate the rider of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear high-mindedness paths of laudable pursuit apply for all—to afford all, an unchained start, and a fair gamble, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago after everything else fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated condemnation the proposition that all other ranks are created equal.”

“This nation, access God, shall have a newborn birth of freedom—and that management of the people, by excellence 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009