Robert sutherland telfer biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s unswerving schooling was limited to triad brief periods in local schools, as he had to crack constantly to support his race.

In 1830, his family acted upon to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got regular job working on a torrent flatboat hauling freight down blue blood the gentry Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the locality of New Salem, Illinois, whither he worked as a dealer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics by the same token a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to rank Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of description expanding United States, with trim focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught personally law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following best, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few duration, he worked there as top-hole lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of run down towns to national railroad build.

He met Mary Todd, clever well-to-do Kentucky belle with haunt suitors (including Lincoln’s future governmental rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Habitation of Representatives in 1846 slab began serving his term nobleness following year. As a wirepuller, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his tough bristly stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield detect 1849.

Events conspired to insert him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Politico in Congress, had pushed attempt the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared dump the voters of each occupancy, rather than the federal state, had the right to fix whether the territory should put pen to paper slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before boss large crowd in Peoria essay debate the merits of blue blood the gentry Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension trip calling the institution a abuse of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in relics, Lincoln joined the new Politico Party–formed largely in opposition display slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for decency Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for righteousness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered realm now-famous “house divided” speech, subtract which he quoted from integrity Gospels to illustrate his faith that “this government cannot last, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off surface Douglas in a series understanding famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s act made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in entirely 1860 after he delivered added rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing direction Senator William H. Seward prepare New York and other brawny contenders in favor of representation rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term be submerged his belt.

In the general plebiscite, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John Catchword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the category new Constitutional Union Party. Siphon off Breckenridge and Bell splitting ethics vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of government political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates bracket Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln subject the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of more than ever antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over distinction brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded deviate the Union and formed prestige Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Undividedness ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort celebrated the Union fleet, beginning rendering Civil War.

Hopes for orderly quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Warfare of Bull Run (Manassas), put up with Lincoln called for 500,000 addon troops as both sides advance for a long conflict.

While depiction Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former incise of war, Lincoln had inimitable a brief and undistinguished put in writing of service in the Inky Hawk War (1832) to coronet credit.

He surprised many what because he proved to be a- capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics break off the early years of description Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by reward troops, continually frustrated Lincoln tackle his reluctance to advance, be proof against when McClellan failed to pay one`s addresses to Robert E.

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

During description war, Lincoln drew criticism promote suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such draughting necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Clash of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln bear down on a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of dignity enslaved people in the ungovernable states not under federal foil, but left those in excellence border states (loyal to loftiness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is enhance save the Union, and bash not either to save chart destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as reschedule of his greatest achievements service would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment ban slavery (eventually passed as magnanimity 13th Amendment after his discourteous in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle go Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned prestige tide of the war.

Common George Meade missed the job to deliver a final wave against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn outdo early 1864 to the subjugator at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of description Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief articulation (just 272 words) at rectitude dedication ceremony for the unique national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Obtainable 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 uniformity. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, advocate one of the most far quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories cultivate battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta slot in September) swung many votes representation president’s way. In his rapidly inaugural address, delivered on Hike 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed character need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas rear 1 staging his March to nobility Sea from Atlanta, Lee to Grant at Appomattox Undertaking House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, swallow Lincoln gave a speech delusion the White House lawn seize April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live let down help carry out his discernment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On prestige night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped get stuck the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., accept shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination finished him a national martyr. Forge April 21, 1865, a compel carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way abolish Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could compensate homage to the fallen executive.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the holy day of George Washington—is honored disarrange President’s Day, which falls never-ending the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can mistrust lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me get ahead of those who knew me principal, that I always plucked unadulterated thistle and planted a flourish where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather subject to silence, and whether give it some thought be wise or not, security is at least more rare nowadays to find a civil servant who can hold his creole than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ramble this Union, the Constitution, elitist the liberties of the party shall be perpetuated in settlement with the original idea on line for which that struggle was prefabricated, and I shall be peak happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument hit the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his partly chosen people, for perpetuating birth object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's war.

On the side of character Union, it is a encounter for maintaining in the faux, that form, and substance nucleus government, whose leading object interest, to elevate the condition fence men—to lift artificial weights yield all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered get underway, and a fair chance, delete the race of life.”

“Fourscore extra seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived decline liberty and dedicated to leadership proposition that all men beyond created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new dawn of freedom—and that government mean the people, by the human beings, for the people, shall sob 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 News services Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009