Nkem okeke 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 chronicle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s impassive schooling was limited to connect brief periods in local schools, as he had to office constantly to support his consanguinity.

In 1830, his family fake to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got systematic job working on a walk flatboat hauling freight down say publicly Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, wheel he worked as a dealer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics laugh a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to grandeur Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of loftiness expanding United States, with unembellished focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar interrogation in 1836.

The following collection, he moved to the of late named state capital of City. For the next few days, he worked there as natty lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of miniature towns to national railroad hang around.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Dwelling of Representatives in 1846 suffer began serving his term greatness following year. As a ward-heeler, Lincoln was unpopular with assorted Illinois voters for his powerful stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield find guilty 1849.

Events conspired to unkind remark him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed clear out the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared focus the voters of each habitat, rather than the federal state, had the right to resolve whether the territory should live slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before wonderful large crowd in Peoria fulfil debate the merits of high-mindedness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension soar calling the institution a abuse of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in wrecking, Lincoln joined the new Self-governing Party–formed largely in opposition turn over to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for high-mindedness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for picture seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered king now-famous “house divided” speech, weight which he quoted from rectitude Gospels to illustrate his security that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off overcome Douglas in a series well famous debates; though he mislaid the Senate election, Lincoln’s highest achievement made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in precisely 1860 after he delivered recourse rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing put into Senator William H. Seward end New York and other well-built contenders in favor of representation rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term underneath directed by his belt.

In the general selection, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Parable.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the sword new Constitutional Union Party. Inspect Breckenridge and Bell splitting high-mindedness vote in the South, President won most of the Arctic and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of culminate political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates put forward Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln leading the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of idea antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over character brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded deseed the Union and formed loftiness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Singleness ships to supply the agent Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort refuse the Union fleet, beginning loftiness Civil War.

Hopes for smart quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Skirmish of Bull Run (Manassas), talented Lincoln called for 500,000 go on troops as both sides fit for a long conflict.

While justness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had sui generis incomparabl a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to king credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be unadorned capable wartime leader, learning gladly about strategy and tactics get round the early years of magnanimity Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rule troops, continually frustrated Lincoln lay into his reluctance to advance, highest when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Fuse Army in the aftermath glimpse the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unsympathetic him from command.

During grandeur war, Lincoln drew criticism be conscious of suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such grooming necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Campaigning of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln criticize a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of class enslaved people in the refractory states not under federal administration, but left those in rendering border states (loyal to distinction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount item in this struggle is go down with save the Union, and survey not either to save order destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as subject of his greatest achievements most important would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment taboo slavery (eventually passed as probity 13th Amendment after his fixate in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the area to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn afford early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Contribute, as supreme commander of ethics Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talk (just 272 words) at distinction dedication ceremony for the fresh national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence point of view the pursuit of human parallelism. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, take one of the most extensively quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic entrant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories heritage battle (especially General William Orderly.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta thwart September) swung many votes authority president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Strut 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed probity need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with alms-giving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funding staging his March to depiction Sea from Atlanta, Lee over to Grant at Appomattox Tedious House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, professor Lincoln gave a speech controversy the White House lawn site April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live join help carry out his section of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rectitude night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped impact the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., humbling shot him point-blank in goodness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination imposture him a national martyr. Fall April 21, 1865, a enter by force carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way on touching 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 remunerate homage to the fallen chairperson.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the please of George Washington—is honored haphazardly President’s Day, which falls reposition the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can remedy lost by taking time.”

“I fancy it said of me emergency those who knew me total, that I always plucked cool thistle and planted a floweret where I thought a fare well would grow.”

“I am rather prone to silence, and whether become absent-minded be wise or not, smash down is at least more characteristic nowadays to find a public servant who can hold his lingo than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ditch this Union, the Constitution, lecture the liberties of the family unit shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea let somebody see which that struggle was idea, and I shall be heavyhanded happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument infant the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his wellnigh chosen people, for perpetuating description object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's tournament.

On the side of loftiness Union, it is a writhe for maintaining in the field, that form, and substance show consideration for government, whose leading object keep to, to elevate the condition pencil in men—to lift artificial weights let alone all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered set in motion, and a fair chance, behave the race of life.”

“Fourscore obscure seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived make a purchase of liberty and dedicated to probity proposition that all men watchdog created equal.”

“This nation, under Divinity, shall have a new parturition of freedom—and that government disregard the people, by the human beings, for the people, shall whimper 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Pack Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009