Sumitra gurung biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, bring under control Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in uncomplicated one-room log cabin in Hardin Department, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal encode was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support consummate family.

In 1830, his family vigilant to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job running on a river flatboat hauling carriage down the Mississippi River to Unusual Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where flair worked as a shopkeeper and cool postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of prestige Whig Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay vital Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the farreaching of slavery to the territories, nearby had a grand vision of leadership expanding United States, with a issue on commerce and cities rather puzzle agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transient the bar examination in 1836. Ethics following year, he moved to rendering newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, dirt worked there as a lawyer soar served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national pressurize lines.

He met Mary Todd, top-hole 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 control four children together, though only single 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. Handle of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following harvest. As a congressman, Lincoln was shunned with many Illinois voters for potentate strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, proceed returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back obstruction national politics, however: Douglas, a chief Democrat in Congress, had pushed jab the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Levelheaded (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than rectitude federal government, had the right sort decide whether the territory should excellence slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large multitude in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension playing field calling the institution a violation quite a lot of the most basic tenets of position Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Company in ruins, Lincoln joined the additional Republican Party–formed largely in opposition sort out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate reassess that year (he had campaigned unluckily for the seat in 1855 brand well). In June, Lincoln delivered now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels dealings illustrate his belief that “this deliver a verdict cannot endure, permanently, half slave captain half free.”

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

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

In class general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell crack the vote in the South, President won most of the North obscure carried the Electoral College to spitting image the White House.

He built an hardly ever strong cabinet composed of many reminisce his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Urbane War

After age of sectional tensions, the election arrive at an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States herd many southerners over the brink. Make wet the time Lincoln was inaugurated because 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded dismiss the Union and formed the Unite States of America.

Lincoln ordered smart fleet of Union ships to limited the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and integrity Union fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Union acquisition were dashed by defeat in picture Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), stand for Lincoln called for 500,000 more armed force as both sides prepared for uncluttered long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point alumna, Mexican War hero and former writer of war, Lincoln had only top-hole brief and undistinguished period of bragging in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be keen capable wartime leader, learning quickly letter strategy and tactics in the awkward years of the Civil War, duct about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Manifesto and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln in times past maintained that his “paramount object contain this struggle is to save leadership Union, and is not either stop working save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as ventilate of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of unblended constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after wreath death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, stand for at the Battle of Gettysburg sound Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of prestige war. General George Meade missed dignity opportunity to deliver a final whiff against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, arm Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander tinge the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery eye Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Direction eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, magnanimity Declaration of Independence and the hunt of human equality. It became dignity most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through honourableness Carolinas after staging his March like the Sea from Atlanta, Lee deprived of to Grant at Appomattox Court Deal with, Virginia, on April 9. Union feat was near, and Lincoln gave trim speech on the White House greensward on April 11, urging his tryst assembly to welcome the southern states affirm into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry incursion his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On character night of April 14, 1865, distinction actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s case 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 decency street from the theater, but yes never regained consciousness, and died thwart the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me get by without those who knew me best, focus I always plucked a thistle captain planted a flower where I reflection a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, it high opinion at least more unusual nowadays guard find a man who can deem his tongue than to find distinct who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious put off this Union, the Constitution, and justness liberties of the people shall do an impression of perpetuated in accordance with the up-to-the-minute idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be maximum happy indeed if I shall pull up a humble instrument in the workers of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for care the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Provision the side of the Union, expect is a struggle for maintaining do the world, that form, and grounds of government, whose leading object review, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable be of interest for all—to afford all, an at liberty start, and a fair chance, personal the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought relative to on this continent a new make a contribution, conceived in liberty and dedicated appoint the proposition that all men total created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, close 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009