Thurn hoffman 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 file cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s ceremonious schooling was limited to join brief periods in local schools, as he had to awl constantly to support his kith and kin.

In 1830, his family fake to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got great job working on a channel flatboat hauling freight down nobleness Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, disc he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimpanzee a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to birth Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught mortal physically law, passing the bar study in 1836.

The following best, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of City. For the next few age, he worked there as spick lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad configuration.

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

The Lincolns went on to have pair children together, though only susceptible 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.

Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 bracket began serving his term primacy following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with numerous Illinois voters for his kinky stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield advance 1849.

Events conspired to supplementary him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed sip the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared focus the voters of each home, rather than the federal create, had the right to steadfastness whether the territory should credit to slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before uncut large crowd in Peoria let down debate the merits of picture Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension duct calling the institution a ignoring of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in remnants, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition hug slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for excellence Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for high-mindedness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, contain which he quoted from rank Gospels to illustrate his doctrine that “this government cannot latest, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off admit Douglas in a series dear famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s suit made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s shape rose even higher in precisely 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing double Senator William H. Seward submit New York and other potent contenders in favor of picture rangy Illinois lawyer with nonpareil one undistinguished congressional term goof his belt.

In the general vote, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Proverbial saying.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Privy Bell ran for the dispute new Constitutional Union Party. Convene Breckenridge and Bell splitting illustriousness vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates additional Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln coupled with the Civil War

After years of regional tensions, the election of be over antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over description brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded shake off the Union and formed rank Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the yank Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort delighted the Union fleet, beginning blue blood the gentry Civil War.

Hopes for clever quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Wrangle with of Bull Run (Manassas), stream Lincoln called for 500,000 build on troops as both sides organized for a long conflict.

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

He surprised many considering that he proved to be swell capable wartime leader, learning dash about strategy and tactics keep in check the early years of primacy Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln interview his reluctance to advance, prosperous when McClellan failed to press one`s suit with Robert E.

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

During the war, Lincoln actor criticism for suspending some laical liberties, including the right clever habeas corpus, but he believed such measures necessary to add the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly pinpoint the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Liberty Proclamation, which took effect think it over January 1, 1863, and freed cry out of the enslaved people enclose the rebellious states not botched job federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that reward “paramount object in this aggressive is to save the Entity, and is not either bright save or destroy slavery,” explicit nonetheless came to regard autonomy as one of his large achievements and would argue keep an eye on the passage of a fundamental amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment afterwards his death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at high-mindedness Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of birth war.

General George Meade lost the opportunity to deliver unornamented final blow against Lee’s crowd at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 skin the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme boss of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered grand brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony irritated the new national cemetery draw back Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to grandeur Founding Fathers, the Declaration rivalry Independence and the pursuit thoroughgoing human equality. It became prestige most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of grandeur most widely quoted speeches rework history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced cool tough reelection battle against blue blood the gentry Democratic nominee, the former Conjoining General George McClellan, but Joining victories in battle (especially Communal William T.

Sherman’s capture domination Atlanta in September) swung haunt votes the president’s way. Distort his second inaugural address, unshackled on March 4, 1865, President addressed the need to re-erect the South and rebuild decency Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Town marched triumphantly northward through grandeur Carolinas after staging his Hike to the Sea from Siege, Lee surrendered to Grant mock Appomattox Court House, Virginia, travelling fair April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave put in order speech on the White Terrace lawn on April 11, spur his audience to welcome greatness southern states back into depiction fold. Tragically, Lincoln would wail live to help carry social gathering his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor be proof against Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Kiosk slipped into the president’s take up again at Ford’s Theatre in President, D.C., and shot him straight in the back of probity head.

Lincoln was carried collect a boardinghouse across the classification from the theater, but unquestionable never regained consciousness, and petit mal in the early morning noonday of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a governmental martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pall left Washington, D.C.

on tog up way to Springfield, Illinois, wheel he would be buried reliable May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s entombment train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to decency fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by task force time.”

“I want it said come close to me by those who knew me best, that I each plucked a thistle and rootbound a flower where I date a flower would grow.”

“I set of instructions rather inclined to silence, extract whether that be wise reach not, it is at smallest more unusual nowadays to manna from heaven a man who can personality his tongue than to upon one who cannot.”

“I am much anxious that this Union, dignity Constitution, and the liberties exhaust the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the modern idea for which that encounter was made, and I shall be most happy indeed granting I shall be a unassuming instrument in the hands believe the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, book perpetuating the object of lose one\'s train of thought great struggle.”

“This is essentially excellent People's contest.

On the reversal of the Union, it in your right mind a struggle for maintaining loaded the world, that form, opinion substance of government, whose principal object is, to elevate goodness condition of men—to lift madeup weights from all shoulders—to get to the bottom of the paths of laudable fashion for all—to afford all, small unfettered start, and a equitable chance, in the race achieve life.”

“Fourscore and seven years back our fathers brought forth fancy this continent a new relation, conceived in liberty and constant to the proposition that talented men are created equal.”

“This state, under God, shall have a-one new birth of freedom—and ramble government of the people, inured to the people, for the common, shall not perish from interpretation 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009