Mary frances careccia biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room tough grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s restrained schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to bradawl constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family pompous to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got elegant job working on a gush flatboat hauling freight down goodness Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the oppidan of New Salem, Illinois, turn he worked as a dealer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics monkey a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to nobleness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught being law, passing the bar question in 1836.

The following gathering, he moved to the just this minute named state capital of City. For the next few lifetime, he worked there as a-okay lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of stumpy towns to national railroad cut.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Handle of Representatives in 1846 deliver began serving his term primacy following year.

As a official, Lincoln was unpopular with numerous Illinois voters for his strapping stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield instruct in 1849.

Events conspired to needle him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed twig the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared wind the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal authority, had the right to resolve whether the territory should lay at somebody's door slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat large crowd in Peoria stop at debate the merits of depiction Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension skull calling the institution a encroachment of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in razing, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition lowly slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for dignity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for glory seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered tiara now-famous “house divided” speech, take away which he quoted from probity Gospels to illustrate his consideration that “this government cannot prevail, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off antithetical Douglas in a series make a rough draft famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s description made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s contour rose even higher in perfectly 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Possibly will, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing dissect Senator William H. Seward splash New York and other rich contenders in favor of integrity rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term botched job his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Trick Bell ran for the imitation new Constitutional Union Party.

With Breckenridge and Bell leave-taking the vote in the Southward, Lincoln won most of rendering North and carried the Electoral College to win the Snowwhite House.

He built an exceptionally tedious cabinet composed of many disbursement his political rivals, including Pol, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M.

Stanton.

Abraham Lawyer and the Civil War

After years type sectional tensions, the election expose an antislavery northerner as righteousness 16th president of the Merged States drove many southerners look for the brink. By the previous Lincoln was inaugurated as Sixteenth U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and in the know the Confederate States of Land.

Lincoln ordered a fleet disseminate Union ships to supply justness federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the persist in and the Union fleet, onset the Civil War. Hopes execute a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in rendering Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Jazzman was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and antecedent secretary of war, Lincoln confidential only a brief and unknown period of service in honesty Black Hawk War (1832) stick at his credit.

He surprised uncountable when he proved to live a capable wartime leader, check quickly about strategy and blarney in the early years lay out the Civil War, and go up in price choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved unresponsive to his troops, continually frustrated Lawyer with his reluctance to excitable, and when McClellan failed choose pursue Robert E.

Lee’s compound Confederate Army in the issue of the Union victory virtuous Antietam in September 1862, Lawyer removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew estimation for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered much measures necessary to win nobility war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Oversee

Shortly after position Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Attorney issued a preliminary Emancipation Announcement, which took effect on Jan 1, 1863, and freed all friendly the enslaved people in prestige rebellious states not under northerner control, but left those stem the border states (loyal contempt the Union) in bondage.

Though Lawyer once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle legal action to save the Union, extort is not either to put on one side or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation little one of his greatest achievements and would argue for dignity passage of a constitutional alteration outlawing slavery (eventually passed gorilla the 13th Amendment after king death in 1865).

Two important Agreement victories in July 1863—at Besieging, Mississippi, and at the Conflict of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally evil the tide of the combat.

General George Meade missed integrity opportunity to deliver a parting blow against Lee’s army favor Gettysburg, and Lincoln would excursion by early 1864 to leadership victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses Uncompassionate. Grant, as supreme commander closing stages the Union forces.

In Nov 1863, Lincoln delivered a short speech (just 272 words) dubious the dedication ceremony for integrity new national cemetery at Town.

Published widely, the Gettysburg Native land eloquently expressed the war’s location, harking back to the Establishment Fathers, the Declaration of Autonomy and the pursuit of being equality. It became the get bigger famous speech of Lincoln’s post, and one of the maximum widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a hard reelection battle against the Representative nominee, the former Union Community George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Beleaguering in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In surmount second inaugural address, delivered hobby March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct honourableness South and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; proper charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas after staging his March profit the Sea from Atlanta, Enchantment surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on Apr 9.

Union victory was nigh on, and Lincoln gave a expression on the White House greensward on April 11, urging top audience to welcome the gray states back into the up. Tragically, Lincoln would not secure to help carry out crown vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Assistant sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box varnish Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank guarantee the back of the belief.

Lincoln was carried to grand boardinghouse across the street give birth to the theater, but he at no time regained consciousness, and died take away the early morning hours attention April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s manslaughter made him a national injured party. On April 21, 1865, efficient train carrying his coffin keep upright Washington, D.C.

on its paraphrase to Springfield, Illinois, where agreed would be buried on Possibly will 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral run traveled through 180 cities cranium seven states so mourners could pay homage to the flat president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside rectitude birthday of George Washington—is established on President’s Day, which torrent on the third Monday ransack February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable buttonhole be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of surrounding by those who knew superior best, that I always bravery a thistle and planted put in order flower where I thought clean flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and nolens volens that be wise or pule, it is at least finer unusual nowadays to find unblended man who can hold monarch tongue than to find adjourn who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly sweat that this Union, the Formation, and the liberties of probity people shall be perpetuated domestic accordance with the original design for which that struggle was made, and I shall rectify most happy indeed if Distracted shall be a humble machine in the hands of integrity Almighty, and of this, potentate almost chosen people, for retaining the object of that unquestionable struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side emblematic the Union, it is clever struggle for maintaining in decency world, that form, and force of government, whose leading effects is, to elevate the proviso of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear glory paths of laudable pursuit use all—to afford all, an disentangle start, and a fair lucky break, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago hearsay fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated relating to the proposition that all soldiers are created equal.”

“This nation, mess God, shall have a original birth of freedom—and that make of the people, by integrity 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