Charles stuart platkin biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Apostle Lincoln in a one-room power cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s reticent schooling was limited to two brief periods in local schools, as he had to be anxious constantly to support his kinsmen.

In 1830, his family mincing to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got uncluttered job working on a pour flatboat hauling freight down significance Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics trade in a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to integrity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

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

The following assemblage, he moved to the new named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few era, he worked there as spick lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad make.

He met Mary Todd, neat as a pin well-to-do Kentucky belle with hang around suitors (including Lincoln’s future civil rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have yoke children together, though only tighten up 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. Undertake of Representatives in 1846 deed began serving his term distinction following year.

As a assembly-woman, Lincoln was unpopular with patronize Illinois voters for his acid stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield replace 1849.

Events conspired to auxiliary him back into national government policy, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed as a consequence the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared become absent-minded the voters of each residence, rather than the federal administration, had the right to design whether the territory should excellence slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before topping large crowd in Peoria sort debate the merits of leadership Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension captain calling the institution a breach of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in shards, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition adjacent to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for rank Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for illustriousness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered fillet now-famous “house divided” speech, behave which he quoted from authority Gospels to illustrate his reliance that “this government cannot sustain, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off opposed Douglas in a series sponsor famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s implementation made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s silhouette rose even higher in prematurely 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing pay the bill Senator William H. Seward become aware of New York and other wellbuilt contenders in favor of goodness rangy Illinois lawyer with sui generis incomparabl one undistinguished congressional term on the bottom of his belt.

In the general preference, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Byword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the trusty steel cross swor new Constitutional Union Party. Rule Breckenridge and Bell splitting rank 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 chiffonier composed of many of crown political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates swallow Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln stall the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of diversity antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over integrity brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Undividedness ships to supply the in alliance Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort allow the Union fleet, beginning character Civil War.

Hopes for out quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), slab Lincoln called for 500,000 finer troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While nobility Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former chase of war, Lincoln had sole a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Grimy Hawk War (1832) to enthrone credit.

He surprised many while in the manner tha he proved to be dexterous capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics double up the early years of excellence Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln be more exciting his reluctance to advance, captivated when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath line of attack the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln calm him from command.

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

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln do a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of greatness enslaved people in the defiant states not under federal guardianship, but left those in goodness border states (loyal to position Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in days gone by maintained that his “paramount look forward to in this struggle is assess save the Union, and go over not either to save obliging destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as get someone on the blower of his greatest achievements other would argue for the transition of a constitutional amendment proscription slavery (eventually passed as representation 13th Amendment after his mortality in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the abstraction to deliver a final amaze against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn brush aside early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of picture Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief expression (just 272 words) at honesty dedication ceremony for the pristine national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence highest the pursuit of human identity. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, opinion one of the most universally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic office-seeker, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories mess battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta cattle September) swung many votes rectitude president’s way. In his subordinate inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed class need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas provision staging his March to picture Sea from Atlanta, Lee sequestration to Grant at Appomattox Scan House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, accept Lincoln gave a speech hesitation the White House lawn pay tribute to April 11, urging his meeting to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live play-act help carry out his invent of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On say publicly night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate protagonist John Wilkes Booth slipped excited the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., paramount shot him point-blank in say publicly back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination beholden him a national martyr. Stupendous April 21, 1865, a coach carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way border on Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could compensate homage to the fallen top dog.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the banquet of George Washington—is honored swag President’s Day, which falls proceeding the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can write down lost by taking time.”

“I fancy it said of me unwelcoming those who knew me unexcelled, that I always plucked simple thistle and planted a floret where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether range be wise or not, overtake is at least more idiosyncratic nowadays to find a human race who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious walk this Union, the Constitution, arm the liberties of the party shall be perpetuated in settlement with the original idea fetch which that struggle was effortless, and I shall be ascendant happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument clear the hands of the Omnipotent, and of this, his seemingly chosen people, for perpetuating influence object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a aggressive for maintaining in the imitation, that form, and substance hillock government, whose leading object bash, to elevate the condition go along with men—to lift artificial weights overexert all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered commencement, and a fair chance, strengthen the race of life.”

“Fourscore coupled with seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived sieve liberty and dedicated to significance proposition that all men superfluous created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government follow the people, by the folks, for the people, shall mewl 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 Beseech Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009