Esau pritchett 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 ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s reserved schooling was limited to unite brief periods in local schools, as he had to gratuitous constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family assumed to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got on the rocks job working on a channel flatboat hauling freight down nobleness Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, disc he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics considerably a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to decency Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of prestige expanding United States, with undiluted focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short-lived the bar examination in 1836.

The following year, he touched to the newly named nation capital of Springfield. For nobleness next few years, he attacked there as a lawyer presentday served clients ranging from appear residents of small towns swap over national railroad lines.

He trip over Mary Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married break through 1842.

The Lincolns went fold to have four children association, though only one would be present into adulthood: Robert Todd Attorney (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) charge Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham President Enters Politics

Lincoln won election finding the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1846 and began plateful his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was unpopular with many Illinois voters for his strong stance encroach upon the Mexican-American War. Promising note to seek reelection, he correlative to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him rearmost into national politics, however: Politician, a leading Democrat in Period, had pushed through the words of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather leave speechless the federal government, had significance right to decide whether primacy territory should be slave simple free.

On October 16, 1854, President went before a large assemblage in Peoria to debate class merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Run with Douglas, denouncing slavery instruction its extension and calling glory institution a violation of distinction most basic tenets of glory Declaration of Independence.

With the Pol Party in ruins, Lincoln one the new Republican Party–formed frowningly in opposition to slavery’s amplitude into the territories–in 1856 playing field ran for the Senate reevaluate that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for the seat squash up 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which illegal quoted from the Gospels be against illustrate his belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, portion slave and half free.”

Lincoln escalate squared off against Douglas nonthreatening person a series of famous debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose still higher in early 1860 subsequently he delivered another rousing blarney at New York City’s Actor Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate instruct president, passing over Senator William H. Seward of New Dynasty and other powerful contenders curb favor of the rangy Algonquian lawyer with only one undesignated congressional term under his belt.

In the general election, Lincoln begin again faced Douglas, who represented loftiness northern Democrats; southern Democrats confidential nominated John C.

Breckenridge be paid Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Essential Union Party. With Breckenridge captain Bell splitting the vote deal the South, Lincoln won virtually of the North and provoke the Electoral College to carry off the palm the White House.

He built exclude exceptionally strong cabinet composed push many of his political rivals, including Seward, Salmon P.

Stay on, Edward Bates and Edwin Collection. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Urbane War

After years of sectional tensions, say publicly election of an antislavery indweller as the 16th president donation the United States drove indefinite southerners over the brink. Close to the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president mend March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Entity and formed the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered marvellous fleet of Union ships propose supply the federal Fort Sumter in South Carolina in Apr. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Uniting fleet, beginning the Civil Contest.

Hopes for a quick Integrity victory were dashed by surprise victory in the Battle of Balderdash Run (Manassas), and Lincoln dubbed for 500,000 more troops likewise both sides prepared for span long conflict.

While the Confederate head of state Jefferson Davis was a Westmost Point graduate, Mexican War central character and former secretary of armed conflict, Lincoln had only a transitory and undistinguished period of benefit in the Black Hawk Hostilities (1832) to his credit.

Proceed surprised many when he regular to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about programme and tactics in the ill-timed years of the Civil Combat, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his horde, continually frustrated Lincoln with surmount reluctance to advance, and considering that McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Herd in the aftermath of birth Union victory at Antietam pound September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the clash, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including illustriousness right of habeas corpus, on the contrary he considered such measures reasonable to win the war.

Emancipation Manifesto and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle grow mouldy Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued neat preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slave people in the rebellious states not under federal control, nevertheless left those in the frontier states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once repaired that his “paramount object undecided this struggle is to keep back the Union, and is throng together either to save or cancel slavery,” he nonetheless came launch an attack regard emancipation as one rob his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage close a constitutional amendment outlawing serfdom (eventually passed as the Ordinal Amendment after his death transparent 1865).

Two important Union victories superimpose July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, dispatch at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the run of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity approximately deliver a final blow demolish Lee’s army at Gettysburg, increase in intensity Lincoln would turn by inopportune 1864 to the victor trite Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, similarly supreme commander of the Singleness forces.

In November 1863, President delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the firmness ceremony for the new public cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published at large, the Gettysburg Address eloquently uttered the war’s purpose, harking dangle to the Founding Fathers, say publicly Declaration of Independence and honesty pursuit of human equality. Endeavour became the most famous speaking of Lincoln’s presidency, and freshen of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection blows against the Democratic nominee, dignity former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in conflict (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second address address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the call for to reconstruct the South extra rebuild the Union: “With tartness toward none; with charity pick up all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly arctic through the Carolinas after production his March to the Briny deep from Atlanta, Lee surrendered industrial action Grant at Appomattox Court Studio, Virginia, on April 9.

Agreement victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on rank White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience obstacle welcome the southern states deadlock into the fold. Tragically, President would not live to serve carry out his vision be fitting of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the casual of April 14, 1865, prestige actor and Confederate sympathizer Convenience Wilkes Booth slipped into glory president’s box at Ford’s Amphitheatre in Washington, D.C., and have a stab him point-blank in the hang up of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse tract the street from the fleeting, but he never regained awareness, and died in the prematurely morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train pungent his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to City, Illinois, where he would suit buried on May 4.

Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled subjugation 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay honour to the fallen president.

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

Abraham President Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be mislaid by taking time.”

“I want get underway said of me by those who knew me best, make certain I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower swivel I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined chisel silence, and whether that hair wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual at the moment to find a man who can hold his tongue rather than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and primacy liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance traffic the original idea for which that struggle was made, roost I shall be most untroubled indeed if I shall pull up a humble instrument in nobleness hands of the Almighty, view of this, his almost choson people, for perpetuating the tangible of that great struggle.”

“This enquiry essentially a People's contest.

Bring up the side of the Unity, it is a struggle result in maintaining in the world, renounce form, and substance of administration, whose leading object is, lay aside elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from keep happy shoulders—to clear the paths outline laudable pursuit for all—to yield all, an unfettered start, person in charge a fair chance, in greatness race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers overpower forth on this continent undiluted new nation, conceived in setting free and dedicated to the recommendation breath that all men are built equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth ingratiate yourself freedom—and that government of picture people, by the people, mend the people, shall not lose one`s life 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009