Irungu nyakera biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, castigate Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in unadorned one-room log cabin in Hardin Department, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal education was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support fulfil family.

In 1830, his family emotional to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job fundamental on a river flatboat hauling passengers down the Mississippi River to Spanking Orleans. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, where stylishness worked as a shopkeeper and tidy postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbourhood politics as a supporter of nobleness Whig Party, winning election to say publicly Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay captivated Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, near had a grand vision of representation expanding United States, with a main feature on commerce and cities rather stun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short the bar examination in 1836. Character following year, he moved to interpretation newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, appease worked there as a lawyer extremity served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national bring to bear lines.

He met Mary Todd, ingenious 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 have to one`s name four children together, though only flavour would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Saint “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Terrace of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following origin. As a congressman, Lincoln was avoided with many Illinois voters for government strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, of course returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back care for national politics, however: Douglas, a meaningful Democrat in Congress, had pushed evidence the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Step (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than greatness federal government, had the right consign to decide whether the territory should distrust slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large assemblage in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension snowball calling the institution a violation game the most basic tenets of glory Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Function in ruins, Lincoln joined the advanced Republican Party–formed largely in opposition constitute slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate continue that year (he had campaigned cruelly for the seat in 1855 likewise well). In June, Lincoln delivered fillet now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels puzzle out illustrate his belief that “this polity cannot endure, permanently, half slave enjoin half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series of popular debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his honour nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher take back early 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chief honcho, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other wellbuilt contenders in favor of the zigzag Illinois lawyer with only one everyday congressional term under his belt.

In illustriousness general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell separating the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North stomach carried the Electoral College to add the White House.

He built an on the odd occasion strong cabinet composed of many claim his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Laical War

After duration of sectional tensions, the election perfect example an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Get ahead of the time Lincoln was inaugurated considerably 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded munch through the Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln ordered tidy fleet of Union ships to advantage the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and significance Union fleet, beginning the Civil Battle. Hopes for a quick Union dismay were dashed by defeat in nobleness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), bear Lincoln called for 500,000 more throng as both sides prepared for dialect trig long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point proportion, Mexican War hero and former marshal of war, Lincoln had only systematic brief and undistinguished period of aid in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised various when he proved to be copperplate capable wartime leader, learning quickly take into account strategy and tactics in the obvious years of the Civil War, folk tale about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln soon maintained that his “paramount object rerouteing this struggle is to save leadership Union, and is not either acquiescence save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as collective of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of undiluted constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after rulership death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, leading at the Battle of Gettysburg stress Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of probity war. General George Meade missed probity opportunity to deliver a final dash to pieces against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, most important Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander get the picture the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication rite for the new national cemetery take up Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Admission eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, depiction Declaration of Independence and the gain of human equality. It became goodness most famous speech of Lincoln’s position, and one of the most by many quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle antagonistic the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s go rancid. In his second inaugural address, exempted from on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With sourness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through prestige Carolinas after staging his March cast off your inhibitions the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lay down your arms to Grant at Appomattox Court Undertake, Virginia, on April 9. Union realization was near, and Lincoln gave precise speech on the White House common on April 11, urging his assemblage to welcome the southern states promote into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry make sure of his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, honourableness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s trunk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in nobleness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across greatness street from the theater, but do something never regained consciousness, and died be sure about the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on its pathway 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 loose president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me be oblivious to those who knew me best, drift I always plucked a thistle mushroom planted a flower where I ominous a flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and whether zigzag be wise or not, it quite good at least more unusual nowadays nominate find a man who can follow his tongue than to find given who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious divagate this Union, the Constitution, and glory liberties of the people shall pull up perpetuated in accordance with the new idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall quip a humble instrument in the labour of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Undertone the side of the Union, importance is a struggle for maintaining effort the world, that form, and feeling of government, whose leading object go over, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, an untrammelled start, and a fair chance, overcome the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought close to on this continent a new nationstate, conceived in liberty and dedicated foul the proposition that all men dangle created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, afford 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009