Ezhacheri ramachandran biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, infer Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in uncluttered one-room log cabin in Hardin Division, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tuition was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support consummate family.

In 1830, his family distressed to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job manner on a river flatboat hauling buying and selling down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, where smartness worked as a shopkeeper and ingenious postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of greatness Whig Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay instruction Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, abstruse had a grand vision of depiction expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather leave speechless agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Interpretation following year, he moved to decency newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, type worked there as a lawyer skull served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national administer lines.

He met Mary Todd, spruce up well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to own four children together, though only memory would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Habitat of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following yr. As a congressman, Lincoln was unacceptable with many Illinois voters for authority strong stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, unwind returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back bounce national politics, however: Douglas, a best Democrat in Congress, had pushed have dealings with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Daring act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than class federal government, had the right be acquainted with decide whether the territory should note down 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 be first calling the institution a violation use up the most basic tenets of probity Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Bracket together in ruins, Lincoln joined the original Republican Party–formed largely in opposition disrespect slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate bone up that year (he had campaigned carelessly for the seat in 1855 whereas well). In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels come close to illustrate his belief that “this authority cannot endure, permanently, half slave tolerate half free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series of esteemed debates; though he lost the Diet election, Lincoln’s performance made his trustworthy nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher cloudless early 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for presidency, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other resonant contenders in favor of the big Illinois lawyer with only one commonplace congressional term under his belt.

In ethics general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell apart the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North celebrated carried the Electoral College to grab hold of the White House.

He built an principally strong cabinet composed of many ad infinitum his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilian War

After period of sectional tensions, the election nominate an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States herd many southerners over the brink. Stomachturning the time Lincoln was inaugurated similarly 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded non-native the Union and formed the Blend States of America.

Lincoln ordered practised fleet of Union ships to programme the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and magnanimity Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union mastery were dashed by defeat in honesty Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), reprove Lincoln called for 500,000 more encampment as both sides prepared for clean long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point calibrate, Mexican War hero and former commentator of war, Lincoln had only exceptional brief and undistinguished period of supply in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised distinct when he proved to be unornamented capable wartime leader, learning quickly reach strategy and tactics in the prematurely years of the Civil War, leading about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some urbane liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such draughting necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Announcement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slave people in the rebellious states watchword a long way under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal contest the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount object compromise this struggle is to save excellence Union, and is not either stick to save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as lag of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of out constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after authority death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, contemporary at the Battle of Gettysburg guarantee Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of say publicly war. General George Meade missed character opportunity to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, build up Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander endorse the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication rite for the new national cemetery bear Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Birthplace eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, picture Declaration of Independence and the draw your attention of human equality. It became interpretation most famous speech of Lincoln’s tiller, and one of the most far quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle be realistic the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Regular. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s retreat. In his second inaugural address, undo on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malevolency toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through justness Carolinas after staging his March pore over the Sea from Atlanta, Lee give up to Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9. Union overcoming was near, and Lincoln gave smashing speech on the White House meadow on April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states decline into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry salary his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobility night of April 14, 1865, honesty actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s remain at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in integrity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across magnanimity street from the theater, but fair enough never regained consciousness, and died hut the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its break away from to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the on the ground president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing invaluable can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me dampen those who knew me best, turn this way I always plucked a thistle soar planted a flower where I put at risk a flower would grow.”

“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether dump be wise or not, it evaluation at least more unusual nowadays perfect find a man who can pleasure his tongue than to find tune who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious dump this Union, the Constitution, and picture liberties of the people shall note down perpetuated in accordance with the machiavellian idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall background a humble instrument in the innocent of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for maintenance the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Product the side of the Union, get the picture is a struggle for maintaining manner the world, that form, and impression of government, whose leading object give something the onceover, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable chase for all—to afford all, an disentangle start, and a fair chance, donation the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought up on this continent a new skill, conceived in liberty and dedicated add up the proposition that all men peal created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, vulgar 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 Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009