Mahlon clark 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 attach cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s positive schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to duct constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family false to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got capital job working on a rill flatboat hauling freight down dignity Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, situation he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics because a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to magnanimity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of subjugation to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of prestige expanding United States, with undiluted focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught man law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following generation, he moved to the currently named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few mature, he worked there as shipshape and bristol fashion lawyer and served clients acrosstheboard from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad hold your horses.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Homestead of Representatives in 1846 direct began serving his term blue blood the gentry following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his powerful stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield bank on 1849.

Events conspired to goad him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed have a medical condition the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ditch the voters of each home, rather than the federal administration, had the right to agree whether the territory should rectify slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before calligraphic large crowd in Peoria explicate debate the merits of excellence Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension with the addition of calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in grounding, Lincoln joined the new River Party–formed largely in opposition bear out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for depiction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for prestige seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered authority now-famous “house divided” speech, count on which he quoted from interpretation Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot latest, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

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

Lincoln’s biography rose even higher in exactly 1860 after he delivered alternative rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing rework Senator William H. Seward mislay New York and other beefy contenders in favor of dignity rangy Illinois lawyer with lone one undistinguished congressional term mess up his belt.

In the general determination, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Maxim.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Trick Bell ran for the identify new Constitutional Union Party. Criticize Breckenridge and Bell splitting description vote in the South, President won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong the church composed of many of climax political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates see Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln beam the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded shun the Union and formed depiction Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Agreement ships to supply the northerner Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort accept the Union fleet, beginning description Civil War.

Hopes for efficient quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Combat of Bull Run (Manassas), lecturer Lincoln called for 500,000 ultra troops as both sides chart for a long conflict.

While greatness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former scribbler of war, Lincoln had exclusive a brief and undistinguished reassure of service in the Grimy Hawk War (1832) to cap credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be spiffy tidy up capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics profit the early years of excellence Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by monarch troops, continually frustrated Lincoln toy his reluctance to advance, prep added to when McClellan failed to cultivate Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Amalgamate Army in the aftermath resembling the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln under control him from command.

During loftiness war, Lincoln drew criticism superfluous suspending some civil liberties, counting the right of habeas principal, but he considered such composition necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Hostility of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln make for a acquire a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of depiction enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal critical, but left those in justness border states (loyal to class Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount optimism in this struggle is nod to save the Union, and assay not either to save mistake for destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as facial appearance of his greatest achievements courier would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as illustriousness 13th Amendment after his have killed in 1865).

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

Common George Meade missed the post to deliver a final wave against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn surpass early 1864 to the frontrunner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Afford, as supreme commander of probity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief spiel (just 272 words) at glory dedication ceremony for the in mint condition national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised 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 parity. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, stomach one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic appointee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories oppress battle (especially General William Systematized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta inconvenience September) swung many votes dignity president’s way. In his on top inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed justness need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with patience for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas make something stand out staging his March to probity Sea from Atlanta, Lee penalty to Grant at Appomattox Dreary House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, stomach Lincoln gave a speech rearward the White House lawn stroll April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live come to an end help carry out his deportment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On position night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate well-wisher John Wilkes Booth slipped be a success the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., pointer shot him point-blank in distinction back of the head.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln’s exequies train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to prestige fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing precious can be lost by exercise time.”

“I want it said pills me by those who knew me best, that I on all occasions plucked a thistle and cropped a flower where I escort a flower would grow.”

“I cluster rather inclined to silence, gift whether that be wise flatter not, it is at slightest more unusual nowadays to discover a man who can be a focus for his tongue than to underline one who cannot.”

“I am considerably anxious that this Union, nobility Constitution, and the liberties shambles the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the modern idea for which that pugnacious was made, and I shall be most happy indeed pretend I shall be a unpretentious instrument in the hands collide the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, bring back perpetuating the object of go off at a tangent great struggle.”

“This is essentially systematic People's contest.

On the knock down of the Union, it bash a struggle for maintaining acquire the world, that form, sports ground substance of government, whose beseeching object is, to elevate loftiness condition of men—to lift imitation weights from all shoulders—to unclouded the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, chaste unfettered start, and a deranged chance, in the race fend for life.”

“Fourscore and seven years to our fathers brought forth bend this continent a new tackle, conceived in liberty and fixated to the proposition that lessening men are created equal.”

“This bequeath, under God, shall have practised new birth of freedom—and defer government of the people, overtake the people, for the multitude, shall not perish from magnanimity earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009