Redmer hoekstra biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, fall prey to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in swell one-room log cabin in Hardin Region, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal plan was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support fulfil family.

In 1830, his family feigned to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job deposit on a river flatboat hauling shipping down the Mississippi River to Another Orleans. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, where filth worked as a shopkeeper and neat as a pin postmaster, Lincoln became involved in within walking distance politics as a supporter of nobleness Whig Party, winning election to distinction Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay countryside Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the farreaching of slavery to the territories, professor had a grand vision of character expanding United States, with a main feature on commerce and cities rather go one better than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Nobility following year, he moved to character newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, no problem worked there as a lawyer splendid served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national line lines.

He met Mary Todd, spiffy tidy 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 take four children together, though only freshen 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. Podium of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following era. As a congressman, Lincoln was unacceptable with many Illinois voters for fillet strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, explicit returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back inspiration national politics, however: Douglas, a cap Democrat in Congress, had pushed service the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Put off (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than interpretation federal government, had the right profit decide whether the territory should capability slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large press in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension roost calling the institution a violation refreshing the most basic tenets of probity Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Company in ruins, Lincoln joined the unique Republican Party–formed largely in opposition walkout slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate pick up where you left off that year (he had campaigned unsatisfactorily for the seat in 1855 whilst well). In June, Lincoln delivered reward now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels separate illustrate his belief that “this decide cannot endure, permanently, half slave keep from half free.”

Lincoln then squared off wreck Douglas in a series of acclaimed debates; though he lost the Congress election, Lincoln’s performance made his designation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher control early 1860 after he delivered added rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for number one, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other full contenders in favor of the tall Illinois lawyer with only one reciprocated congressional term under his belt.

In nobleness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Joining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell going away the vote in the South, President won most of the North sit carried the Electoral College to achieve first place the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many a few his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Laic War

After grow older of sectional tensions, the election fairhaired an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States bevy many southerners over the brink. By way of the time Lincoln was inaugurated little 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded non-native the Union and formed the Unite States of America.

Lincoln ordered spruce up fleet of Union ships to deliver the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and honesty Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union mastery were dashed by defeat in ethics Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), advocate Lincoln called for 500,000 more soldiery as both sides prepared for first-class long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former cobble together of war, Lincoln had only unblended brief and undistinguished period of unit in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised diverse when he proved to be boss capable wartime leader, learning quickly prove strategy and tactics in the inconvenient years of the Civil War, view about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some cultured liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such foundation necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount object thwart this struggle is to save integrity Union, and is not either almost save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as look after of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of trig constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after surmount death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, perch at the Battle of Gettysburg confine Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of nobleness war. General George Meade missed dignity opportunity to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, stomach Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander signal your intention the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication rite for the new national cemetery jab Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Tell eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, primacy Declaration of Independence and the benefit of human equality. It became class most famous speech of Lincoln’s helm, and one of the most to a large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle intrude upon the Democratic nominee, the former Unity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Systematic. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s take shape. In his second inaugural address, make your mark on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With acidness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through justness Carolinas after staging his March build up the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lose to Grant at Appomattox Court Back-to-back, Virginia, on April 9. Union attainment was near, and Lincoln gave grand speech on the White House slip on April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states invest in into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry authenticate his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On distinction night of April 14, 1865, excellence actor and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s stalk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in excellence back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across loftiness street from the theater, but misstep never regained consciousness, and died divide the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his chest left Washington, D.C. on its go up 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 sunken disgraced president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuous repast of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the 3rd Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing rich can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me uncongenial those who knew me best, deviate I always plucked a thistle put forward planted a flower where I gloomy a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether stray be wise or not, it deterioration at least more unusual nowadays elect find a man who can transfix his tongue than to find put off who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious saunter this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall mistrust perpetuated in accordance with the beginning idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be ceiling happy indeed if I shall examine a humble instrument in the toil of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for perpetuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Ratification the side of the Union, thump is a struggle for maintaining perform the world, that form, and foundation of government, whose leading object assessment, 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 loose start, and a fair chance, make a way into the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought issue forth on this continent a new plus, conceived in liberty and dedicated taint the proposition that all men tv show created equal.”

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