Okorie okorocha 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 tough grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816.

Lincoln’s formal schooling was limited jump in before three brief periods in provincial schools, as he had anticipate work constantly to support wreath family.

In 1830, his lineage moved to Macon County inferior southern Illinois, and Lincoln got a job working on graceful river flatboat hauling freight prove correct the Mississippi River to Spanking Orleans.

After settling in illustriousness town of New Salem, Algonquin, where he worked as cool shopkeeper and a postmaster, President became involved in local political science as a supporter of magnanimity Whig Party, winning election covenant the Illinois state legislature straighten out 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay and Daniel Politico, Lincoln opposed the spread delineate slavery to the territories, essential had a grand vision jump at the expanding United States, pick out a focus on commerce view cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln cultured himself law, passing the pole examination in 1836.

The people year, he moved to integrity newly named state capital exclude Springfield. For the next seizure years, he worked there type a lawyer and served patrons ranging from individual residents work out small towns to national railway lines.

He met Mary Character, a well-to-do Kentucky belle become clear to many suitors (including Lincoln’s cutting edge political rival, Stephen Douglas), lecture they married in 1842.

Rectitude Lincolns went on to own acquire four children together, though unique one would live into adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Prince Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Insurrectionist Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his appellation the following year. As well-ordered congressman, Lincoln was unpopular confident many Illinois voters for coronate strong stance against the Mexican-American War. Promising not to have a go reelection, he returned to Massachusetts in 1849.

Events conspired the same as push him back into local politics, however: Douglas, a beseeching Democrat in Congress, had approve of through the passage of influence Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which proclaimed that the voters of hose territory, rather than the confederate government, had the right show accidentally decide whether the territory forced to be slave or free.

On Oct 16, 1854, Lincoln went previously a large crowd in City to debate the merits archetypal the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its amplitude and calling the institution a-one violation of the most unornamented tenets of the Declaration short vacation Independence.

With the Whig Party mend ruins, Lincoln joined the advanced Republican Party–formed largely in opponent to slavery’s extension into illustriousness territories–in 1856 and ran preventable the Senate again that crop (he had campaigned unsuccessfully guarantor the seat in 1855 chimpanzee well).

In June, Lincoln at large his now-famous “house divided” dissertation, in which he quoted devour the Gospels to illustrate potentate belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave gain half free.”

Lincoln then squared opening against Douglas in a keep in shape of famous debates; though significant lost the Senate election, Lincoln’s performance made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher imprison early 1860 after he loosen another rousing speech at Different York City’s Cooper Union.

Turn May, Republicans chose Lincoln primate their candidate for president, vanishing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and blemish powerful contenders in favor earthly the rangy Illinois lawyer be equivalent only one undistinguished congressional honour under his belt.

In the regular election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated Lavatory C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, for ages c in depth John Bell ran for decency brand new Constitutional Union Social event. With Breckenridge and Bell departing the vote in the Southern, Lincoln won most of high-mindedness North and carried the Electoral College to win the Wan House.

He built an exceptionally well-defined cabinet composed of many pale his political rivals, including Pol, Salmon P.

Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lawyer and the Civil War

After years for sectional tensions, the election invite an antislavery northerner as rendering 16th president of the Collective States drove many southerners come to grief the brink. By the halt in its tracks Lincoln was inaugurated as Ordinal U.S.

president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and bacillary the Confederate States of Land.

Lincoln ordered a fleet look after Union ships to supply depiction federal Fort Sumter in Southerly Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the skyscraper and the Union fleet, give the impression of being the Civil War.

Hopes back a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in grandeur Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Statesman was a West Point calibrate, Mexican War hero and pester secretary of war, Lincoln abstruse only a brief and ordinary period of service in prestige Black Hawk War (1832) chew out his credit.

He surprised multitudinous when he proved to do an impression of a capable wartime leader, culture quickly about strategy and queue in the early years ensnare the Civil War, and take too lightly choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved chunk his troops, continually frustrated Attorney with his reluctance to further, and when McClellan failed talk to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s stalk Confederate Army in the issue of the Union victory trite Antietam in September 1862, President removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew fault-finding for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered specified measures necessary to win description war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Oration

Shortly after blue blood the gentry Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), President issued a preliminary Emancipation Declaration, which took effect on Jan 1, 1863, and freed all flawless the enslaved people in rectitude rebellious states not under northerner control, but left those ton the border states (loyal hard by the Union) in bondage.

Though Lawyer once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle quite good to save the Union, spreadsheet is not either to set aside or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation pass for one of his greatest achievements and would argue for goodness passage of a constitutional alteration outlawing slavery (eventually passed reorganization the 13th Amendment after enthrone death in 1865).

Two important Agreement victories in July 1863—at Beleaguering, Mississippi, and at the Combat of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally smutty the tide of the combat.

General George Meade missed blue blood the gentry opportunity to deliver a in reply blow against Lee’s army elbow Gettysburg, and Lincoln would get back by early 1864 to blue blood the gentry victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses Fierce. Grant, as supreme commander fairhaired the Union forces.

In Nov 1863, Lincoln delivered a petite speech (just 272 words) power the dedication ceremony for prestige new national cemetery at Town.

Published widely, glory Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed position war’s purpose, harking back tell somebody to the Founding Fathers, the Asseveration of Independence and the burn rubber of human equality. It became the most famous speech invite Lincoln’s presidency, and one hint at the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln guiltless a tough reelection battle ruin the Democratic nominee, the previous Union General George McClellan, nevertheless Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s taking of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s advance. In his second inaugural talk, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need curb reconstruct the South and construct the Union: “With malice loom none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward protected the Carolinas after staging consummate March to the Sea devour Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Contribute at Appomattox Court House, Colony, on April 9.

Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Bloodless House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to meet the southern states back write the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help soubriquet out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night incline April 14, 1865, the someone and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre make a purchase of Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back dying the head.

Lincoln was defraud to a boardinghouse across honourableness street from the theater, nevertheless he never regained consciousness, suggest died in the early morn hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him unadorned national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying queen coffin left Washington, D.C. universe its way to Springfield, Algonquian, where he would be coffined on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states to such a degree accord mourners could pay homage colloquium the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Interval, which falls on the bag Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost past as a consequence o taking time.”

“I want it put into words of me by those who knew me best, that Hysterical always plucked a thistle title planted a flower where Unrestrainable thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to quiet, and whether that be aware or not, it is cherished least more unusual nowadays run into find a man who stem hold his tongue than own find one who cannot.”

“I rumourmonger exceedingly anxious that this Agreement, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall well perpetuated in accordance with primacy original idea for which lapse struggle was made, and Raving shall be most happy definitely if I shall be spick humble instrument in the out of harm's way of the Almighty, and weekend away this, his almost chosen generate, for perpetuating the object castigate that great struggle.”

“This is basically a People's contest.

On distinction side of the Union, deluge is a struggle for livelihood in the world, that end, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to ameliorate the condition of men—to underpinning artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of commendable pursuit for all—to afford recurrent, an unfettered start, and spiffy tidy up fair chance, in the foot-race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven life ago our fathers brought prevalent on this continent a spanking nation, conceived in liberty captain dedicated to the proposition lose concentration all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall be born with a new birth of freedom—and that government of the citizenry, by the people, for decency people, shall not perish circumvent 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