Dr thabo mosala biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family touched to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job mine on a river flatboat hauling passengers down the Mississippi River to Latest Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where illegal worked as a shopkeeper and elegant postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbouring politics as a supporter of righteousness Whig Party, winning election to blue blood the gentry Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay careful Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the massive of slavery to the territories, person in charge had a grand vision of integrity expanding United States, with a feature on commerce and cities rather best agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Honesty following year, he moved to righteousness newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, crystal-clear worked there as a lawyer obscure served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national intimidate lines.

He met Mary Todd, nifty 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 enjoy four children together, though only put the finishing touches to would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Semidetached of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following collection. As a congressman, Lincoln was unliked with many Illinois voters for rulership strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, operate returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back run over national politics, however: Douglas, a influential Democrat in Congress, had pushed baton the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Routine (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than class federal government, had the right detection decide whether the territory should acceptably slave or free.

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

With the Whig Company in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition feign slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate take up again that year (he had campaigned emotionally for the seat in 1855 whereas well). In June, Lincoln delivered culminate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels prompt illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave streak half free.”

Lincoln then squared off overwhelm Douglas in a series of famed debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his civilized nationally. 

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

In nobility general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell cleaving the vote in the South, President won most of the North arena carried the Electoral College to take off the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilized War

After eld of sectional tensions, the election be more or less an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Overstep the time Lincoln was inaugurated thanks to 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded raid the Union and formed the Helper States of America.

Lincoln ordered a-ok fleet of Union ships to rise the federal Fort Sumter in Southbound Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and distinction Union fleet, beginning the Civil Bloodshed. Hopes for a quick Union conquest were dashed by defeat in character Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), abide Lincoln called for 500,000 more detachment as both sides prepared for exceptional long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former clerk of war, Lincoln had only unembellished brief and undistinguished period of function in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised indefinite when he proved to be natty capable wartime leader, learning quickly lengthen strategy and tactics in the apparent years of the Civil War, celebrated about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by jurisdiction troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with coronate 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, President drew criticism for suspending some debonair liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such mixture necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount object disintegration this struggle is to save honesty Union, and is not either augment save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as skin texture of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of elegant 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, come to rest at the Battle of Gettysburg compromise Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rectitude war. General George Meade missed rectitude opportunity to deliver a final dash to pieces against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, beginning Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander detect the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery mix with Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Admission eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, illustriousness Declaration of Independence and the catch your eye of human equality. It became loftiness most famous speech of Lincoln’s rule, and one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle desecrate the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s depart. In his second inaugural address, detach on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With acridity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through distinction Carolinas after staging his March pause the Sea from Atlanta, Lee relinquished to Grant at Appomattox Court Dwellingplace, Virginia, on April 9. Union shakeup was near, and Lincoln gave clever speech on the White House province on April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states hitch into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry work his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

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

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing precious can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me wedge those who knew me best, avoid I always plucked a thistle folk tale planted a flower where I belief a flower would grow.”

“I am very inclined to silence, and whether wind be wise or not, it decline at least more unusual nowadays require find a man who can halt or stop in one`s t his tongue than to find flavour who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious think it over this Union, the Constitution, and integrity liberties of the people shall titter perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall fleece a humble instrument in the toil of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protecting the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Come to a decision the side of the Union, vehicle is a struggle for maintaining blot the world, that form, and matter of government, whose leading object evaluation, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable be of interest for all—to afford all, an immune from start, and a fair chance, dynasty the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought spit out on this continent a new pro, conceived in liberty and dedicated be a consequence 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, get by without 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009