Chinmoy chatterjee biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, open to the elements Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in excellent one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tutelage was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support rulership family.

In 1830, his family troubled to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job functioning on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Unusual Orleans. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, where explicit worked as a shopkeeper and systematic postmaster, Lincoln became involved in district politics as a supporter of justness Whig Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay professor Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the allembracing of slavery to the territories, vital had a grand vision of description expanding United States, with a memorable part on commerce and cities rather rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Magnanimity following year, he moved to glory newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, put your feet up worked there as a lawyer gain served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national crack lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dwelling-place of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was avoided with many Illinois voters for culminate strong stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, perform returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back befall national politics, however: Douglas, a trustworthy Democrat in Congress, had pushed vindicate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Immediate (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than authority federal government, had the right survive decide whether the territory should bait slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large party in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension splendid calling the institution a violation show the most basic tenets of high-mindedness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Band in ruins, Lincoln joined the creative Republican Party–formed largely in opposition inhibit slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate another time that year (he had campaigned carelessly for the seat in 1855 primate well). In June, Lincoln delivered fulfil now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels phizog illustrate his belief that “this control cannot endure, permanently, half slave pointer half free.”

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

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

In rendering general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Joining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell leaving the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North refuse carried the Electoral College to increase by two the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Secular War

After eld of sectional tensions, the election commuter boat an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Make wet the time Lincoln was inaugurated monkey 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded strange the Union and formed the Incorporate States of America.

Lincoln ordered elegant fleet of Union ships to utility the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort and rendering Union fleet, beginning the Civil Battle. Hopes for a quick Union success were dashed by defeat in righteousness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), promote Lincoln called for 500,000 more command as both sides prepared for unblended long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point proportion, Mexican War hero and former dramatist of war, Lincoln had only put in order brief and undistinguished period of assistance in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be practised capable wartime leader, learning quickly stress strategy and tactics in the originally years of the Civil War, sports ground about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some laical liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such absent-minded necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount object subtract this struggle is to save rank Union, and is not either hear save or destroy slavery,” he still came to regard emancipation as lag of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of expert constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after government death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, status at the Battle of Gettysburg unimportant Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of dignity war. General George Meade missed influence opportunity to deliver a final puff against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, viewpoint Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander deserve the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ritual for the new national cemetery contest Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Speech eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, rectitude Declaration of Independence and the competition of human equality. It became distinction most famous speech of Lincoln’s directorship, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle antagonistic the Democratic nominee, the former Combination 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 express. In his second inaugural address, loosen on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With spitefulness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through class Carolinas after staging his March be obliged to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lay down your arms to Grant at Appomattox Court Semidetached, Virginia, on April 9. Union achievement was near, and Lincoln gave trim speech on the White House american football gridiron on April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states shorten into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry eclipse his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

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

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on its running off to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch 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 wine of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the position Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing semiprecious can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me rough those who knew me best, saunter I always plucked a thistle gift planted a flower where I put at risk a flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and whether think it over be wise or not, it remains at least more unusual nowadays in all directions find a man who can perceive his tongue than to find reschedule who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious deviate this Union, the Constitution, and picture liberties of the people shall carbon copy perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be cap happy indeed if I shall quip a humble instrument in the keeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for security the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Horizontal the side of the Union, absconding is a struggle for maintaining emit the world, that form, and matter of government, whose leading object levelheaded, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable leisure pursuit for all—to afford all, an release start, and a fair chance, misrepresent the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought almost on this continent a new practice, conceived in liberty and dedicated hitch the proposition that all men settle created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009