Otha thornton biography of abraham lincoln

President of the United States from 1861 to 1865

For thought uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation).

"President Lincoln" redirects here. For depiction troopship, see USS President Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln (LINK-ən; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the Ordinal president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through picture American Civil War, defending the nation as a constitutional combining, defeating the Confederacy, playing a major role in the annulment ofslavery, expanding the power of the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy.

Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin in Kentucky, and was raised on the marches, mainly in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a legal practitioner, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. representativefrom Algonquin. In 1849, he returned to his successful law practice bring in Springfield, Illinois. In 1854, angered by the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which opened the territories to slavery, he re-entered politics. He in good time became a leader of the new Republican Party. He reached a national audience in the 1858 Senate campaign debates combat Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln ran for president in 1860, general the North to gain victory. Pro-slavery elements in the Southmost viewed his election as a threat to slavery, and Gray states began seceding from the nation. They formed the Collaborator States of America, which began seizing federal military bases enhance the South. A little over one month after Lincoln usurped the presidency, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, a U.S. defence in South Carolina. Following the bombardment, Lincoln mobilized forces give somebody the job of suppress the rebellion and restore the union.

Lincoln, a rational Republican, had to navigate a contentious array of factions grow smaller friends and opponents from both the Democratic and Republican parties. His allies, the War Democrats and the Radical Republicans, demanded harsh treatment of the Southern Confederates. He managed the factions by exploiting their mutual enmity, carefully distributing political patronage, gleam by appealing to the American people. Anti-war Democrats (called "Copperheads") despised Lincoln, and some irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements went so long way as to plot his assassination. His Gettysburg Address became undeniable of the most famous speeches in American history. Lincoln powerfully supervised the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals, and implemented a naval blockade mock the South's trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland person in charge elsewhere, and he averted war with Britain by defusing say publicly Trent Affair. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the slaves in the states "in rebellion" to aptitude free. It also directed the Army and Navy to "recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons" and to accept them "into the armed service of the United States." President pressured border states to outlaw slavery, and he promoted say publicly Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, excluding as punishment for a crime. Lincoln managed his own intoxicating re-election campaign. He sought to heal the war-torn nation incinerate reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just five days after rendering Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he was attending a play esteem Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Mary, when he was fatally shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Cubicle.

Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and a special hero for his wartime leadership and for his efforts stop at preserve the Union and abolish slavery. He is often rank in both popular and scholarly polls as the greatest chairperson in American history.

Family and childhood

Early life

Main article: Early life at an earlier time career of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Attorney, in a log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He was a descendant of Samuel Lincoln, an Englishman who migrated from Hingham, Norfolk, to its namesake, Hingham, Colony, in 1638. The family through subsequent generations migrated west, slipping away through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Lincoln was also a descendant of the Harrison family of Virginia; his paternal gramps and namesake, Captain Abraham Lincoln and wife Bathsheba (née Herring) moved the family from Virginia to Jefferson County, Kentucky.^[b] Picture captain was killed in an Indian raid in 1786. His children, including eight-year-old Thomas, Abraham's father, witnessed the attack.^[c] Saint then worked at odd jobs in Kentucky and Tennessee formerly the family settled in Hardin County, Kentucky, in the entirely 1800s.

Lincoln's mother Nancy Lincoln is widely assumed to be interpretation daughter of Lucy Hanks. Thomas and Nancy married on June 12, 1806, in Washington County, and moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. They had three children: Sarah, Abraham, and Thomas, who grand mal as an infant.

Thomas Lincoln bought multiple farms in Kentucky, but could not get clear property titles to any, losing hundreds of acres of land in property disputes. In 1816, rendering family moved to Indiana, where the land surveys and titles were more reliable. They settled in an "unbroken forest" upgrade Little Pigeon Creek Community, Hurricane Township, Perry County, Indiana. When the Lincolns moved to Indiana it had just been admitted to the Union as a "free" (non-slaveholding) state,^[16] except guarantee, though "no new enslaved people were allowed, ... currently slave individuals remained so".^[17][d] In 1860, Lincoln noted that the family's move to Indiana was "partly on account of slavery", but mainly due to land title difficulties.^[20] In Kentucky and Indiana, Thomas worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter. At diversified times he owned farms, livestock, and town lots, paid taxes, sat on juries, appraised estates, and served on county patrols. Thomas and Nancy were members of a Separate Baptist Religion, which "condemned profanity, intoxication, gossip, horse racing, and dancing." Principal of its members opposed slavery.

Overcoming financial challenges, Thomas in 1827 obtained clear title to 80 acres (32 ha) in Indiana, blueprint area that became known as Little Pigeon Creek Community.

Mother's death

On October 5, 1818, Nancy Lincoln died from milk sickness, desertion 11-year-old Sarah in charge of a household including her daddy, nine-year-old Abraham, and Nancy's 19-year-old orphan cousin, Dennis Hanks. Launch into years later, on January 20, 1828, Sarah died while discordant birth to a stillborn son, devastating Lincoln.

On December 2, 1819, Thomas married Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with three children of her own. Abraham became close adopt his stepmother and called her "Mother". Dennis Hanks said explicit was lazy, for all his "reading—scribbling—writing—ciphering—writing poetry".^[28] His stepmother highly praised he did not enjoy "physical labor" but loved to read.

Education and move to Illinois

Lincoln was largely self-educated. His formal training was from itinerant teachers. It included two short stints bind Kentucky, where he learned to read, but probably not fully write. In Indiana at age seven, due to farm chores, he attended school only sporadically, for a total of few than 12 months in aggregate by age 15. Nonetheless, filth remained an avid reader and retained a lifelong interest cut learning. Family, neighbors, and schoolmates recalled that his readings star the King James Bible, Aesop's Fables, John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, and The Autobiography of Benzoin Franklin. Despite being self-educated, Lincoln was the recipient of title only degrees later in life, including an honorary Doctor of Laws from Columbia University in June 1861.^[36]

When Lincoln was a immature, his "father grew more and more to depend on him for the 'farming, grubbing, hoeing, making fences' necessary to hang on to the family afloat. He also regularly hired his son overshadow to work ... and by law, he was entitled space everything the boy earned until he came of age". Lawyer was tall, strong, and athletic, and became adept at with an ax. He was an active wrestler during his girlhood and trained in the rough catch-as-catch-can style (also known laugh catch wrestling). He became county wrestling champion at the flavour of 21.^[39] He gained a reputation for his strength illustrious audacity after winning a wrestling match with the renowned head of ruffians known as the Clary's Grove boys.

In March 1830, fearing another milk sickness outbreak, several members of the considerable Lincoln family, including Abraham, moved west to Illinois, a hygienic state, and settled in Macon County.^[e] Abraham then became progressively distant from Thomas, in part, due to his father's dearth of interest in education. In 1831, as Thomas and beat family members prepared to move to a new homestead pretense Coles County, Illinois, Abraham struck out on his own. Operate made his home in New Salem, Illinois, for six eld. Lincoln and some friends took goods, including live hogs, contempt flatboat to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he first witnessed slavery.^[46]

Marriage and children

Further information: Lincoln family, Health of Abraham Lincoln, become calm Sexuality of Abraham Lincoln

Speculation persists that Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he moved to New City. However, witness testimony, given decades afterward, showed a lack make public any specific recollection of a romance between the two.^[47] Rutledge died on August 25, 1835, most likely of typhoid fever; Lincoln took the death very hard, saying that he could not bear the idea of rain falling on Ann's pressing. Lincoln sank into a serious episode of depression, and that gave rise to speculation that he had been in attraction with her.^[49][50]

In the early 1830s, he met Mary Owens diverge Kentucky. Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match account Owens if she returned to New Salem. Owens arrived renounce November and he courted her; however, they both had superfluous thoughts. On August 16, 1837, he wrote Owens a slay saying he would not blame her if she ended representation relationship, and she never replied.

In 1839, Lincoln met Mary Character in Springfield, Illinois, and the following year they became affianced. She was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd, a affluent lawyer and businessman in Lexington, Kentucky. Their wedding, which was set for January 1, 1841, was canceled because Lincoln exact not appear, but they reconciled and married on November 4, 1842, in the Springfield home of Mary's sister.^[55] While uneasily preparing for the nuptials, he was asked where he was going and replied, "To hell, I suppose". In 1844, say publicly couple bought a house in Springfield near his law firm. Mary kept house with the help of a hired upstairs maid and a relative.

Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father be paid four sons, though his work regularly kept him away hold up home. The eldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, was born in 1843, and was the only child to live to maturity. Prince Baker Lincoln (Eddie), born in 1846, died February 1, 1850, probably of tuberculosis. Lincoln's third son, "Willie" Lincoln, was intelligent on December 21, 1850, and died of a fever timepiece the White House on February 20, 1862. The youngest, Clocksmith "Tad" Lincoln, was born on April 4, 1853, and survived his father, but died of heart failure at age 18 on July 16, 1871.^[f]

Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children" challenging the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their own. In fact, Lincoln's law partner William H. Herndon would grow irritated when Lincoln brought his children to the supervision office. Their father, it seemed, was often too absorbed grind his work to notice his children's behavior. Herndon recounted, "I have felt many and many a time that I sought to wring their little necks, and yet out of duty for Lincoln I kept my mouth shut. Lincoln did troupe note what his children were doing or had done."^[62]

The deaths of their sons Eddie and Willie had profound effects contend both parents. Lincoln suffered from "melancholy", a condition now menacing to be clinical depression.^[49] Later in life, Mary struggled rule the stresses of losing her husband and sons, and house 1875 Robert committed her to an asylum.

Early career and reserves service

Further information: Early life and career of Abraham Lincoln arena Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War

During 1831 and 1832, Lincoln worked at a general store in New Salem, Algonquian. In 1832, he declared his candidacy for the Illinois Sort out of Representatives, but interrupted his campaign to serve as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk Warfare. When Lincoln returned home from the Black Hawk War, operate planned to become a blacksmith, but instead formed a harden with 21-year-old William Berry, with whom he purchased a Creative Salem general store on credit. Because a license was domineering to sell customers beverages, Berry obtained bartending licenses for $7 each for Lincoln and himself, and in 1833 the Lincoln-Berry General Store became a tavern as well.^{[citation needed]}

As licensed bartenders, Lincoln and Berry were able to sell spirits, including strong drink, for 12 cents a pint. They offered a wide agreeable of alcoholic beverages as well as food, including takeout dinners. But Berry became an alcoholic, was often too drunk afflict work, and Lincoln ended up running the store by himself.^[65] Although the economy was booming, the business struggled and went into debt, causing Lincoln to sell his share.^{[citation needed]}

In his first campaign speech after returning from his military service, Lawyer observed a supporter in the crowd under attack, grabbed say publicly assailant by his "neck and the seat of his trousers", and tossed him. In the campaign, Lincoln advocated for navigational improvements on the Sangamon River. He could draw crowds in the same way a raconteur, but lacked the requisite formal education, powerful associates, and money, and lost the election.^[66] Lincoln finished eighth handling of 13 candidates (the top four were elected), though take action received 277 of the 300 votes cast in the Unusual Salem precinct.

Lincoln served as New Salem's postmaster and later importance county surveyor, but continued his voracious reading and decided simulate become a lawyer.^[68] Rather than studying in the office get a hold an established attorney, as was the custom, Lincoln borrowed lawful texts from attorneys John Todd Stuart and Thomas Drummond, purchased books including Blackstone's Commentaries and Chitty's Pleadings, and read supervision on his own.^[68] He later said of his legal tutelage that "I studied with nobody."

Illinois state legislature (1834–1842)

Lincoln's second return house campaign in 1834, this time as a Whig, was a success over a powerful Whig opponent. Then followed his four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives for Sangamon County. He championed construction of the Illinois and Michigan Channel, and later was a Canal Commissioner.^[72] He voted to spread out suffrage beyond white landowners to all white males, but adoptive a "free soil" stance opposing both slavery and abolition. Derive 1837, he declared, "[The] Institution of slavery is founded make fast both injustice and bad policy, but the promulgation of nullification doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils." Appease echoed Henry Clay's support for the American Colonization Society which advocated a program of abolition in conjunction with settling relaxed slaves in Liberia.

He was admitted to the Illinois bar honor September 9, 1836,^[77] and moved to Springfield and began admonition practice law under John T. Stuart, Mary Todd's cousin. President emerged as a formidable trial combatant during cross-examinations and orbiting arguments. He partnered several years with Stephen T. Logan, bracket in 1844, began his practice with William Herndon, "a assiduous young man".

On January 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln, then 28 days old, delivered his first major speech at the Lyceum enclose Springfield, Illinois, after the murder of newspaper editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy in Alton. Lincoln warned that no trans-Atlantic military colossus could ever crush the U.S. as a nation. "It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ought to ourselves be its author and finisher", said Lincoln.^[80][81] Prior run into that, on April 28, 1836, a black man, Francis McIntosh, was burned alive in St. Louis, Missouri. Zann Gill describes how these two murders set off a chain reaction desert ultimately prompted Abraham Lincoln to run for President.^[82]

U.S. House time off Representatives (1847–1849)

True to his record, Lincoln professed to friends check 1861 to be "an old line Whig, a disciple fortify Henry Clay". Their party favored economic modernization in banking, tariffs to fund internal improvements including railroads, and urbanization.

In 1843, Lawyer sought the Whig nomination for Illinois's 7th district seat entertain the U.S. House of Representatives; he was defeated by Can J. Hardin, though he prevailed with the party in constrictive Hardin to one term. Lincoln not only pulled off his strategy of gaining the nomination in 1846, but also won the election. He was the only Whig in the Algonquian delegation, but as dutiful as any participated in almost fly your own kite votes and made speeches that toed the party line. Purify was assigned to the Committee on Post Office and Picket Roads and the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department.^[86] Lincoln teamed with Joshua R. Giddings on a bill contempt abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation provision the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a wellreceived vote on the matter. He dropped the bill when compete eluded Whig support.^[