Abraham Lincoln

President of the United States

February 12, 1809 Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, U.S.

April 15, 1865(1865-04-15) (56) Washington, D.C., U.S.

March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865

16th president of the United States (1861–65) This article is about the 16th president of the United States. For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). "Abe Lincoln" redirects here. For the jazz musician, see Abe Lincoln (musician). Abraham LincolnPortrait by Alexander Gardner, November 186316th President of the United StatesIn office March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865Vice President Hannibal Hamlin (1861–1865) Andrew Johnson (Mar–Apr 1865) Preceded by James BuchananSucceeded by Andrew JohnsonMember of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th districtIn office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849Preceded by John HenrySucceeded by Thomas L. HarrisMember of the Illinois House of Representatives from Sangamon CountyIn office December 1, 1834 – December 4, 1842 Personal detailsBorn(1809-02-12 ) February 12, 1809 Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, U.S.DiedApril 15, 1865(1865-04-15) (aged 56) Washington, D.C., U.S.Cause of deathAssassination (gunshot wound to the head)Resting placeLincoln TombPolitical party Whig (before 1854) Republican (1854–1864) National Union (1864–1865) Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)Spouse(s)Mary Todd ​(m. 1842 )​ChildrenRobertEdwardWillieTadParentsThomas Lincoln Nancy HanksRelativesLincoln familyOccupationPoliticianlawyerSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiance United States Illinois Branch/serviceIllinois MilitiaYears of service1832Rank Captain Private Battles/wars American Indian Wars Black Hawk War Battle of Kellogg's Grove Battle of Stillman's Run This article is part of a series about Abraham Lincoln Personal Early life and career Family Health Sexuality Political Political career, 1849–1861 Lincoln–Douglas debates Cooper Union speech Farewell address Views on slavery Views on religion Electoral history 16th President of the United States Presidency First term Transition 1st inauguration Address Hannibal Hamlin American Civil War The Union Emancipation Proclamation Ten percent plan Gettysburg Address 13th Amendment Second term 2nd inauguration Address Andrew Johnson Reconstruction Presidential elections 1860 Convention 1864 Convention Assassination and legacy Assassination Funeral Historical reputation Memorials Depictions Bibliography Topical guide vte Abraham Lincoln (/ˈ l ɪ ŋ k ən / ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, the country's greatest moral, cultural, constitutional, and political crisis. He succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy. Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. Congressman from Illinois. In 1849, he returned to his law practice but became vexed by the opening of additional lands to slavery as a result of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. He reentered politics in 1854, becoming a leader in the new Republican Party, and he reached a national audience in the 1858 debates against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln ran for President in 1860, sweeping the North in victory. Pro-slavery elements in the South equated his success with the North's rejection of their right to practice slavery, and southern states began seceding from the Union. To secure its independence, the new Confederate States fired on Fort Sumter, a U.S. fort in the South, and Lincoln called up forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the Union. Lincoln, a moderate Republican, had to navigate a contentious array of factions with 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. Anti-war Democrats (called "Copperheads") despised Lincoln, and irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements plotted his assassination. He managed the factions by exploiting their mutual enmity, carefully distributing political patronage, and by appealing to the American people. His Gettysburg Address appealed to nationalistic, republican, egalitarian, libertarian, and democratic sentiments. Lincoln scrutinized the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals and the naval blockade of the South's trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland, and he averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. He engineered the end to slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation, including his order that the Army and Navy liberate, protect, and recruit former slaves. He also encouraged border states to outlaw slavery, and promoted the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed slavery across the country. Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign. He sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just days after the war's end at Appomattox, he was attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife Mary when he was fatally shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln is remembered as a martyr and hero of the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history.

Add date: 2021-09-11 20:03