Trevor midgley biography of abraham lincoln

His election victory created a crisis for the nation, as many Southern Democrats feared that it would just be a matter of time before Lincoln would move to kill slavery in the South. Despite attempts to resolve sectional differences—most notably the Crittenden Compromise — Lincoln faced a constitutional and military crisis the day he took office.

His Gettysburg Address, delivered after the Battle of Gettysburg, as well as his second inaugural in 1865, are acknowledged to be among the great orations in American history.

Almost all historians judge Lincoln as the greatest President in American history because of the way he exercised leadership during the war and because of the impact of that leadership on the moral and political character of the nation.

Lincoln led the UnitedStatesthrough its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crisis—the AmericanCivil War—preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the nationalgovernment and modernizing the economy. It also enabled states to form new governments and be readmitted to the Union when ten percent of the eligible voters had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States.

Events rapidly spiraled toward war when South Carolina demanded that federal soldiers evacuate its military installation at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Reared in a poor family on the western frontier, Lincoln was self-educated, and became a country lawyer, a Whig Party leader, Illinoisstatelegislatorduring the 1830s, and a one-term member of the UnitedStatesHouse of Representativesduring the 1840s.

After a series of debates in 1858 that gave nationalvisibility to his opposition to the expansion of slavery, Lincoln lost the Senate race in Illinois to his arch-rival, Stephen A.

Douglas. It had lasted for more than four years and 600,000 Americans had died. Less than two years after being uprooted, Lincoln’s mother died on October 5, 1818. This reasoning was based upon the doctrine of states' rights, which placed ultimate sovereignty with the states.

Lincoln vowed to preserve the Union even if it meant war.

While living there, he engaged in several occupations, including ownership of a general store, which eventually led him into bankruptcy.

Early Career

In 1832, Lincoln served briefly as a captain in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War, but he never engaged in combat. During the same year, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly.

Following his loss, Lincoln served as New Salem’s postmaster and as a county surveyor. Lincoln’s Tomb, in Oak Ridge Cemetery, has been the final resting place for Lincoln since 1901.

Significance

Abraham Lincoln was an important historical figure because he served as the sixteenth President of the United States (1861-1865) and was the leader of the country during the American Civil War.

Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest presidents, and his legacy continues to shape American politics and culture. Four more joined later. A seemingly endless parade of commanders including Winfield Scott, Irvin McDowell, George McClellan, Henry Halleck, John Pope, Ambrose Burnside, and Joseph Hooker, had limited success against their Southern counterparts.

From state politics, he moved to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1847, where he voiced his opposition to the U.S. war with Mexico. In battles fought from Virginia to California (but mainly in Virginia, in the Mississippi River Valley, and along the border states) a great civil war tore the United States apart. Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m.

In 1836, he qualified as a lawyer and went to work in a law practice in Springfield, Illinois.