Zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln

After the war, he studied law and campaigned for a seat on the Illinois State Legislature. Although not elected in his first attempt, Lincoln persevered and won the position inserving as a Whig. Only one lived to adulthood. The deep melancholy that pervaded the Lincoln family, with occasional detours into outright madness, is in some ways sourced in their close relationship with death.

Lincoln, a self-described "prairie lawyer," focused on his all-embracing law practice in the early s after one term in Congress from to He joined the new Republican party—and the ongoing argument over sectionalism—in A series of heated debates in with Stephen A. Douglasthe sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Actover slavery and its place in the United States forged Lincoln into a prominent figure in national politics.

On November 6,Lincoln won the presidential election without the support of a single Southern state. Talk of secession, bandied about since the s, took on a serious new tone. Rather, he felt it was his sacred duty as President of the United States to preserve the Union at all costs. His first inaugural address was an appeal to the rebellious states, seven of which had already seceded, to rejoin the nation.

His first draft of the speech ended with an ominous message: "Shall it be peace, or the sword? Fort Sumter, situated in the Charleston Harbour, was a Union outpost in the newly seceded Confederate territory. The historic declaration also paved the way for the passage of the 13 th Amendment that ended legal slavery in the United States.

On November 19,Lincoln delivered what would become his most famous speech and one of the most important speeches in American history: the Gettysburg Address. Addressing a crowd of around 15, people, Lincoln delivered his word speech at one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Civil War, the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. The Civil War, Lincoln said, was the ultimate test of the preservation of the Union created inand the people who died at Gettysburg fought to uphold this cause.

A common interpretation was that the president was expanding the cause of the Civil War from simply reunifying the Union to also fighting for equality and abolishing slavery. His nemesis George B. Lincoln received 55 percent of the popular vote and of electoral votes. On April 9,General Robert E. The Civil War was for all intents and purposes over.

Reconstruction had already began during the Civil War, as early as in areas firmly under Union military control, and Lincoln favored a policy of quick reunification with a minimum of retribution. He was confronted by a radical group of Republicans in Congress that wanted complete allegiance and repentance from former Confederates. Before a political debate had any chance to firmly develop, Lincoln was killed.

Lincoln was taken to the Petersen House across the street and laid in a coma for nine hours before dying the next morning. He was His death was mourned by millions of citizens in the North and South alike. His body was transported to his final resting place in Springfield, Illinois, by a funeral train. In 10 cities, the casket was removed and placed in public for memorial services.

Lincoln was finally placed in a tomb on May 4. Lincoln, already taller than most, is known for his distinctive top hats. Worried about the commotion it might cause, the Smithsonian stored the hat in a basement instead of putting it on display. An aggressively activist commander-in-chief, Lincoln used every power at his disposal to assure victory in the Civil War and end slavery in the United States.

Some scholars doubt that the Union would have been preserved had another person of lesser character been in the White House. The monument is the most visited in the city, attracting around 8 million people per year. Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Lincoln has been the subject of numerous films about his life and presidency, rooted in both realism and absurdity.

Among the earlier films featuring the former president is Young Mr. Benjamin Walker plays Lincoln, who leads a secret double life hunting the immortal creatures and even fighting them during the Civil War. Inthe History Channel aired a three-part docuseries about his life simply titled Abraham Lincoln. The Biography. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications.

Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. The National Union Party was united by Lincoln's support for emancipation. State Republican parties stressed the perfidy of the Copperheads.

On March 4,Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. In it, he deemed the war casualties to be God's will. Historian Mark Noll places the speech "among the small handful of semi-sacred texts by which Americans conceive their place in the world;" it is inscribed in the Lincoln Memorial. Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether".

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

Among those present for this speech was actor John Wilkes Boothwho, on April 14,just over a month after Lincoln's second inaugurationassassinated him. Reconstruction preceded the war's end, as Lincoln and his associates considered the reintegration of the nation, and the fates of Confederate leaders and freed slaves. When a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates were to be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy.

His main goal was to keep the union together, so he proceeded by focusing not on whom to blame, but on how to rebuild the nation as one. Thaddeus StevensSen. Charles Sumner and Sen. Benjamin Wadewho otherwise remained Lincoln's allies. Determined to reunite the nation and not alienate the South, Lincoln urged that speedy elections under generous terms be held.

His Amnesty Proclamation of December 8,offered pardons to those who had not held a Confederate civil office and had not mistreated Union prisoners, if they were willing to sign an oath of allegiance. As Southern states fell, they needed leaders while their administrations were restored. Banks to promote a plan that would reestablish statehood when 10 percent of the voters agreed, and only if the reconstructed states abolished slavery.

Democratic opponents accused Lincoln of using the military to ensure his and the Republicans' political aspirations. The Radicals denounced his policy as too lenient, and passed their own plan, the Wade—Davis Billwhich Lincoln vetoed. The Radicals retaliated by refusing to seat elected representatives from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Lincoln's appointments were designed to zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln both moderates and Radicals. Chase, whom Lincoln believed would uphold his emancipation and paper money policies. After implementing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln increased pressure on Congress to outlaw slavery throughout the nation with a constitutional amendment.

He declared that such an amendment would "clinch the whole subject" and by December an amendment was brought to Congress. Passage became part of Lincoln's reelection platform, and after his successful reelection, the second attempt in the House passed on January 31, Lincoln believed the federal government had limited responsibility to the millions of freedmen.

He signed Senator Charles Sumner's Freedmen's Bureau bill that set up a temporary federal agency designed to meet the immediate needs of former slaves. The law opened land for a lease of three years with the ability to purchase title for the freedmen. Lincoln announced a Reconstruction plan that involved short-term military control, pending readmission under the control of southern Unionists.

Historians agree that it is impossible to predict how Reconstruction would have proceeded had Lincoln lived. Biographers James G. Randall and Richard Currentaccording to David Lincove, argue that: [ ]. It is likely that had he lived, Lincoln zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln have followed a policy similar to Johnson's, that he would have clashed with congressional Radicals, that he would have produced a better result for the freedmen than occurred, and that his political skills would have helped him avoid Johnson's mistakes.

Eric Foner argues that: [ ]. Unlike Sumner and other Radicals, Lincoln did not see Reconstruction as an opportunity for a sweeping political and social revolution beyond emancipation. He had long made clear his opposition to the confiscation and redistribution of land. He believed, as most Republicans did in Aprilthat voting requirements should be determined by the states.

He assumed that political control in the South would pass to white Unionists, reluctant secessionists, and forward-looking former Confederates. But time and again during the war, Lincoln, after initial opposition, had come to embrace positions first advanced by abolitionists and Radical Republicans. Lincoln undoubtedly would have listened carefully to the outcry for further protection for the former slaves.

It is entirely plausible to imagine Lincoln and Congress agreeing on a Reconstruction policy that encompassed federal protection for basic civil rights plus limited black suffrage, along the lines Lincoln proposed just before his death. Lincoln's relationship with Native Americans started before he was born, with their killing of his grandfather in front of his sons, including Lincoln's father Thomas.

While in office his administration faced difficulties guarding Western settlers, railroads, and telegraphs, from Indian attacks. On August 17,the Dakota War broke out in Minnesota. Hundreds of settlers were killed, 30, were displaced from their homes, and Washington was deeply alarmed. Lincoln sent General John Pope as commander of the new Department of the Northwest two weeks into the hostilities.

Cloud, Minnesota. Serving under Gen. Pope was Minnesota Congressman Henry H. The legitimacy of military commissions trying opposing combatants had been established during the Mexican War. Pope ordered all detained be tried. Lincoln ordered Pope send all trial transcripts to Washington, where Lincoln and two of his staff examined them.

Lincoln realized the trials could be divided into two groups: combat between combatants and combat against civilians. In the second group were forty cases. One he commuted for becoming a state's witness. Sibley dismissed another when proof surfaced exonerating the defendant. The remaining 38 were executed in the largest mass execution in U.

Congressman Alexander Ramsey told Lincoln inhe would have gotten more re-election support in Minnesota had he executed all of the Mdewakanton. Lincoln responded, "I could not afford to hang men for votes. Some he released due to the efforts of Bishop Henry Whipple. Lincoln adhered to the Whig theory of a presidency focused on executing laws while deferring to Congress' responsibility for legislating.

Under this philosophy, Lincoln vetoed only four bills during his presidency, including the Wade-Davis Bill with its harsh Reconstruction program.

Zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln

The Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act provided government grants for agricultural colleges in each state. The Pacific Railway Acts of and granted federal support for the construction of the United States' first transcontinental railroadwhich was completed in In the selection and use of his cabinet Lincoln employed the strengths of his opponents in a manner that emboldened his presidency.

Lincoln commented on his thought process, "We need the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet. We needed to hold our own people together. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services. There were two measures passed to raise revenues for the federal government: tariffs a policy with long precedentand a federal income tax.

InLincoln signed the second and third Morrill Tariffsfollowing the first enacted by Buchanan. He also signed the Revenue Act ofcreating the first U. The Lincoln Administration presided over the expansion of the federal government's economic influence in other areas. The National Banking Act created the system of national banks. The U.

In response to rumors of a renewed draft, the editors of the New York World and the Journal of Commerce published a false draft proclamation that created an opportunity for the editors and others to corner the gold market. Lincoln attacked the media for such behavior, and ordered a military seizure of the two papers which lasted for two days.

Lincoln is largely responsible for the Thanksgiving holiday. It had been sporadically proclaimed by the federal government on irregular dates. The prior proclamation had been during James Madison 's presidency 50 years earlier. InLincoln declared the final Thursday in November of that year to be a day of Thanksgiving. In June Lincoln approved the Yosemite Grant enacted by Congress, which provided unprecedented federal protection for the area now known as Yosemite National Park.

Lincoln's philosophy on court nominations was that "we cannot ask a man what he will do, and if we should, and he should answer us, we should despise him for it. Therefore we must take a man whose opinions are known. Noah Haynes Swayne was an anti-slavery lawyer who was committed to the Union. Samuel Freeman Miller supported Lincoln in the election and was an avowed abolitionist.

David Davis was Lincoln's campaign manager in and had served as a judge in the Illinois court circuit where Lincoln practiced. Democrat Stephen Johnson Fielda previous California Supreme Court justice, provided geographic and political balance. Chase, became Chief Justice. Lincoln believed Chase was an able jurist, would support Reconstruction legislation, and that his appointment united the Republican Party.

Lincoln named his main political rival, William H. Seward, as Secretary of State and left most diplomatic issues in Seward's portfolio. However, Lincoln did select some top diplomats as part of his patronage policy. He was successful zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln indicating to Britain and France that the Union would declare war on them if they supported the South.

John Wilkes Booth was a well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland; though he never joined the Confederate army, he had contacts with the Confederate secret service. At the last minute, Grant decided to go to New Jersey to visit his children instead of attending the play. At in the evening, Booth entered the back of Lincoln's theater box, crept up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln's head, mortally wounding him.

Lincoln's guest, Major Henry Rathbonemomentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed him and escaped. After remaining in a coma for nine hours, Lincoln died at in the morning on April Two weeks later, Booth, refusing to surrender, was tracked to a farm in Virginia. He was mortally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett and died on April Secretary of War Stanton had issued orders that Booth be taken alive, so Corbett was initially arrested to be court martialed.

After a brief interview, Stanton declared him a patriot and dismissed the charge. The caskets containing Lincoln's body and the body of his third son Willie then traveled for three weeks on the Lincoln Special funeral train. Many others gathered along the tracks as the train passed with bands, bonfires, and hymn singing [ ] or in silent grief.

As a young man Lincoln was a religious skeptic. In the s Lincoln subscribed to the Doctrine of Necessitya belief that the human mind was controlled by a higher power. In the s Lincoln asserted his belief in "providence" in a general way and rarely used the language or imagery of the evangelicals; instead, he regarded the republicanism of the Founding Fathers with an almost religious reverence.

He wrote at this time that God "could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. Yet the contest began. And having begun He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds. Lincoln believed in an all-powerful God who shaped events and by was expressing that belief in major speeches.

I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. Now, at the end of three years struggle the nation's zareen ghazal biography of abraham lincoln is not what either party, or any man devised, or expected. God alone can claim it. Whither it is tending seems plain. If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South, shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.

This spirituality can best be seen in his second inaugural address, considered by some scholars [ ] as the greatest such address in American history, and by Lincoln himself as his own greatest speech, or one of them at the very least. Lincoln is believed to have had depression, smallpoxand malaria. Several claims have been made that Lincoln's health was declining before the assassination.

These are often based on photographs of Lincoln appearing to show weight loss and muscle wasting. Lincoln's redefinition of republican values has been stressed by historians such as John Patrick DigginsHarry V. He did this at a time when the Constitutionwhich "tolerated slavery", was the focus of most political discourse. His position on war was founded on a legal argument regarding the Constitution as essentially a contract among the states, and all parties must agree to pull out of the contract.

Furthermore, it was a national duty to ensure the republic stands in every state. As a Whig activist Lincoln was a spokesman for business interests, favoring high tariffs, banks, infrastructure improvements, and railroads, in opposition to Jacksonian democrats. Just as the Republican Party of the s absorbed certain elements of Jacksonianism, so Lincoln, whose Whiggery had always been more egalitarian than that of other Whigs, found himself absorbing some of them as well.

And some of the Jacksonian spirit resided inside the Lincoln White House. William C. Harris found that Lincoln's "reverence for the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the laws under it, and the preservation of the Republic and its institutions strengthened his conservatism. Randall emphasizes his tolerance and moderation "in his preference for orderly progress, his distrust of dangerous agitation, and his reluctance toward ill digested schemes of reform.

In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he explored the nature of democracy. He denounced secession as anarchy, and he explained that majority rule had to be balanced by constitutional restraints. He said, "A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people.

The successful reunification of the states had consequences for how people viewed the country. The term "the United States" has historically been used sometimes in the plural "these United States" and other times in the singular. The Civil War was a significant force in the eventual dominance of the singular usage by the end of the 19th century.

In his company, I was never reminded of my humble origin, or of my unpopular color. In surveys of U. Kennedyand Ronald Reagan were the top-ranked presidents in eight public opinion surveys, according to Gallup. Lincoln's assassination left him a national martyr. He was viewed by abolitionists as a champion of human liberty. Republicans linked Lincoln's name to their party.

Many, though not all, in the South considered Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability. Allen C. Guelzo states that Lincoln was a "classical liberal democrat—an enemy of artificial hierarchy, a friend to trade and business as ennobling and enabling, and an American counterpart to MillCobdenand Bright whose portrait Lincoln hung in his White House office ".

Sociologist Barry Schwartz argues that Lincoln's American reputation grew slowly from the late 19th century until the Progressive Era —swhen he emerged as one of America's most venerated heroes, even among white Southerners. Schwartz argues that in the s and s the memory of Abraham Lincoln was practically sacred and provided the nation with "a moral symbol inspiring and guiding American life.

Roosevelt, preparing America for war, used the words of the Civil War president to clarify the threat posed by Germany and Japan. Americans asked, "What would Lincoln do? In the Cold War years Lincoln's image shifted to a symbol of freedom who brought hope to those oppressed by Communist regimes. Bennett argued that Lincoln opposed social equality and proposed that freed slaves voluntarily move to another country.

The emphasis shifted away from Lincoln the emancipator to an argument that blacks had freed themselves from slavery, or at least were responsible for pressuring the government to emancipate them. By the s Lincoln had become a hero to political conservatives [ ] —apart from neo-Confederates such as Mel Bradfordwho denounced his treatment of the white South—for his intense nationalism, his support for business, his insistence on stopping the spread of slavery, his acting on Lockean and Burkean principles on behalf of both liberty and tradition, and his devotion to the principles of the Founding Fathers.

Barry Schwartz wrote in that Lincoln's image suffered "erosion, fading prestige, benign ridicule" in the late 20th century. In the 21st century President Barack Obama named Lincoln his favorite president and insisted on using the Lincoln Bible for his inaugural ceremonies. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering light.

Lincoln has also been admired by political figures outside the U. He appears on postage stamps across the world. He was the first of five presidents to do so. He has been memorialized in many town, city, and county names, [ ] including the capital of Nebraska. Contents move to sidebar hide. House of Representatives — Article Talk.

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In the presidential electionnorthern and western electoral votes shown in red put Lincoln into the White House. Presidency — Main article: Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Secession and inauguration. Main article: Presidential transition of Abraham Lincoln. Further information: Secession winter and Baltimore Plot. Lincoln's first inaugural at the United States Capitol on March 4, with the Capitol dome above the rotunda still under construction.

On the left, Lincoln meeting with Union Army officers on October 3, following the Battle of Antietamincluding left to right: Col. Delos Sackett ; 4. George W. Morell ; 5. Alexander S. WebbChief of Staff, V Corps; 6. Jonathan Letterman ; Lincoln; Henry J. Hunt ; Fitz John Porter ; Andrew A. Humphreys ; George Armstrong Custer. On right, Lincoln meeting with McClellan the same day.

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Theoretical works. Republic c. National variants. Related topics. Main article: Health of Abraham Lincoln. See also: Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln. Reunification of the states. Main article: Memorials to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's image carved into the stone of Mount Rushmore. Abraham Lincolna bronze statue by Adolph Weinmansits before a historic church in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

On October 16,Lincoln went before a large crowd in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension and calling the institution a violation of the most basic tenets of the Declaration of Independence. Rugged conditions. Heavy labor. Minimal schooling. And a mother gone too soon.

The 16th U. Seward of New York and other powerful contenders in favor of the rangy Illinois lawyer with only one undistinguished congressional term under his belt. In the general election, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C. He built an exceptionally strong cabinet composed of many of his political rivals, including Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th president of the United States drove many southerners over the brink. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Union fleet, beginning the Civil War.