Liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln

It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. May Learn how and when to remove this message. Biography [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Hurun Report. Archived from the original on 31 August He condemned "that lawless and mobocratic spirit I make the assertion boldly, and without fear of contradiction, that no man, who does not hold an office, or does not aspire to one, has ever found any fault of the Bank.

It has doubled the prices of the products of their farms, and filled their pockets with a sound circulating medium, and they are all well pleased with its operations. Westerners in the Jacksonian Era were generally skeptical of all banks, and this was aggravated after the Panic ofwhen the Illinois Bank suspended specie payments. Lincoln still defended the bank, but it was too strongly linked to a failing credit system that lead to devalued currency and loan foreclosures to generate much political support.

In Democrats led another investigation of the state bank, with Lincoln as a Whig representative on the investigating committee. Lincoln was instrumental in the committee's conclusion that the suspension of specie payment was related to uncontrollable economic conditions rather than "any organic defects of the institutions themselves.

In an attempt to avoid a quorum on adjournment, Lincoln and several others jumped out of a first story window, but the Speaker counted them as present and "the bank was killed. He concluded, "If there was to be this continual warfare against the Institutions of the State In the s the slaveholding states began to take notice of the growth of antislavery rhetoric in the North.

In particular, they were "outraged by the American Antislavery Society's pamphlets depicting slaveowners as cruel brutes". In Januarythe Illinois legislature passed a resolution declaring that they "highly disapprove of the formation of abolition societies", that "the right of property in slaves is sacred to the slave-holding States by the Federal Government, and that they cannot be deprived of that right without their consent", and that "the General Government cannot abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, against the will of the citizens of said District.

Because relocation of the state capital was still the number one issue on the two men's agendas, they made no comment on their votes until the relocation was approved. On March 3, with his other legislative priorities behind him, Lincoln filed a formal written protest with the legislature that stated "the institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy.

Infrom the start of the law partnership with Stuart, Lincoln handled most of the firms clients, while Stuart was primarily concerned with politics and election to the United States House of Representatives. The law practice had as many clients as it could handle. Most fees were five dollars, with the common fee ranging between two and a half dollars and ten dollars.

Lincoln quickly realized that he was equal in ability and effectiveness to most other attorneys, whether they were self-taught like Lincoln or had studied with a more experienced lawyer.

Liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln: Receiving the Rhodes Scholarship was one

Following Stuart's elected to Congress in NovemberLincoln ran the practice on his own. Lincoln, like Stuart, considered his legal career as simply a catalyst for his political ambitions. However, when Stuart was reelected to Congress, Lincoln was no longer content to carry the entire load. In April he entered into a new partnership with Stephen T.

Logan was nine years older than Lincoln, the leading attorney in Sangamon County, and a former attorney in Kentucky before he moved to Illinois. Logan saw Lincoln as a complement to his practice, recognizing that Lincoln's effectiveness with juries was superior to his own in that area. Once again, clients were plentiful for the firm, although Lincoln received one-third of the firm's proceeds rather than the even split he had enjoyed with Stuart.

Lincoln's association with Logan was a learning experience. He absorbed from Logan some of the finer points of law and the importance of proper and detailed case research and preparation.

Liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln: executive, Liang Xinjun, of Fosun International's

Logan's written pleadings were precise and on point, and Lincoln used them as his model. However, much of Lincoln's development was still self-taught. Historian David Herbert Donald wrote that Logan taught him that "there was more to law than common sense and simple equity" and Lincoln's study began to focus on "procedures and precedents. Lincoln's growing skills became evident as his appearances before the Supreme Court increased and would serve him well in his political career.

By the time he went to Washington inLincoln had appeared over three hundred times before this court. Oates wrote, "It was here that he earned his reputation as a lawyer's lawyer, adept at meticulous preparation and cogent argument. Lincoln's partnership with Logan was dissolved in the fall of when Logan entered into a partnership with his son.

Lincoln, who probably could have had his choice of more established attorneys, was tired of being the junior partner and entered into a partnership with William Herndonwho had been reading law in the offices of Logan and Lincoln. Herndon, like Lincoln, was an active Whig, but the party in Illinois at that time was split into two factions.

Lincoln was connected to the older, "silk stocking" element of the party through his marriage to Mary Todd ; Herndon was one of the leaders of the younger, more populist portion of the party. The Lincoln-Herndon partnership continued through Lincoln's presidential election, and Lincoln remained a partner of record until his death. Before his partnership with Herndon, Lincoln had not regularly attended court in neighboring communities.

This changed as Lincoln became one of the most active regulars on the circuit throughinterrupted only by his two-year stint in Congress. The Eighth Circuit covered 11, square miles 28, km 2. On the road, lawyers and judges lived in cheap hotels, with two lawyers to a bed; and six or eight men to a room. Lincoln's reputation for integrity and fairness on the circuit led to him being in high demand both from clients and local attorneys who needed assistance.

It was during his time riding the circuit that he picked up one of his lasting nicknames, "Honest Abe".

Liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln: The findings, interpretations, and

The clients he represented, the men he rode the circuit with, and the lawyers he met along the way became some of Lincoln's most loyal political supporters. Davis joined the circuit in as a judge and would occasionally appoint Lincoln to fill in for him. They traveled the circuit for eleven years, and Lincoln would eventually appoint him to the United States Supreme Court.

Lamon, the only local attorney with whom Lincoln had a formal working agreement, accompanied Lincoln to Washington in Unlike other attorneys on the circuit, Lincoln did not supplement his income by engaging in real estate speculation or operating a business or a farm. His income was generally what he earned practicing law. On his return from his single term in the U.

House of Representatives, Lincoln turned down an offer of a partnership in a Chicago law firm. Lincoln was involved in at least two cases involving slavery. In an Illinois Supreme Court case, Bailey v. CromwellLincoln successfully prevented the sale of a woman who was alleged to be a slave, making the argument that in Illinois "the presumption of law was Matson brought slaves from his Kentucky plantation to work on land he owned in Illinois.

In this case, Lincoln invoked the right of transit, which allowed slaveholders to take their slaves temporarily into free territory. Lincoln also stressed that Matson did not intend to have the slaves remain permanently in Illinois. Even with these arguments, judges in Coles County ruled against Lincoln, and the slaves were set free.

Railroads became an important economic force in Illinois in the s. As they expanded they created myriad legal issues regarding "charters and franchises; problems relating to right-of-way; problems concerning evaluation and taxation; problems relating to the duties of common carriers and the rights of passengers; problems concerning merger, consolidation, and receivership.

Like the slave cases, sometimes Lincoln would represent the railroads and sometimes he would represent their adversaries. He had no legal or political agenda that was reflected in his choice of clients. Herndon referred to Lincoln as "purely and entirely a case lawyer. Barret, a shareholder. Barret refused to pay the balance on his pledge to the railroad on the grounds that it had changed its originally planned route.

Lincoln argued that as a matter of law, a corporation is not bound by its original charter when that charter can be amended in the public interest. Lincoln also argued that the newer route proposed by Alton and Sangamon was superior and less expensive, and accordingly, the corporation had a right to sue Barret for his delinquent payment.

Lincoln won this case and the Illinois Supreme Court decision was eventually cited by other U. The most important civil case for Lincoln was the landmark Hurd v. America's expansion west, which Lincoln strongly supported, was seen as an economic threat to the river trade, which ran north-to-south, primarily along the Mississippi River.

It was the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River. The steamboat owner sued for damages, claiming the bridge was a hazard to navigation, but Lincoln argued in court for the railroad and won, removing a costly impediment to western expansion by establishing the right of land routes to bridge waterways. Criminal law made up a small part of Lincoln and Herndon's casework.

William "Duff" Armstrong had been charged with murder. The case became famous for Lincoln's use of judicial notice —a rare liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln at that time—to show that an eyewitness had lied on the stand. After the witness testified to having seen the crime by moonlight, Lincoln produced a Farmers' Almanac to show that the moon on that date was at such a low angle it could not have provided enough illumination to see anything clearly.

Based almost entirely on this evidence, Armstrong was acquitted. From Bergen's recollection, the prosecution had objected upon Lincoln's demonstration from the almanac and compared it to an almanac in their possession, only to find that Lincoln's was genuine. Lincoln was involved in more than 5, cases in Illinois alone during his year legal career.

Though many of these cases involved little more than filing a writ, others were more substantial and quite involved. Lincoln and his partners appeared before the Illinois State Supreme Court more than times. Abraham Lincoln is the only U. At one point the boat slid onto a dam and was set free only after heroic efforts. In later years, while traveling on the Great Lakes, Lincoln's ship ran afoul of a sandbar.

The resulting invention consists of a set of bellows attached to the hull of a ship just below the water line. On reaching a shallow place, the bellows are filled with air, and the vessel, thus buoyed, is expected to float clear. The invention was never marketed, probably because the extra weight would have increased the probability of running onto sandbars more frequently.

Lincoln whittled the model for his patent application with his own hands. In Lincoln called the introduction of patent laws one of the three most important developments "in the world's history. Historians do not agree on the significance or nature of their relationship, but, according to many she was his first and perhaps most passionate love.

At first, they were probably just close friends, but soon they had reached an understanding that they would be married as soon as Ann had completed her studies at the Female Academy in Jacksonville. Their plans were cut short in the summer of when what was probably typhoid fever hit New Salem. Ann died on August 25,and Lincoln went through a period of extreme melancholy that lasted for months.

In either orLincoln met Mary Owensthe sister of his friend Elizabeth Abell, when she was visiting from her home in Kentucky. Inin a conversation with Elizabeth, Lincoln agreed to court Mary if she ever returned to New Salem. On August 16,Lincoln wrote Mary a letter from Springfield suggesting an end to the relationship. She never replied and the courtship was over.

Edwards, son of Ninian Edwards. Mary was popular in the Springfield social scene but soon was attracted to Lincoln. Sometime inthe two became engaged. They initially set a January 1,wedding date, but mutually called it off. Lincoln proposed marriage to Sarah in but was rejected. Sarah later said that "his peculiar manner and his General deportment would not be likely to fascinate a young girl just entering the society world".

Liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln: Liang Xinjun. Graham Light. (Zimbabwe

Lincoln still had conflicted feelings concerning Mary Todd. In August he visited Joshua Speedhis close friend and former roommate, who had moved to Louisville, Kentucky. Lincoln met Speed's fiancee while there, and after his return to Springfield. Speed and Lincoln corresponded over Speed's own doubts about marriage. Lincoln advised Speed and helped convince him to proceed with the marriage.

In turn, Speed urged Lincoln to do the same. Lincoln resumed his courtship of Mary, and on November 4,they were married at the Edwards's home. In a letter written a few days after the wedding, Lincoln wrote, "Nothing new here except my marrying, which to me, is matter of profound wonder. The couple had four sons. He was their only child to survive into adulthood.

Robert died on July 26,in Manchester, Vermont. The other Lincoln sons were born in Springfield, Illinois, and died either during childhood or their teen years. Lieutenant David H. Todd, Mary's half-brother, served as commandant of the Libby Prison camp during the war. In the winter of —, with the strong encouragement of his wife, Lincoln decided to pursue election to the United States House of Representatives from the newly created Seventh Congressional District.

His main rivals were his friends, Edward D. Baker and John J. On February 14 Lincoln told a local Whig political leader, "if you should hear any one say that Lincoln don't want to go to Congress, I wish you as a personal friend of mine, would tell him you have reason to believe he is mistaken. The truth is, I would like to go very much. At the end of February the Whigs met in Springfield, where Lincoln wrote the party platform "opposing direct federal taxes and endorsing a protective tariff, a national bank, distribution to the states of proceeds from federal land sales, and the convention system of choosing candidates.

Lincoln was selected as a delegate to the district convention which met on May 1 in Pekin. Although Lincoln worked hard for Baker, Hardin was selected as the Whig candidate, winning by a single vote. Lincoln then initiated a resolution that endorsed Baker for the nomination in two years. The resolution passed, which seemed to set a precedent for a single term with rotation among the party's leaders, and suggested that Lincoln would be next in line after Baker.

In Lincoln campaigned enthusiastically for Henry Clay, the Whig nominee for president and a personal hero of Lincoln. On the campaign trail Lincoln and the other Illinois Whigs emphasized tariff issues, while touting the economic success of the Tariff of that had been passed in Congress under Whig leadership. Part of the campaign pitted Lincoln in a series of debates against Democrat John Calhoun, a candidate for Congress.

Campaigning in Illinois for most ofLincoln spoke out against the annexation of Texas a potential slave territorypromoted national and state banks, and opposed a wave of nativism that would become a major political issue a decade later. On the last issue Lincoln declared that "the guarantee of the rights of liang xinjun biography of abraham lincoln, as found in our Constitution, is most sacred and inviolable, and one that belongs no less to the Catholic, than to the Protestant; and that all liangs xinjun biography of abraham lincoln to abridge or interfere with these rights, either of Catholic or Protestant, directly or indirectly, have our decided disapprobation, and shall ever have our most effective opposition.

Clay's opponent, James K. Following his election to the presidency inLincoln selected a strong cabinet composed of many of his political rivals, including William Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Edwin Stanton. In the early morning hours of April 12,the guns stationed to protect the harbor blazed toward the fort, signaling the start of the U.

Crushing the rebellion would be difficult under any circumstances, but the Civil War, after decades of white-hot partisan politics, was especially onerous. From all directions, Lincoln faced disparagement and defiance. He was often at odds with his generals, his cabinet, his party, and a majority of the American people. On January 1,Lincoln delivered his official Emancipation Proclamationreshaping the cause of the Civil War from saving the Union to abolishing slavery.

And the Union victory at Antietam on September 22,while by no means conclusive, was hopeful. It gave Lincoln the confidence to officially change the goals of the war. On that same day, he issued a preliminary proclamation that slaves in states rebelling against the Union would be free as of January 1. In the far reaches of western Texas, that day finally came on June 19, —more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.

For decades, many Black Americans have celebrated this anniversary, known as Juneteenth or Emancipation Day, and inPresident Joe Biden made Juneteenth a national holiday. Still, the Emancipation Proclamation did have some immediate impact. It permitted Black Americans to serve in the Union Army for the first time, which contributed to the eventual Union victory.

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. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was a strong supporter of the Confederacy.

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