Abraham Lincoln 1809–1865
Civil War President
Abraham Lincoln lived far from any school for much of his childhood. He wanted to learn, though, so he read every book he could get his hands on. He often read at night after a hard day of farm work. He continued to read and study into adulthood. He even taught himself law. Being a lawyer helped him get into state politics in Illinois.
In 1861, Lincoln became President of the United States. Only about a month after he took office, the Civil War broke out. During the war, Lincoln signed a law that freed enslaved African Americans in Confederate states.
Also during the war, Lincoln gave one of the most famous speeches of all time. The speech is called the Gettysburg Address because he gave the address at the cemetery on the Gettysburg battlefield. Lincoln said that Americans would see to it that the men who were buried at Gettysburg died for a good cause. He said that the nation would be born again in freedom and that the “government of the people, for the people, and by the people, shall not perish from the earth [come to an end].”
Lincoln was killed soon after the Civil War ended. He did not live to oversee the rejoining of the two sides. His honesty and sense of fairness have inspired the many Presidents who have followed him, however. Those qualities have also helped make him one of the most beloved Presidents among the American people.
Critical Thinking
In what way did Lincoln help end slavery?