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The 15 Best Books on President Abraham Lincoln

Essential books on abraham lincoln.

There are countless books on Abraham Lincoln, and it comes with good reason, aside from being elected America’s sixteenth President (1861-1865), he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy and preserved the Union while serving as Commander-in-Chief amidst a brutal Civil War.

“Of our political revolution of ’76, we all are justly proud. It has given us a degree of political freedom, far exceeding that of any other nation of the earth,” Lincoln remarked. “In it the world has found a solution of the long mooted problem, as to the capability of man to govern himself. In it was the germ which has vegetated, and still is to grow and expand into the universal liberty of mankind.”

In order to get to the bottom of what inspired one of history’s most consequential figures to the heights of societal contribution, we’ve compiled a list of the 15 best books on Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald

Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln’s gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever-expanding political circles in Illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the gradual development of Lincoln’s character, chronicling his tremendous capacity for evolution and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared for the presidency to become a great moral leader. In the most troubled of times, here was a man who led the country out of slavery and preserved a shattered Union – in short, one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.

We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.

This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln’s mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation’s history.

Lincoln at Gettysburg by Gary Wills

The power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. Instead he gave the whole nation “a new birth of freedom” in the space of a mere 272 words. His entire life and previous training and his deep political experience went into this, his revolutionary masterpiece.

By examining both the address and Lincoln in their historical moment and cultural frame, Wills breathes new life into words we thought we knew, and reveals much about a president so mythologized but often misunderstood. Wills shows how Lincoln came to change the world and to effect an intellectual revolution, how his words had to and did complete the work of the guns, and how Lincoln wove a spell that has not yet been broken.

Lincoln’s Sword by Douglas L. Wilson

Widely considered in his own time as a genial but provincial lightweight who was out of place in the presidency, Abraham Lincoln astonished his allies and confounded his adversaries by producing a series of speeches and public letters so provocative that they helped revolutionize public opinion on such critical issues as civil liberties, the use of black soldiers, and the emancipation of slaves. This is a brilliant and unprecedented examination of how Lincoln used the power of words to not only build his political career but to keep the country united during the Civil War.

The Fiery Trial by Eric Foner

Selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review , this landmark work gives us a definitive account of Lincoln’s lifelong engagement with the nation’s critical issue: American slavery. A master historian, Eric Foner draws Lincoln and the broader history of the period into perfect balance. We see Lincoln, a pragmatic politician grounded in principle, deftly navigating the dynamic politics of antislavery, secession, and civil war. Lincoln’s greatness emerges from his capacity for moral and political growth.

Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer

As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration – an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close.

Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office.

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White

Through meticulous research of the newly completed Lincoln Legal Papers, as well as of recently discovered letters and photographs, White provides a portrait of Lincoln’s personal, political, and moral evolution.

White shows us Lincoln as a man who would leave a trail of thoughts in his wake, jotting ideas on scraps of paper and filing them in his top hat or the bottom drawer of his desk; a country lawyer who asked questions in order to figure out his own thinking on an issue, as much as to argue the case; a hands-on commander in chief who, as soldiers and sailors watched in amazement, commandeered a boat and ordered an attack on Confederate shore batteries at the tip of the Virginia peninsula; a man who struggled with the immorality of slavery and as president acted publicly and privately to outlaw it forever; and finally, a president involved in a religious odyssey who wrote, for his own eyes only, a profound meditation on “the will of God” in the Civil War that would become the basis of his finest address.

Most enlightening, the man who comes into focus in this gem among books on Abraham Lincoln is a person of intellectual curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity, and unafraid to “think anew and act anew.”

Tried by War by James M. McPherson

As we celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, this study by preeminent, bestselling Civil War historian James M. McPherson provides a rare, fresh take on one of the most enigmatic figures in American history. Tried by War offers a revelatory (and timely) portrait of leadership during the greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. Suspenseful and inspiring, this is the story of how Lincoln, with almost no previous military experience before entering the White House, assumed the powers associated with the role of Commander in Chief, and through his strategic insight and will to fight changed the course of the war and saved the Union.

Honor’s Voice by Douglas L. Wilson

Abraham Lincoln’s remarkable emergence from the rural Midwest and his rise to the presidency have been the stuff of romance and legend. But as Douglas L. Wilson shows us in Honor’s Voice, Lincoln’s transformation was not one long triumphal march, but a process that was more than once seriously derailed. There were times, in his journey from storekeeper and mill operator to lawyer and member of the Illinois state legislature, when Lincoln lost his nerve and self-confidence – on at least two occasions he became so despondent as to appear suicidal – and when his acute emotional vulnerabilities were exposed.

Focusing on the crucial years between 1831 and 1842, Wilson’s skillful analysis of the testimonies and writings of Lincoln’s contemporaries reveals the individual behind the legends. We see Lincoln as a boy: not the dutiful son studying by firelight, but the stubborn rebel determined to make something of himself. We see him as a young man: not the ascendant statesman, but the canny local politician who was renowned for his talents in wrestling and storytelling (as well as for his extensive store of off-color jokes).

Wilson also reconstructs Lincoln’s frequently anguished personal life: his religious skepticism, recurrent bouts of depression, and difficult relationships with women – from Ann Rutledge to Mary Owens to Mary Todd.

Abraham Lincoln by Lord Charnwood

No other narrative account of Abraham Lincoln’s life has inspired such widespread and lasting acclaim as Charnwood’s Abraham Lincoln: A Biography . Written by a native of England and originally published in 1916, the biography is a rare blend of beautiful prose and profound historical insight. Charnwood’s study of Lincoln’s statesmanship introduced generations of Americans to the life and politics of Lincoln and the author’s observations are so comprehensive and well-supported that any serious study of Lincoln must respond to his conclusions.

Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk

Giving shape to the deep depression that pervaded Lincoln’s adult life, Joshua Wolf Shenk’s Lincoln’s Melancholy reveals how this illness influenced both the president’s character and his leadership. Lincoln forged a hard path toward mental health from the time he was a young man. Shenk draws from historical records, interviews with Lincoln scholars, and contemporary research on depression to understand the nature of his unhappiness. In the process, he discovers that the President’s coping strategies; among them, a rich sense of humor and a tendency toward quiet reflection; ultimately helped him to lead the nation through its greatest turmoil.

Lincoln at Cooper Union by Harold Holzer

This favorite among books on Abraham Lincoln explores his most influential and widely reported pre-presidential address – an extraordinary appeal by the western politician to the eastern elite that propelled him toward the Republican nomination for president. Delivered in New York in February 1860, the Cooper Union speech dispelled doubts about Lincoln’s suitability for the presidency and reassured conservatives of his moderation while reaffirming his opposition to slavery to Republican progressives.

Award-winning Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer places Lincoln and his speech in the context of the times – an era of racism, politicized journalism, and public oratory as entertainment – and shows how the candidate framed the speech as an opportunity to continue his famous “debates” with his archrival Democrat Stephen A. Douglas on the question of slavery.

Holzer describes the enormous risk Lincoln took by appearing in New York, where he exposed himself to the country’s most critical audience and took on Republican Senator William Henry Seward of New York, the front runner, in his own backyard. Then he recounts a brilliant and innovative public relations campaign, as Lincoln took the speech “on the road” in his successful quest for the presidency.

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years by Carl Sandberg

Originally published in six volumes, Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln was called “the greatest historical biography of our generation.” Sandburg distilled this work into one volume that became one of the definitive books on Abraham Lincoln.

We Are Lincoln Men by David Herbert Donald

Though Abraham Lincoln had hundreds of acquaintances and dozens of admirers, he had almost no intimate friends. Behind his mask of affability and endless stream of humorous anecdotes, he maintained an inviolate reserve that only a few were ever able to penetrate.

Professor Donald’s remarkable book offers a fresh way of looking at Abraham Lincoln, both as a man who needed friendship and as a leader who understood the importance of friendship in the management of men. Donald penetrates Lincoln’s mysterious reserve to offer a new picture of the president’s inner life and to explain his unsurpassed political skills.

The Lincolns: Portraits of a Marriage by Daniel Mark

Although the private lives of political couples have in our era become front-page news, the true story of this extraordinary and tragic first family has never been fully told. The Lincolns eclipses earlier accounts with riveting new information that makes husband and wife, president and first lady, come alive in all their proud accomplishments and earthy humanity.

Award-winning biographer and poet Daniel Mark Epstein gives a fresh close-up view of the couple’s life in Springfield, Illinois (of their twenty-two years of marriage, all but six were spent there), and dramatizes with stunning immediacy how the Lincolns’ ascent to the White House brought both dazzling power and the slow, secret unraveling of the couple’s unique bond.

If you enjoyed this guide to essential books on Abraham Lincoln, be sure to check out our list of The 10 Best Books on President George Washington !

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History Books » American History » Books on American Presidents

The best books on abraham lincoln, recommended by ted widmer.

He came from humble beginnings and never went to high school. Going into the presidency, he had limited political experience and lacked business, legislative and military achievements. The one thing he did not lack was a moral compass, says historian and author Ted Widmer . He picks the best books on the ups and downs and Shakespearean-style plot twists that were the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.

Interview by Eve Gerber

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L Wilson

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills

Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory by Harold Holzer

They Knew Lincoln by John E Washington

1 Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

2 lincoln's sword: the presidency and the power of words by douglas l wilson, 3 lincoln at gettysburg: the words that remade america by garry wills, 4 emancipating lincoln: the proclamation in text, context, and memory by harold holzer, 5 they knew lincoln by john e washington.

T here are more than 16,000 books about Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th president. You’ve agreed to choose the best reading about Old Abe and I insisted that we discuss your thrilling Lincoln on the Verge among the five. Before we hit the books, please introduce our international audience to Abraham Lincoln.

There’s so much to admire about Abraham Lincoln. He comes along at a crucial moment, when every American knew a crisis was coming. Almost all historians would say he handled that crisis extremely well. He prevailed in a military contest, he deepened democracy, he expanded education, and he strengthened infrastructure. He expanded the role of the president in American life. And most importantly of all, he dealt a fatal blow to slavery.

His surprising literary capacity, which few knew about when they voted for him, was key to the impact he had. As president, he delivered extraordinary public addresses that are Shakespearian in some ways and biblical in other ways.

He’s emotionally interesting. Abraham Lincoln has more highs and lows than perhaps any other president. He’s very strong, but vulnerable also. That makes him an attractive central figure for a history book. And he’s tragically struck down at the moment of his greatest triumph, immediately after winning the Civil War . That seems almost like a plot twist out of Shakespeare . So he continues to fascinate.

When Abraham Lincoln ran for president in 1860, his supporters highlighted his bootstraps biography. His rise from a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House is astonishing. What are those basic biographical facts?

Your riveting book, Lincoln on the Verge, focuses on Abraham Lincoln at the precipice of his presidency. Please tell us about the book and the importance of that period you write about.

It’s a story about Abraham Lincoln’s 13-day train trip to his inauguration. We tend to have a static image of Lincoln, posed in a photograph or standing stiffly in a daguerreotype. But he was a man of action. I wanted to show him moving.

Along his train trip to Washington, Lincoln is meeting thousands of people every day. He’s improving his ability to sway people with a speech. Trying to keep the country together was physical as well as intellectual work. He was shaking tens of thousands of hands to keep America from falling apart. It was a physical ordeal but one that he was well-qualified for. We don’t think of Abraham Lincoln as a young man, but he had just turned 52 and he was still vigorous.

“There’s so much to admire about Abraham Lincoln”

This journey also shows America in all of its different shadings. It’s a country that is different, not only between North and South, but between the northern, southern, western and eastern parts of individual states. Southern Ohio is really different from Northern Ohio. Pennsylvania is very diverse. Following Lincoln on this trip through America allows me to show the complexity of the country in the nineteenth century.

America is clearly complicated in 2021 too. Reading about the dramatic differences between nineteenth century Americans, from one region to the next, still resonates today.

One of the things that made the book so gripping for me is how efficiently and effectively you explained what a dangerous moment it was for America’s democracy. Can you encapsulate that aspect of the book?

That too felt resonant to me because of all the upheaval we passed through in 2020. Democracy was not working well in 1860, in DC and around the world. The federal government wasn’t very effective and the lame duck president, James Buchanan, was lame in every way. He was imbecilic in meetings. Southern slave interests had controlled the US government almost without exception since 1789. The vast majority of free people in this huge and complicated country did not want to be governed by slaveowners and their representatives in Washington.

In Congress, disagreements boiled over, resulting in abolitionist Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner nearly being paralyzed after he was brutally beaten by a South Carolinian congressman. Congress was not functioning. There was barely any compromise or negotiation.

1860 is really the end of an era. It’s the failure of the first chapter of American history . They tried a form of democracy from 1789 to 1860. When Lincoln was elected, half the country wouldn’t accept it and so they seceded. That was a sign of an inconsistent commitment to democracy on their part.

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Lincoln had gargantuan challenges. It was up to him to reunite the country. But if he won the war by just crushing the South in a bloodbath, he couldn’t have brought the country back together and it would have been far harder for the country to function as a democracy again. So, he wants to win by persuading all of the people that democracy is worth the gargantuan effort to preserve the union.

Around the world, people have their eye on the U.S. because democracy is failing all over. Germany’s 1848 revolution has failed. In France, likewise, a revolution in 1848 has failed. In Italy , popular uprisings were faltering. So, if American democracy had completely collapsed, it could’ve been the final nail in the coffin for democracy. If Lincoln had failed, democracy might have been seen as just another strange utopian movement.

One of your recommended books is about the strength that made Abraham Lincoln such an effective president. Tell us about Lincoln’s Sword by historian Douglas Wilson.

Douglas Wilson is a superb Lincoln scholar, based at Knox College in Illinois. He’s an extremely close reader of Lincoln. Lincoln’s words are very important because they are kind of scripture for Americans. Sometimes the words are hard to pin down because three or four people hearing a Lincoln speech might each write them down differently. Douglas Wilson meticulously verifies every word spoken and helps us to understand Lincoln’s writing process. With all of the most famous Lincoln speeches, Wilson tells us why the speech needed to be given, the process of writing the speech, and the various iterations of the speech. His intense literary focus is exciting. Every time I read Douglas Wilson’s work, I feel re-energized by Lincoln’s words.

According to Richard Norton Smith, Wilson “reconstructs the man by deconstructing his words.” What does Abraham Lincoln’s writing reveal about him?

That leads us to a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Garry Wills about one of Lincoln’s most powerful speeches, delivered in 1863 at the dedication of a cemetery for war dead. Tell us about Lincoln at Gettysburg.

It’s a wonderful book that concentrates all of the author’s formidable erudition on a single short speech. The Gettysburg Address is only 272 words. It probably took him three minutes to say. Wills makes the moment crackle with electricity. He explains how Lincoln wrote the address, on the way to Gettysburg. He deconstructs the speech itself and contextualizes it. All of American history was pivoting, in these three minutes, from a states-based way of thinking about our society to a nation-based way of thinking. In this speech, Lincoln re-dedicated the United States to citizenship for all of its people. Up until this point, African-Americans were largely excluded from citizenship. In this speech, Wills shows Lincoln is realigning the stars of our country to make us a federal union that is stronger than the states and dedicated to the rights of all of citizens, including African-Americans. It was a big step forward.

The phrase from those 272 words that has resounded ever since is “a new birth of freedom.” What does that phrase mean?

Next is Harold Holzer’s Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context and Memory . The Emancipation Proclamation declared that, as of New Year’s Day of 1863, enslaved people in the rebelling states would be free “thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.”

It’s hard for me to pick a single Harold Holzer book because there are so many, and they’re all so good. Emancipating Lincoln is very cogent and relatively short. Three chapters from three talks he gave at Harvard, about what made the Emancipation Proclamation such a remarkable document. The Emancipation Proclamation had more of an impact on policy and law than Lincoln’s speeches, which are far more familiar to students of history.

“His surprising literary capacity…was key to the impact he had”

And Holzer is also restoring how hard it was for Lincoln to do that. That is important because we sometimes take him for granted, or worse, take potshots at him. Recently statues of him have been torn down and his name has been stripped from public schools. It is possible to find imperfect things that were not racially sensitive to our pitch-perfect ears. But what Harold Holzer brilliantly demonstrated is that emancipation was politically difficult to achieve, and had a huge impact, as African-Americans, in particular, understood. It’s a beautiful small book that restores Lincoln to what was probably his most important role, the role of the emancipator, the man who ended slavery.

In his introduction, Holzer casts Emancipating Lincoln as a reply to “harsh revisionist scholarship” that stripped Lincoln of credit for abolition and “the new birth of freedom” he called for at Gettysburg. Revisionism, needless to say, is nothing new. One of the statues you’re referring to was across the river from me in Boston. The only text my middle schooler receives, in a social studies class focused on 1860 onwards, casts Lincoln as a cynical politician who was adamantly opposed to equal rights for Black Americans. How and why has Lincoln’s reputation risen and fallen in the 158 years since he signed the Emancipation Proclamation?

That statue was built after Lincoln died; he had nothing to do with it. It’s troubling in many ways, the body language is wrong but, still, we should proceed cautiously, and listen to the voices of Lincoln’s time.

Finally, please tell me about the last Abraham Lincoln book on your list, John E. Washington’s They Knew Lincoln.

It’s a great book and an unusual book, first published in 1942 by an African American teacher who grew up in the shadow of the Capitol. The book was recently republished with an excellent introduction by historian Kate Masur. John E. Washington gathered a lot of fantastic oral history and documents to tell the untold story of the African Americans who knew Lincoln.

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Black Americans from many walks of life came into contact with Lincoln. There were African Americans working in the White House. He was friendly with a young man named William Johnson who worked in the Treasury Department. His barber back in Illinois, William De Fleurville, was born in Haiti and they knew one another well. The stories in this book deepen our understanding of Lincoln and his presidency. It wasn’t just white men in blue uniforms; there were many African Americans playing important roles behind the scenes.

By reconstructing the lives of the African American people who knew Lincoln is Washington originating social history of the sort that became popular in the 1960s?

I’m sure we could find earlier examples of social history. For instance, there are really interesting books written about the experience of average soldiers in the American Revolution. But despite the efforts of historians like W.E.B. Dubois, there had not been enough work focused on the African Americans during the civil war. This book helps to fix that imbalance and shows how much Lincoln’s presidency depended on the aid he received from others in his extended household.

Last question: As you pointed out earlier, like the thirteen days you wrote about in Lincoln on the Verge , the United States just passed through a period between presidencies when democracy was under great strain. What lessons does Lincoln’s life offer about how the present president, Joe Biden , can deal with the divisions in America? What lessons does Lincoln’s life offer for all leaders?

There’s a great lesson to be learned from Lincoln’s efforts to speak to all Americans. Lincoln always takes pains to speak to the South. He always was striving to “bind up the nation’s wounds,” as he said in the second inaugural. To survive, the United States needs presidents who are focused on the entire country, not just the party or interest groups that elect them. I’m encouraged that President Biden has been that way so far.

Lincoln also provides an example of action. Although he was a little slow coming out of the box, when the South attacked Fort Sumter, he responded with alacrity, raised the Northern Army and ramped up an overwhelming military response. While leading the war, he signed the Morrill Act in 1862, which expanded our public education system with land grant colleges. He signed the Homestead Act, which helped immigrants and ultimately freed slaves start new communities in the West. He helped the railroad and telegraph stretch across the country. He did not hesitate in using the powers of the presidency to act boldly and push actions through Congress that he believed would help Americans. That has also been true of Joe Biden to date.

So far, Biden’s combination of unifying rhetoric and focused action has been impressive and yes, Lincolnian.

February 12, 2021

Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]

Edward (Ted) Ladd Widmer is a historian, author and librarian who served as speechwriter in the Clinton White House. He is a professor at Macaulay Honors College, part of City University of New York.

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In a 24-hour, Internet-fueled news cycle, political campaign reporters often seem to be focused on what just happened, and only what just happened. But presidential candidates profess to take a longer view: They consciously link their critiques and promises to the influential figures and debates of the past.

In a new series, Morning Edition will take a fresh look at American political history, beginning with the figure who loomed over the 2008 and 2012 campaign — that tall, well-spoken senator from Illinois, often hailed for his significance in the history of American race relations. No, not President Obama. We're talking about Abraham Lincoln.

President Obama and presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum each have put forward their own narratives of the life of Lincoln, fine-tuned to their own political purposes. But their versions of Lincoln are just drops in a veritable ocean of books — almost 15,000, to be precise — that assay Lincoln's legacy.

Where should a reader begin? Perhaps the most well-known biography is Lincoln , by the late historian David Herbert Donald. Eric Foner, a professor of history at Columbia University and author of The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery , recommends Donald's book as the best one-volume account of Lincoln's life.

"[Donald] avoided the two pitfalls that people fall into. One is just hagiography — you know, [Lincoln] was born with a pen in his hand ready to sign the Emancipation Proclamation; and the other is the opposite, of course — [he was] just a racist or didn't really care about slavery at all. Donald sort of navigates between them," Foner says.

David Herbert Donald was an American historian who specialized in the Civil War and Reconstruction. David Schaefer/Courtesy of Simon & Schuster hide caption

David Herbert Donald was an American historian who specialized in the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Foner notes, however, that the book is not without its flaws — notably that Donald's portrayal of Lincoln may have been influenced by current events in the mid-'90s, particularly by President Clinton.

"[Donald] sort of sees Lincoln as a person without any deep convictions," Foner says. "I think he sort of saw Lincoln as a Clinton figure — buffeted by events, not clear what he stood for. I don't think that's a very persuasive picture of Lincoln."

Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian and author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln , recommends a book that shows how Lincoln prevailed under pressure during the Civil War: Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson.

"He is such a narrative genius, McPherson ... what he's done is to mix together the battles, Lincoln's leadership, the home front, the finances, the Cabinet, all together, but it drives forward as a story, and you don't know until finally, perhaps, Atlanta, whether the North is really going to win this war," Goodwin says.

Lincoln's strategically brilliant decisions were gambles at the time, she says.

"We know the ending — we know that he was martyred, we know that the war was won. But the people living then certainly didn't know that, and I think that's what McPherson's pace allows us to see," Goodwin says.

Battle Cry Of Freedom

But Lincoln's political persona is but one dimension of the man. Andy Ferguson, senior editor of The Weekly Standard and author of Land of Lincoln , recommends an out of print book, In the Footsteps of the Lincolns . The book's author, Ida Tarbell, the iconic muckraking journalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exposes Lincoln's roots in the frontier culture of the Midwest.

Ferguson says Tarbell was obsessed with Lincoln throughout her life. "After World War I, she went and sort of fulfilled a part of her obsession that she had always wanted to, which was to retrace Lincoln's movements with his family since he was a little boy, from Kentucky to Indiana and into Illinois. And as she did this, there were still people alive who knew the Lincolns. It's a part of time that we can't really get access to any other way," Ferguson says.

In the days when Lincoln was growing up, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois were remote areas struggling to develop. "It was just a couple of steps up from the Bronze Age, really," Ferguson says.

But rather than embracing his hardscrabble background, Foner says, Lincoln distanced himself from frontier culture.

"He doesn't like hunting, he's not a violent person, he doesn't hate Indians, he doesn't drink . And he understands very early — and where this comes from, who knows — that the way to get ahead is through your mind, not through just hard physical labor, which is what his father does. [Lincoln] gets as far away from the frontier as he can, pretty early," Foner says.

As often as political candidates today employ Lincoln's name for their own purposes, there are certain aspects to Lincoln that modern-day candidates won't adopt. For instance, Foner says he would love to see a political candidate of any party forthrightly say, "I have changed my mind," because that's what Lincoln did over and over again during the Civil War.

James M. McPherson is a professor emeritus of history at Princeton University. Patricia McPherson/ hide caption

James M. McPherson is a professor emeritus of history at Princeton University.

"Lincoln was a flip-flopper, if you want to use the terminology of modern politics. We don't seem to allow our politicians to do that anymore," Foner says.

Ferguson says that even when politicians do change their minds, political speechwriters are tasked with making it seem like the politician's views remained consistent.

Goodwin adds that she would like to see politicians emulate Lincoln's sense of humor. She tells a story about a time when Lincoln was accused of being two-faced, and he replied, "If I had two faces, do you think I'd be wearing this face?"

"That ability to laugh at yourself, to look at yourself from the outside in, means a certain kind of confidence — means taking the world seriously, but not taking yourself so seriously at every moment. It is in such short supply in our campaigns," Goodwin says.

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

The Best Biographies of Abraham Lincoln

28 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Steve in Best Biographies Posts , President #16 - A Lincoln

≈ 66 Comments

Abraham Lincoln , Allen Guelzo , American history , Benjamin Thomas , biographies , book reviews , Carl Sandburg , David Donald , David S. Reynolds , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Eric Foner , James McPherson , Michael Burlingame , presidential biographies , Presidents , Pulitzer Prize , Richard Brookhiser , Ronald White , Stephen Oates

Of the sixteen presidents whose biographies I’ve read so far, none have offered the variety of choices of Abraham Lincoln. Of the dozen Lincoln biographies I read, two were Pulitzer Prize winners, one is the second best-read presidential biography of all time, and six held the distinction of being the definitive Lincoln biography at one time or another.

No president before Lincoln required as much of my time, either – it took me over 3½ months to read all twelve biographies. Together, they contained nearly 9,500 pages – almost twice as many as the president with the second-tallest stack of biographies in my collection (Thomas Jefferson with about 5,000 pages).

Given this enormous time commitment, it’s fortunate Lincoln was both a fascinating individual and a masterful politician. His life story is as interesting as anyone’s (president or otherwise), and he proved far more impressive than most of the first fifteen presidents.

* The first Lincoln biography I read was Michael Burlingame’s masterful two-volume “ Abraham Lincoln: A Life ” published in 2008. This 1,600 page jewel is actually the condensed version of the much longer original manuscript that is only available online (free!). Although daunting for a new Lincoln admirer and probably more detailed than most readers will desire, this biography is extremely descriptive and consistently insightful.

Particularly well-covered is the crushing poverty of Lincoln’s youth, his “colorful” relationship with Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 and the Republican convention of 1860. Because of its extensive breadth and depth of coverage this may not be the perfect introduction to Lincoln for some readers. But for anyone interested in Lincoln, this an excellent – perhaps unrivaled – second or third biography of Lincoln to read. ( Full review here )

* Next I read Ronald White’s 2009 “ A. Lincoln: A Biography .” Often described as the second best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald’s 1995 biography) I was not disappointed. Although fairly lengthy (at nearly 700 pages) it is entertaining to read and easy to follow. The author never leaves the reader stranded in a sea of confusing details, and to provide incremental clarity and context he has embedded a large number of maps, charts, illustrations and photographs at appropriate points within the text.

Compared to Burlingame’s excellent description of Lincoln’s youth, however, White provided less insight into this early phase of Lincoln’s life. And because White focused so intently on the development of Lincoln’s legal and political careers he provided far less perspective on Lincoln’s family life than Burlingame. What was mentioned of the volatile Mary Todd Lincoln was also far more generous than her treatment at the hands of many other Lincoln biographies. Overall, White’s biography proved an excellent, if not perfect, introduction to Lincoln. ( Full review here )

* David Herbert Donald’s widely acclaimed “ Lincoln ” was my next biography. Ever since its publication in 1995 this biography has maintained a passionate and loyal following and is often considered the best single-volume biography of Lincoln ever . Donald’s biography provided me the first truly captivating view of the interactions between Lincoln and his cabinet members. I also found the author’s description of Lincoln’s hunt for the presidency (including the Republican nominating convention of 1860) absolutely terrific.

But because I expected perfection from this biography, I was disappointed to find the author’s writing style to be that of an accomplished historian rather than a great storyteller. In addition, Donald occasionally shifts gears without warning between chronological and topic-focused progression. Finally, I had hoped to meet the same colorful, intellectual and intriguing Abe Lincoln in this biography that I had met in others…and by a small margin I did not. But overall, David Donald’s “Lincoln” is an exceptionally worthy biography and can be recommended without hesitation. ( Full review here )

*Stephen Oates’s 1977 “ With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln ” was the fourth biography of Lincoln I read. When published, Oates’s biography was the first comprehensive look at Lincoln in almost two decades and replaced Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography of Lincoln as “the” definitive work on Lincoln. Unfortunately, a little more than a decade after this book’s publication, Oates was accused of plagiarizing Thomas’s biography.

Shorter than the other biographies of Lincoln I had read, “With Malice Toward None” was more efficient with my time but at the cost of ignoring many of the interesting details found in other biographies. And while the author’s writing style is pleasantly informal, it occasionally seems less serious as well. I also found Oates’s descriptions of a number of Lincoln’s most important personal and political friendships lacking, and the author misses the opportunity to provide his own explicit judgments as to Lincoln’s actions and legacy. Overall, a good but not great introduction to Lincoln. ( Full review here )

*Benjamin Thomas’s 1952 biography “ Abraham Lincoln ” was next on my list. This was the first comprehensive single-volume biography of Lincoln in the thirty-five years following publication of Lord Charnwood’s 1916 Lincoln biography. This book immediately feels like one written by a natural storyteller rather than a historian (though Thomas was both). Descriptions of both people and events are usually brilliant and make for an enjoyable reading experience. In addition, the author’s final chapter (mostly Thomas’s observations of Lincoln as president) proves extremely interesting.

Less perfect is Thomas’s lack of focus on Lincoln’s family, his adequate but not excellent review of the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Republican convention of 1860, and his seemingly perfunctory summary of Lincoln’s cabinet selection process. But overall I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Thomas’s sixty-two year old biography of Lincoln and for me it ranks at or near “best-in-class”. ( Full review here )

*Next, and for more than a month, I read Carl Sandburg’s two-volume “ Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years ” (published in 1926) and his four-volume “ Abraham Lincoln: The War Years ” (published in 1939). The latter was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history, and the six volumes together totaled about 3,300 pages.

Although it is unsurprising that the author of the first two volumes was a poet, the final four volumes could easily have been written by an Ivory-tower academic. The former is often lyrical and lucid while the latter is more often needlessly verbose and tedious. Sandburg’s combined works are impressive in scope, but uneven in focus and he often has difficulty separating the important from the trivial.

“The Prairie Years” is excellent at transporting the reader to Lincoln’s place and time, describing his surroundings and the local culture wonderfully. But the series is not an ideal biography of Lincoln’s early years. For its part, “The War Years” is an exhaustingly comprehensive account of Lincoln’s presidency (a great deal can be exposed in 2,400 pages, after all) but is frequently difficult to follow and consistently dense and difficult to read. One almost gets the sense Sandburg expected to be paid by the page.

Although it was an astonishing undertaking at the time, Sandburg’s six volumes compare poorly to other Lincoln biographies I’ve read in terms of efficiency with the reader’s time, effectiveness at delivering potent information to the reader, and maintaining a consistently interesting experience. I’ve not read Sandburg’s distilled single-volume version of these six books, but although the original six volumes are occasionally interesting and informative, more often they are just taxing. (Full reviews here and here )

* Next I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “ Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln .” This is one of the most popular presidential biographies of all time and was written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author (though for her biography of FDR, not Lincoln). Published in 2005, Goodwin’s rationale for the book was Lincoln’s decision to select his presidential rivals for key positions in his cabinet. The story of their relationships with each other is marvelously well-told.

Much of the time “Team of Rivals” is really a multiple biography of Lincoln, William Seward, Edward Bates and Salmon Chase. Goodwin weaves a narrative which is entertaining and often masterful. Unfortunately, left behind in the effort to write a book focused on Lincoln’s cabinet is adequate emphasis on Lincoln’s youth and pre-presidency; the reader is rushed through these years in order to focus on the book’s raison d’etre.

But in many respects, “Team of Rivals” is truly exceptional. Probably no other biography provides a more interesting and more thoughtful review of Lincoln’s interactions with his key advisers, and Goodwin resists the temptation to allow her biography of Lincoln to devolve into a tedious review of the Civil War. Overall, this is a very good book for a new fan of Lincoln, but it is a great book for someone seeking an entertaining and informative narrative about his team of advisers. ( Full review here )

* Eric Foner’s “ The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery ” was published in 2010 and received the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for history. Although included on my list of best biographies, it proves far less a biography of Lincoln than a treatise on his views of slavery. Although this is a topic well-covered in other Lincoln biographies, Foner dissects it with greater-than-average focus and effort. His analysis is generally clear and articulate, although the text can be tedious rather than interesting at times. And despite professing itself to be “both less and more than another biography” it is not a biography at all. For that reason, I declined to provide a rating for this book. ( Full review here )

* James McPherson’s “ Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief ” was next on my list. This 2008 biography focuses on Lincoln’s role as the nation’s commander in chief during the Civil War. McPherson is best known, of course, for authoring the highly-regarded “ Battle Cry of Freedom ” which may be the best one-volume work ever published on the Civil War.

Because of McPherson’s exclusive focus on Lincoln’s presidency there is virtually no introduction to the man at all. While the author clearly chose this approach in order to provide a unique cast to his biography, no analysis of Lincoln can possibly be complete without conveying key basic elements of Lincoln’s background. And while McPherson claims no other Lincoln biography has ever focused adequately on his role as commander in chief, I find this argument less-than-convincing. Rather than seeing Lincoln from a new perspective, McPherson shows Lincoln from only one perspective. ( Full review here )

* Next-to-last on my list was Allen Guelzo’s “ Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President ” published in 1999. Often described as an “intellectual biography” this book quickly takes on the feel of an academic paper written by a history professor rather than a biography written by a novelist. Through its earliest pages, and not infrequently throughout, it resembles a political and philosophical treatise rather than a biography. The book seems geared to an academic, not a broad, audience.

The best feature of this book is Guelzo’s epilogue which is one of the best concluding chapters of any presidential biography I’ve ever read. For an impatient but determined reader, this section of Guelzo’s biography should be read first…and possibly three or four times. But for someone seeking an ideal introduction to Abraham Lincoln or a fluid narrative of his life from birth to death, I would look elsewhere. ( Full review here )

* The final biography I read on Lincoln was Lord Charnwood’s 1916 “ Abraham Lincoln .” This biography was only added to my list recently when I was able to obtain a ninety-six year old copy…and couldn’t resist the urge to see Lincoln through the eyes of a British baron.

By far the most interesting and insightful portion of this book is its first sixty pages. Here, Charnwood reviews for his presumably British audience the history of the United States up to the time of Lincoln’s presidency. These pages are worth reading by anyone interested in US history.

The remainder of the book is often beautifully written, but barely adequate as an introductory biography. This is due at least in part to the book’s age and comparatively limited primary source material available to the author when this biography was written nearly a century ago. ( Full review here )

– – – – – – – – – – –

[Added Nov 2020]

I recently read David S. Reynolds’s new release “ Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times .” This self-described cultural biography is hefty (932 pages of text), informative and excellent at placing Lincoln within the context of the political, economic and social cross-currents of his era. However, it pre-supposes a familiarity with Lincoln and his times, fails to humanize him, largely ignores his personal life (though his wife receives significant attention) and brushes past several significant historical events which would receive attention in a more traditional biography.

This book can be recommended to Lincoln aficionados seeking a deeper understanding of how he navigated his era, but cannot be recommended for someone seeking a comprehensive introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy. ( Full review here )

[Added Feb 2022]

I just finished reading Richard Brookhiser’s “ Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln ” published in 2014. Although its subtitle and marketing efforts are both suggestive of a biography, this book’s mission is something altogether different (and, for the right audience, intriguing): It seeks to explore Lincoln’s lifelong efforts to perpetuate the work of the Founding Fathers and to connect his actions to his understanding of their true intentions.

Unfortunately, this book is neither a dedicated biography nor a focused exploration of Lincoln’s political philosophy. Instead, it is a somewhat uncomfortable hybrid of the two which leaves the “whole” worth less than the sum of its parts. Readers seeking a traditional biographical experience (or even a cohesive introduction to the 16th president) need to look elsewhere, and dedicated fans of Lincoln will the narrative interesting…but with an excess of conjecture and speculation. ( Full review here )

[Added Mar 2023]

Jon Meacham’s widely praised “ And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle ” was published in the fall of 2022. Like many other recent books on Lincoln, this one is marketed (at least implicitly ) as a biography…and the publisher claims that it “chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln.” But while the 421 page narrative does follow the broad contours of Lincoln’s life – from cradle to grave – most of its energy is directed toward the exploration of Lincoln’s moral, religious and political views and closely observing his antislavery commitment.

Supported by more than 200 pages of end notes and bibliography, this is one of the most best-researched books on a president I’ve ever read. And it is extremely successful in its goal of enlightening the reader as to the sources, and evolution, of Lincoln’s attitude toward slavery. Readers already familiar with the fascinating texture of Lincoln’s day-to-day life will find this book a rewarding supplement. But anyone seeking a thorough, comprehensive and colorful introduction to Lincoln’s life and legacy will need to look elsewhere for a more “traditional” biography . ( Full review here )

Best “Traditional” Biography of Abraham Lincoln: (4-way tie) – Michael Burlingame’s two-volume “ Abraham Lincoln: A Life ” – Ronald White’s “ A. Lincoln: A Biography ” – David Herbert Donald’s “ Lincoln ” – Benjamin Thomas’s “ Abraham Lincoln: A Biography ”

Best “Non-Traditional” Lincoln Biography: – Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “ Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln ”

Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union during the American Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people.

Quick Facts

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Abraham Lincoln was the 16 th president of the United States , serving from 1861 to 1865, and is regarded as one of America’s greatest heroes due to his roles in guiding the Union through the Civil War and working to emancipate enslaved people. His eloquent support of democracy and insistence that the Union was worth saving embody the ideals of self-government that all nations strive to achieve. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves across the Confederacy. Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings to achieving the highest office in the land is a remarkable story, and his death is equally notably. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865, at age 56, as the country was slowly beginning to reunify following the war. Lincoln’s distinctively humane personality and incredible impact on the nation have endowed him with an enduring legacy.

FULL NAME: Abraham Lincoln BORN: February 12, 1809 DIED: April 15, 1865 BIRTHPLACE: Hodgenville, Kentucky SPOUSE: Mary Todd Lincoln (m. 1842) CHILDREN: Robert Todd Lincoln , Edward Baker Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln, and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius HEIGHT: 6 feet 4 inches

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to parents Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in rural Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Thomas was a strong and determined pioneer who found a moderate level of prosperity and was well respected in the community. The couple had two other children: Lincoln’s older sister, Sarah, and younger brother, Thomas, who died in infancy. His death wasn’t the only tragedy the family would endure.

In 1817, the Lincolns were forced to move from young Abraham’s Kentucky birthplace to Perry County, Indiana, due to a land dispute. In Indiana, the family “squatted” on public land to scrap out a living in a crude shelter, hunting game and farming a small plot. Lincoln’s father was eventually able to buy the land.

When Lincoln was 9 years old, his 34-year-old mother died of tremetol, more commonly known as milk sickness, on October 5, 1818. The event was devastating to the young boy, who grew more alienated from his father and quietly resented the hard work placed on him at an early age.

In December 1819, just over a year after his mother’s death, Lincoln’s father Thomas married Sarah Bush Johnston, a Kentucky widow with three children of her own. She was a strong and affectionate woman with whom Lincoln quickly bonded.

Although both his parents were most likely illiterate, Thomas’ new wife Sarah encouraged Lincoln to read. It was while growing into manhood that Lincoln received his formal education—an estimated total of 18 months—a few days or weeks at a time.

Reading material was in short supply in the Indiana wilderness. Neighbors recalled how Lincoln would walk for miles to borrow a book. He undoubtedly read the family Bible and probably other popular books at that time such as Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim’s Progres s, and Aesop’s Fable s.

In March 1830, the family again migrated, this time to Macon County, Illinois. When his father moved the family again to Coles County, 22-year-old Lincoln struck out on his own, making a living in manual labor.

Lincoln was 6 feet 4 inches tall, rawboned and lanky yet muscular and physically strong. He spoke with a backwoods twang and walked with a long-striding gait. He was known for his skill in wielding an ax and early on made a living splitting wood for fire and rail fencing.

Young Lincoln eventually migrated to the small community of New Salem, Illinois, where over a period of years he worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster, and eventually general store owner. It was through working with the public that Lincoln acquired social skills and honed a storytelling talent that made him popular with the locals.

Not surprising given his imposing frame, Lincoln was an excellent wrestler and had only one recorded loss—to Hank Thompson in 1832—over a span of 12 years. A shopkeeper who employed Lincoln in New Salem, Illinois, reportedly arranged bouts for him as a way to promote the business. Lincoln notably beat a local champion named Jack Armstrong and became somewhat of a hero. (The National Wrestling Hall of Fame posthumously gave Lincoln its Outstanding American Award in 1992.)

When the Black Hawk War broke out in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans, the volunteers in the area elected Lincoln to be their captain. He saw no combat during this time, save for “a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes,” but was able to make several important political connections.

As he was starting his political career in the early 1830s, Lincoln decided to become a lawyer. He taught himself the law by reading William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England . After being admitted to the bar in 1837, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began to practice in the John T. Stuart law firm.

In 1844, Lincoln partnered with William Herndon in the practice of law. Although the two had different jurisprudent styles, they developed a close professional and personal relationship.

Lincoln made a good living in his early years as a lawyer but found that Springfield alone didn’t offer enough work. So to supplement his income, he followed the court as it made its rounds on the circuit to the various county seats in Illinois.

mary todd lincoln sitting in a chair and holding flowers for a photo

On November 4, 1842, Lincoln wed Mary Todd , a high-spirited, well-educated woman from a distinguished Kentucky family. Although they were married until Lincoln’s death, their relationship had a history of instability.

When the couple became engaged in 1840, many of their friends and family couldn’t understand Mary’s attraction; at times, Lincoln questioned it himself. In 1841, the engagement was suddenly broken off, most likely at Lincoln’s initiative. Mary and Lincoln met later at a social function and eventually did get married.

The couple had four sons— Robert Todd , Edward Baker, William Wallace, and Thomas “Tad”—of whom only Robert survived to adulthood.

Before marrying Todd, Lincoln was involved with other potential matches. Around 1837, he purportedly met and became romantically involved with Anne Rutledge. Before they had a chance to be engaged, a wave of typhoid fever came over New Salem, and Anne died at age 22.

Her death was said to have left Lincoln severely depressed. However, several historians disagree on the extent of Lincoln’s relationship with Rutledge, and his level of sorrow at her death might be more the makings of legend.

About a year after the death of Rutledge, Lincoln courted Mary Owens. The two saw each other for a few months, and marriage was considered. But in time, Lincoln called off the match.

In 1834, Lincoln began his political career and was elected to the Illinois state legislature as a member of the Whig Party . More than a decade later, from 1847 to 1849, he served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives. His foray into national politics seemed to be as unremarkable as it was brief. He was the lone Whig from Illinois, showing party loyalty but finding few political allies.

As a congressman, Lincoln used his term in office to speak out against the Mexican-American War and supported Zachary Taylor for president in 1848. His criticism of the war made him unpopular back home, and he decided not to run for second term. Instead, he returned to Springfield to practice law.

By the 1850s, the railroad industry was moving west, and Illinois found itself becoming a major hub for various companies. Lincoln served as a lobbyist for the Illinois Central Railroad as its company attorney.

Success in several court cases brought other business clients as well, including banks, insurance companies, and manufacturing firms. Lincoln also worked in some criminal trials.

In one case, a witness claimed that he could identify Lincoln’s client who was accused of murder, because of the intense light from a full moon. Lincoln referred to an almanac and proved that the night in question had been too dark for the witness to see anything clearly. His client was acquitted.

As a member of the Illinois state legislature, Lincoln supported the Whig politics of government-sponsored infrastructure and protective tariffs. This political understanding led him to formulate his early views on slavery, not so much as a moral wrong, but as an impediment to economic development.

In 1854, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act , which repealed the Missouri Compromise , allowing individual states and territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. The law provoked violent opposition in Kansas and Illinois, and it gave rise to today’s Republican Party .

This awakened Lincoln’s political zeal once again, and his views on slavery moved more toward moral indignation. Lincoln joined the Republican Party in 1856.

In 1857, the Supreme Court issued its controversial Dred Scott decision, declaring Black people were not citizens and had no inherent rights. Although Lincoln felt Black people weren’t equal to whites, he believed America’s founders intended that all men were created with certain inalienable rights.

Lincoln decided to challenge sitting U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas for his seat. In his nomination acceptance speech, he criticized Douglas, the Supreme Court , and President James Buchanan for promoting slavery then declared “a house divided cannot stand.”

During Lincoln’s 1858 U.S. Senate campaign against Douglas, he participated in seven debates held in different cities across Illinois. The two candidates didn’t disappoint, giving stirring debates on issues such as states’ rights and western expansion. But the central issue was slavery.

Newspapers intensely covered the debates, often times with partisan commentary. In the end, the state legislature elected Douglas, but the exposure vaulted Lincoln into national politics.

With his newly enhanced political profile, in 1860, political operatives in Illinois organized a campaign to support Lincoln for the presidency. On May 18, at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Lincoln surpassed better-known candidates such as William Seward of New York and Salmon P. Chase of Ohio. Lincoln’s nomination was due, in part, to his moderate views on slavery, his support for improving the national infrastructure, and the protective tariff.

In the November 1860 general election, Lincoln faced his friend and rival Stephen Douglas, this time besting him in a four-way race that included John C. Breckinridge of the Northern Democrats and John Bell of the Constitution Party. Lincoln received not quite 40 percent of the popular vote but carried 180 of 303 Electoral College votes, thus winning the U.S. presidency. He grew his trademark beard after his election.

Lincoln’s Cabinet

Following his election to the presidency in 1860, Lincoln selected a strong cabinet composed of many of his political rivals, including William Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Edwin Stanton.

Formed out the adage “Hold your friends close and your enemies closer,” Lincoln’s cabinet became one of his strongest assets in his first term in office, and he would need them as the clouds of war gathered over the nation the following year.

abraham lincoln stands next to 15 union army soldiers in uniform at a war camp, lincoln holds onto the back of a chair and wears a long jacket and top hat

Before Lincoln’s inauguration in March 1861, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union, and by April, the U.S. military installation Fort Sumter was under siege in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. In the early morning hours of April 12, 1861, the guns stationed to protect the harbor blazed toward the fort, signaling the start of the U.S. Civil War , America’s costliest and bloodiest war.

The newly President Lincoln responded to the crisis wielding powers as no other president before him: He distributed $2 million from the Treasury for war material without an appropriation from Congress; he called for 75,000 volunteers into military service without a declaration of war; and he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, allowing for the arrest and imprisonment of suspected Confederate States sympathizers without a warrant.

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, 1863, Lincoln delivered his official Emancipation Proclamation , reshaping the cause of the Civil War from saving the Union to abolishing slavery.

The Union Army’s first year and a half of battlefield defeats made it difficult to keep morale high and support strong for a reunification of the nation. And the Union victory at Antietam on September 22, 1862, 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.

The Emancipation Proclamation stated that all individuals who were held as enslaved people in rebellious states “henceforward shall be free.” The action was more symbolic than effective because the North didn’t control any states in rebellion, and the proclamation didn’t apply to border states, Tennessee, or some Louisiana parishes.

As a result, the Union army shared the Proclamation’s mandate only after it had taken control of Confederate territory. In the far reaches of western Texas, that day finally came on June 19, 1865—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 in 2021, President 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.

a painting of the gettysburg address with abraham lincoln standing on a stage and talking to a crowd

On November 19, 1863, 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 15,000 people, Lincoln delivered his 272-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 in 1776, and the people who died at Gettysburg fought to uphold this cause.

Lincoln evoked the Declaration of Independence , saying it was up to the living to ensure that the “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” and this Union was “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

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.

Following Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the war effort gradually improved for the North, though more by attrition than by brilliant military victories.

But by 1864, the Confederate armies had eluded major defeat and Lincoln was convinced he’d be a one-term president. His nemesis George B. McClellan , the former commander of the Army of the Potomac, challenged him for the presidency, but the contest wasn’t even close. Lincoln received 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 of 243 electoral votes.

On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee , commander of the Army of Virginia, surrendered his forces to Union General Ulysses S. Grant . The Civil War was for all intents and purposes over.

Reconstruction had already began during the Civil War, as early as 1863 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 assassinated on April 14, 1865, by well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. 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 56. His death was mourned by millions of citizens in the North and South alike.

Lincoln’s body first lay in state at the U. S. Capitol. About 600 invited guests attended a funeral in the East Room of the White House on April 19, though an inconsolable Mary Todd Lincoln wasn’t present.

His body was transported to his final resting place in Springfield, Illinois, by a funeral train. Newspapers publicized the schedule of the train, which made stops along various cities that played roles in Lincoln’s path to Washington. In 10 cities, the casket was removed and placed in public for memorial services. Lincoln was finally placed in a tomb on May 4.

On the day of Lincoln’s death, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17 th president at the Kirkwood House hotel in Washington.

Lincoln, already taller than most, is known for his distinctive top hats. Although it’s unclear when he began wearing them, historians believe he likely chose the style as a gimmick.

He wore a top hat to Ford’s Theatre on the night of his assassination. Following his death, the War Department preserved the hat until 1867 when, with Mary Todd Lincoln’s approval, it was transferred to the Patent Office and the Smithsonian Institution. Worried about the commotion it might cause, the Smithsonian stored the hat in a basement instead of putting it on display. It was finally exhibited in 1893, and it’s now one of the Institution’s most treasured items.

Lincoln is frequently cited by historians and average citizens alike as America’s greatest president. 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. According to historian Michael Burlingame , “No president in American history ever faced a greater crisis and no president ever accomplished as much.”

Lincoln’s philosophy was perhaps best summed up in his Second Inaugural Address , when he stated, “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.”

The Lincoln Memorial

a large statue of abraham lincoln with an engraving behind it

Since its dedication in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington has honored the president’s legacy. Inspired by the Greek Parthenon, the monument features a 19-foot high statue of Lincoln and engravings of the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Former President William Howard Taft served as chair of the Lincoln Memorial Commission, which oversaw its design and construction.

The monument is the most visited in the city, attracting around 8 million people per year. Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the memorial’s steps in 1963.

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. Lincoln (1939), which stars Henry Fonda and focuses on Lincoln’s early life and law career. A year later, Abe Lincoln in Illinois gave a dramatized account of Lincoln’s life after leaving Kentucky.

The most notable modern film is Lincoln , the 2012 biographical drama directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln and Sally Field as his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln . Day-Lewis won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

A more fantastical depiction of Lincoln came in the 1989 comedy film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure , in which the titular characters played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter travel back in time for the president’s help in completing their high school history report. Lincoln gives the memorable instruction to “be excellent to each other and... party on, dudes!”

Another example is the 2012 action film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter , based on a 2010 novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. Benjamin Walker plays Lincoln, who leads a secret double life hunting the immortal creatures and even fighting them during the Civil War.

Lincoln’s role during the Civil War is heavily explored in the 1990 Ken Burns documentary The Civil War , which won two Emmy Awards and two Grammys. In 2022, the History Channel aired a three-part docuseries about his life simply titled Abraham Lincoln .

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.
No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other ’ s consent.
I have learned the value of old friends by making many new ones.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Whenever I hear anyone arguing over slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.
To give the victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary.
Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors.
Don ’ t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.
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.
I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.
Nearly all men can handle adversity, if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
I ’ m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.
We can complain because rose bushes have thorns.
Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.

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Abraham Lincoln

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 7, 2024 | Original: October 29, 2009

Abraham Lincoln , a self-taught lawyer, legislator and vocal opponent of slavery, was elected 16th president of the United States in November 1860, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader: His Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for slavery’s abolition, while his Gettysburg Address stands as one of the most famous pieces of oratory in American history.

In April 1865, with the Union on the brink of victory, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln’s assassination made him a martyr to the cause of liberty, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history.

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in a one-room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky . His family moved to southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal schooling was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he had to work constantly to support his family.

In 1830, his family moved to Macon County in southern Illinois , and Lincoln got a job working on a river flatboat hauling freight down the Mississippi River to New Orleans . After settling in the town of New Salem, Illinois, where he worked as a shopkeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics as a supporter of the Whig Party , winning election to the Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay and Daniel Webster , Lincoln opposed the spread of slavery to the territories, and had a grand vision of the expanding United States, with a focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Did you know? The war years were difficult for Abraham Lincoln and his family. After his young son Willie died of typhoid fever in 1862, the emotionally fragile Mary Lincoln, widely unpopular for her frivolity and spendthrift ways, held seances in the White House in the hopes of communicating with him, earning her even more derision.

Lincoln taught himself law, passing the bar examination in 1836. The following year, he moved to the newly named state capital of Springfield. For the next few years, he worked there as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

He met Mary Todd , a well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas ), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to have four children together, though only one would live into adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following year. As a congressman, Lincoln was unpopular with many Illinois voters for his strong stance against the Mexican-American War. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat in Congress, had pushed through the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than the federal government, had the right to decide whether the territory should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, 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 .

With the Whig Party in ruins, Lincoln joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for the seat in 1855 as well). In June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels to illustrate his belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in a series of famous debates; though he lost the Senate election, Lincoln’s performance made his reputation nationally.

Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 Presidential Campaign

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher in early 1860 after he delivered another rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing over Senator William H. 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. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the vote in the South, Lincoln won most of the North and carried the Electoral College to win the White House .

He built an exceptionally strong cabinet composed of many of his political rivals, including Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton .

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War

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.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America .

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Union fleet, beginning the Civil War . Hopes for a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in the Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) , and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former secretary of war, Lincoln had only a brief and undistinguished period of service in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised many when he proved to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about strategy and tactics in the early years of the Civil War, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan , though beloved by his troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with his reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the aftermath of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus , but he considered such measures necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation , which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the enslaved people in the rebellious states not under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as one of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after his death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of the war. General George Meade missed the opportunity to deliver a final blow against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant , as supreme commander of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony for the new national cemetery at Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence and the pursuit of human equality. It became the most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

Abraham Lincoln Wins 1864 Presidential Election

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic nominee, the former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William T. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the South and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas after staging his March to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House , Virginia , on April 9. Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the White House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry out his vision of Reconstruction .

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across the street from the theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in the early morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of George Washington —is honored on President’s Day , which falls on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. On the side of the Union, it is a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered start, and a fair chance, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

HISTORY Vault: Abraham Lincoln

A definitive biography of the 16th U.S. president, the man who led the country during its bloodiest war and greatest crisis.

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Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. His family moved to Indiana when he was seven and he grew up on the edge of the frontier. He had very little formal education, but read voraciously when not working on his father’s farm. A childhood friend later recalled Lincoln's "manic" intellect, and the sight of him red-eyed and tousle-haired as he pored over books late into the night. In 1828, at the age of nineteen, he accompanied a produce-laden flatboat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana—his first visit to a large city--and then walked back home. Two years later, trying to avoid health and finance troubles, Lincoln's father moved the family moved to Illinois.

After moving away from home, Lincoln co-owned a general store for several years before selling his stake and enlisting as a militia captain defending Illinois in the Black Hawk War of 1832. Black Hawk, a Sauk chief, believed he had been swindled by a recent land deal and sought to resettle his old holdings. Lincoln did not see direct combat during the short conflict, but the sight of corpse-strewn battlefields at Stillman's Run and Kellogg's Grove deeply affected him. As a captain, he developed a reputation for pragmatism and integrity. Once, faced with a rail fence during practice maneuvers and forgetting the parade-ground instructions to direct his men over it, he simply ordered them to fall out and reassemble on the other side a minute later. Another time, he stopped his men before they executed a wandering Native American as a spy. Stepping in front of their raised muskets, Lincoln is said to have challenged his men to combat for the terrified native's life. His men stood down.

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 in 1834, serving as a Whig.

Abraham Lincoln met Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois where he was practicing as a lawyer. They were married in 1842 over her family’s objections and had four sons. 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 1850s after one term in Congress from 1847 to 1849. He joined the new Republican party—and the ongoing argument over sectionalism—in 1856. A series of heated debates in 1858 with Stephen A. Douglas , the sponsor of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act , over slavery and its place in the United States forged Lincoln into a prominent figure in national politics. Lincoln’s anti-slavery platform made him extremely unpopular with Southerners and his nomination for President in 1860 enraged them.

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln won the presidential election without the support of a single Southern state. Talk of secession, bandied about since the 1830s, took on a serious new tone. The Civil War was not entirely caused by Lincoln’s election, but the election was one of the primary reasons the war broke out the following year.

Lincoln’s decision to fight rather than to let the Southern states secede was not based on his feelings towards slavery. 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?"

The Civil War began with the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter , South Carolina, on April 12, 1861. Fort Sumter, situated in the Charleston Harbour, was a Union outpost in the newly seceded Confederate territory. Lincoln, learning that the Fort was running low on food, sent supplies to reinforce the soldiers there. The Southern navy repulsed the supply convoy. After this repulse, the Southern navy fired the first shot of the war at Fort Sumter and the Federal defenders surrendered after a 34-hour long battle.

Throughout the war, Lincoln struggled to find capable generals for his armies. As commander-in-chief, he legally held the highest rank in the United States armed forces, and he diligently exercised his authority through strategic planning, weapons testing, and the promotion and demotion of officers. McDowell , Fremont, McClellan , Pope , McClellan again, Buell , Burnside , Rosecrans --all of these men and more withered under Lincoln's watchful eye as they failed to bring him success on the battlefield.

He did not issue his famous Emancipation Proclamation until January 1, 1863 after the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam . The Emancipation Proclamation, which was legally based on the President’s right to seize the property of those in rebellion against the State, only freed slaves in Southern states where Lincoln’s forces had no control. Nevertheless, it changed the tenor of the war, making it, from the Northern point of view, a fight both to preserve the Union and to end slavery.

In 1864, Lincoln ran again for President. After years of war, he feared he would not win. Only in the final months of the campaign did the exertions of Ulysses S. Grant , the quiet general now in command of all of the Union armies, begin to bear fruit. A string of heartening victories buoyed Lincoln's ticket and contributed significantly to his re-election. In his second inauguration speech , March 4, 1865, he set the tone he intended to take when the war finally ended. His one goal, he said, was “lasting peace among ourselves.” He called for “malice towards none” and “charity for all.” The war ended only a month later.

The Lincoln administration did more than just manage the Civil War, although its reverberations could still be felt in a number of policies. The Revenue Act of 1862 established the United States' first income tax, largely to pay the costs of total war. The Morrill Act of 1862 established the basis of the state university system in this country, while the Homestead Act, also passed in 1862, encouraged settlement of the West by offering 160 acres of free land to settlers. Lincoln also created the Department of Agriculture and formally instituted the Thanksgiving holiday. Internationally, he navigated the "Trent Affair," a diplomatic crisis regarding the seizure of a British ship carrying Confederate envoys, in such a way as to quell the saber-rattling overtures coming from Britain as well as the United States. In another spill-over from the war, Lincoln restricted the civil liberties of due process and freedom of the press.

On April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln was shot by Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth. The assassination was part of a larger plot to eliminate the Northern government that also left Secretary of State William Seward grievously injured. Lincoln died the following day, and with him the hope of reconstructing the nation without bitterness.

Photograph portrait of a man with a beard in a suit

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The 20 Best Books about Abraham Lincoln

It’s not easy to narrow down the list of 16,000 books about Lincoln to just twenty, but we tried. Get to know more about the 16 th US president, and see for yourself why the man is so revered by many. This list of the 20 best books about Abraham Lincoln will give you a good dose of rich history, valuable facts, and interesting info that will surely satisfy the history buff in you.

NOTE: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

“On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.”

book cover of Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

“Leadership tells the story of how they all collided (Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson) with dramatic reversals that disrupted their lives and threatened to shatter forever their ambitions. Nonetheless, they all emerged fitted to confront the contours and dilemmas of their times. At their best, all four were guided by a sense of moral purpose. At moments of great challenge, they were able to summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others. Does the leader make the times or do the times make the leader?”

The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul by Brian Kilmeade

“Abraham Lincoln was White, born impoverished on a frontier farm. Frederick Douglass was Black, a child of slavery who had risked his life escaping to freedom in the North. Neither man had a formal education, and neither had had an easy path to influence. No one would have expected them to become friends—or to transform the country. But Lincoln and Douglass believed in their nation’s greatness. They were determined to make the grand democratic experiment live up to its ideals.”

book cover of The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade

The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President – and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

“The conspirators were part of a white supremacist secret society that didn’t want an abolitionist in the White House. They planned an elaborate scheme to assassinate the President-elect in Baltimore as Lincoln’s inauguration train passed through, en route to the nation’s capital. The plot was investigated by famed detective Allan Pinkerton, who infiltrated the group with undercover agents, including Kate Warne, one of the first female private detectives in America.”

book cover of The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. Phillips

“Only ten days before Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1861, the Confederate States of America seceded from the Union, taking all Federal agencies, forts, and arenas within their territory. To make matters worse, Lincoln, who was elected by a minority of the popular vote, was thought of by his own advisors as nothing more than a gawky second-rate country lawyer with no leadership experience.”

book cover of Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

“As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration—an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close. Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office.”

book cover of Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald

“Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln’s gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever-expanding political circles in Illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the gradual development of Lincoln’s character, chronicling his tremendous capacity for evolution and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared for the presidency to become a great moral leader. In the most troubled of times, here was a man who led the country out of slavery and preserved a shattered Union—in short, one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen.”

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White

“Through meticulous research of the newly completed Lincoln Legal Papers, as well as of recently discovered letters and photographs, White provides a portrait of Lincoln’s personal, political, and moral evolution. White shows us Lincoln as a man who would leave a trail of thoughts in his wake, jotting ideas on scraps of paper and filing them in his top hat or the bottom drawer of his desk; a country lawyer who asked questions in order to figure out his own thinking on an issue, as much as to argue the case; a hands-on commander in chief who, as soldiers and sailors watched in amazement, commandeered a boat and ordered an attack on Confederate shore batteries at the tip of the Virginia peninsula; a man who struggled with the immorality of slavery and as president acted publicly and privately to outlaw it forever; and finally, a president involved in a religious odyssey who wrote, for his own eyes only, a profound meditation on “the will of God” in the Civil War that would become the basis of his finest address.”

book cover of fA. Lincoln by Ronald C. White

Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times by David S. Reynolds

“It was a country growing up and being pulled apart at the same time, with a democratic popular culture that reflected the country’s contradictions. Lincoln’s lineage was considered auspicious by Emerson, Whitman, and others who prophesied that a new man from the West would emerge to balance North and South. From New England Puritan stock on his father’s side and Virginia Cavalier gentry on his mother’s, Lincoln was linked by blood to the central conflict of the age. And an enduring theme of his life, Reynolds shows, was his genius for striking a balance between opposing forces. Lacking formal schooling but with an unquenchable thirst for self-improvement, Lincoln had a talent for wrestling and bawdy jokes that made him popular with his peers, even as his appetite for poetry and prodigious gifts for memorization set him apart from them through his childhood, his years as a lawyer, and his entrance into politics.”

The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations by Abraham Lincoln and Bob Blaisdell

“The most eloquent of American presidents, Lincoln seemed to have a comment — sagacious or humorous — on just about anything that mattered. This concise compendium offers his astute observations on a variety of subjects—from women to warfare.”

book cover of The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln by Bob Blaisdell

Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk

“Giving shape to the deep depression that pervaded the sixteenth president’s adult life, Joshua Wolf Shenk’s Lincoln’s Melancholy reveals how this illness influenced both the president’s character and his leadership. Lincoln forged a hard path toward mental health from the time he was a young man. Shenk draws from historical record, interviews with Lincoln scholars, and contemporary research on depression to understand the nature of his unhappiness. In the process, he discovers that the President’s coping strategies — among them, a rich sense of humor and a tendency toward quiet reflection — ultimately helped him to lead the nation through its greatest turmoil.”

book cover of Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk

With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates

“Oates masterfully charts, with the pacing of a novel, Lincoln’s rise from bitter poverty in America’s midwestern frontier to become a self-made success in business, law, and regional politics. The second half of this riveting work examines his legendary leadership on the national stage as president during one of the country’s most tumultuous and bloody periods, the Civil War years, which concluded tragically with Lincoln’s assassination.”

With Malice Toward None by Stephen B. Oates

The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner

“Selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review, this landmark work gives us a definitive account of Lincoln’s lifelong engagement with the nation’s critical issue: American slavery. A master historian, Eric Foner draws Lincoln and the broader history of the period into perfect balance. We see Lincoln, a pragmatic politician grounded in principle, deftly navigating the dynamic politics of antislavery, secession, and civil war. Lincoln’s greatness emerges from his capacity for moral and political growth.”

Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln by Edward Achorn

“Edward Achorn reveals the nation’s capital on that momentous day―with its mud, sewage, and saloons, its prostitutes, spies, reporters, social-climbing spouses and power-hungry politicians―as a microcosm of all the opposing forces that had driven the country apart. A host of characters, unknown and famous, had converged on Washington―from grievously wounded Union colonel Selden Connor in a Washington hospital and the embarrassingly drunk new vice president, Andrew Johnson, to poet-journalist Walt Whitman; from soldiers’ advocate Clara Barton and African American leader and Lincoln critic-turned-admirer Frederick Douglass (who called the speech “a sacred effort”) to conflicted actor John Wilkes Booth―all swirling around the complex figure of Lincoln.”

book cover of Every Drop of Blood by Edward Achorn

Lincoln and the Fight for Peace by John Avlon

“The power of Lincoln’s personal example in the closing days of the war offers a portrait of a peacemaker. He did not demonize people he disagreed with. He used humor, logic, and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Balancing moral courage with moderation, Lincoln believed that decency could be the most practical form of politics, but he understood that people were more inclined to listen to reason when greeted from a position of strength. Ulysses S. Grant’s famously generous terms of surrender to General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox that April were an expression of a president’s belief that a soft peace should follow a hard war.”

The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution by James Oakes

“Lincoln adopted the antislavery view that the Constitution made freedom the rule in the United States, slavery the exception. Where federal power prevailed, so did freedom. Where state power prevailed, that state determined the status of slavery, and the federal government could not interfere. It would take state action to achieve the final abolition of American slavery. With this understanding, Lincoln and his antislavery allies used every tool available to undermine the institution. Wherever the Constitution empowered direct federal action―in the western territories, in the District of Columbia, over the slave trade―they intervened. As a congressman in 1849 Lincoln sponsored a bill to abolish slavery in Washington, DC. He reentered politics in 1854 to oppose what he considered the unconstitutional opening of the territories to slavery by the Kansas–Nebraska Act. He attempted to persuade states to abolish slavery by supporting gradual abolition with compensation for slaveholders and the colonization of free Blacks abroad.”

The Crooked Path to Abolition by James Oakes

Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President by Ronald C. White

“Now, renowned Lincoln historian Ronald C. White walks readers through twelve of Lincoln’s most important private notes, showcasing our greatest president’s brilliance and empathy, but also his very human anxieties and ambitions. We look over Lincoln’s shoulder as he grapples with the problem of slavery, attempting to find convincing rebuttals to those who supported the evil institution (“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”); prepares for his historic debates with Stephen Douglas; expresses his private feelings after a defeated bid for a Senate seat (“With me, the race of ambition has been a failure—a flat failure”); voices his concerns about the new Republican Party’s long-term prospects; develops an argument for national unity amidst a secession crisis that would ultimately rend the nation in two; and, for a president many have viewed as not religious, develops a sophisticated theological reflection in the midst of the Civil War (“it is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party”). Additionally, in a historic first, all 111 Lincoln notes are transcribed in the appendix, a gift to scholars and Lincoln buffs alike.”

book cover of Lincoln in Private by Ronald C. White

A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln by Sidney Blumenthal

“The first of a multivolume history of Lincoln as a political genius – from his obscure beginnings to his presidency, his assassination, and the overthrow of his post-Civil War dreams of Reconstruction. This first volume traces Lincoln from his painful youth, describing himself as “a slave”, to his emergence as the man we recognize as Abraham Lincoln.”

book cover of A Self-Made Man by Sidney Blumenthal

Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader by Michael J. Gerhardt

“As Michael J. Gerhardt reveals, Lincoln’s reemergence followed the same path he had taken before, in which he read voraciously and learned from the successes, failures, oratory, and political maneuvering of a surprisingly diverse handful of men, some of whom he had never met but others of whom he knew intimately—Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, John Todd Stuart, and Orville Browning. From their experiences and his own, Lincoln learned valuable lessons on leadership, mastering party politics, campaigning, conventions, understanding and using executive power, managing a cabinet, speechwriting and oratory, and—what would become his most enduring legacy—developing policies and rhetoric to match a constitutional vision that spoke to the monumental challenges of his time.”

book cover of Lincoln's Mentors by Michael J. Gerhardt

Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War by Tom Wheeler

“Abraham Lincoln’s two great legacies to history—his extraordinary power as a writer and his leadership during the Civil War—come together in this close study of the President’s use of the telegraph. Invented less than two decades before he entered office, the telegraph came into its own during the Civil War. In a jewel–box of historical writing, Wheeler captures Lincoln as he adapted his folksy rhetorical style to the telegraph, creating an intimate bond with his generals that would ultimately help win the war.”

book cover of Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails by Tom Wheeler

For further reading about Abraham Lincoln, here are a few more that are worth checking out:

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

“The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history–the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, 12-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.”

Lincoln and the Irish: The Untold Story of How the Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln Save the Union by Niall O’Dowd

“When he was voted into the White House, Lincoln surrounded himself with Irish staff, much to the chagrin of a senior aide who complained about the Hibernian cabal. And the Irish would repay Lincoln’s faith—their numbers and courage would help swing the Civil War in his favor, and among them would be some of his best generals and staunchest advocates.”

book cover of Lincoln and the Irish by Niall O'Dowd

Lincoln’s Battle with God: A President’s Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America by Stephen Mansfield

“Abraham Lincoln is the most beloved of all U.S. presidents. He freed the slaves, gave the world some of its most beautiful phrases, and redefined the meaning of America. He did all of this with wisdom, compassion, and wit. Yet, throughout his life, Lincoln fought with God. In his early years in Illinois, he rejected even the existence of God and became the village atheist. In time, this changed but still he wrestled with the truth of the Bible, preachers, doctrines, the will of God, the providence of God, and then, finally, God’s purposes in the Civil War. Still, on the day he was shot, Lincoln said he longed to go to Jerusalem to walk in the Savior’s steps.”

book cover of Lincoln's Battle with God by Stephen Mansfield

Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War by Roger Lowenstein

“Roger Lowenstein reveals the largely untold story of how Lincoln used the urgency of the Civil War to transform a union of states into a nation. Through a financial lens, he explores how this second American revolution, led by Lincoln, his cabinet, and a Congress studded with towering statesmen, changed the direction of the country and established a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

book cover of Ways and Means by Roger Lowenstein

Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: A History of Courage, Intrigue and Unlikely Friendships by Michael Hogan

“This book by a noted Ph.D. historian is one of the best books available about historical relations between the United States and Mexico. It shines new light on reasons for the US invasion of Mexico in 1846, opposition by Abraham Lincoln and other politicians to the unjustified and unconstitutional decision by President Polk to go to war, the importance of the ensuing war against Mexico, the resulting territorial seizures by the United States, the impact both nationally and internationally to both countries, the troubling legacy even today, and the result of silences that have been pervasive over the years regarding this conflict. It examines all aspects of this history based on actual documents in government, university, and private institutions in both the US and Mexico, including citations to these documents and the complete text for many of them in the Appendix.”

book cover of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by Michael Hogan

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Abraham Lincoln

February 12, 1809–April 15, 1865

Abraham Lincoln was an American political leader during the 19th century. Rising from humble beginnings, Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States in 1860. Lincoln's election prompted the secession of several Southern states and eventually the beginning of the American Civil War. Lincoln served as president and commander-in-chief throughout most of the conflict before an assassin's bullet tragically cut his life short on April 15, 1865.

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States. Elected to a second term in 1864, Lincoln died in office on April 15, 1865, from a gunshot delivered by assassin John Wilkes Booth the night before. Image Source: Wikimedia.

Abraham Lincoln Biography

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He is widely considered one of the greatest American presidents and is revered for his leadership during the Civil War and his efforts to abolish slavery. Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party and was known for his strong moral character, his eloquence, and his determination to preserve the Union. During his presidency, Lincoln faced many challenges, including the secession of Southern states and the outbreak of the Civil War, but he remained committed to preserving the Union and ending slavery. He delivered some of the most famous speeches in American history, including the Gettysburg Address, in which he redefined the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the principles of liberty and equality.

Quick Facts about Abraham Lincoln

Date of Birth: Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin on his family’s farm, named “Sinking Spring,” in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Parents: Lincoln’s parents were Thomas and Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln.
Date of Death: Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, at age 56, in Washington, DC.
Buried: Lincoln is buried in Lincoln’s Tomb, in Oak Ridge Cemetery, in Springfield, Illinois.
Nickname: Lincoln’s nicknames were “Honest Abe,” “The Great Emancipator,” and “The Rail Splitter.”

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin on his family’s farm, named Sinking Spring, in Hardin County, Kentucky. Lincoln was the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Early in Lincoln’s life, his family enjoyed considerable prosperity, but legal problems involving land ownership prompted his family to move to Indiana in December 1816. Less than two years after being uprooted, Lincoln’s mother died on October 5, 1818. A little over one year later, Lincoln’s father married Sarah Bush Johnston on December 2, 1819. Lincoln received little formal education during his youth, but his stepmother taught him how to read and encouraged him to learn on his own. The two remained close until the end of Lincoln’s life.

In March 1830, when Lincoln was a young man, his family moved to a new farm in Illinois. Not wishing to become a farmer, Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois, in July 1831. 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. During that time, he also began studying law independently. Still active in politics, voters elected Lincoln to serve in the Illinois General Assembly in 1834, and they re-elected him in 1836. As a member of the Whig Party, Lincoln supported a free-soil position, opposing both slavery and abolitionism.

Lawyer and Marriage

In 1836, Lincoln joined the Illinois bar. A year later, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began practicing law. Voters re-elected Lincoln to the Illinois General Assembly in 1838 and 1840. While living in Springfield, Lincoln met Mary Todd, the daughter of a wealthy slave-holder from Lexington, Kentucky. In 1840, the couple became engaged, but they canceled the wedding, set for January 1, 1841, when both parties became apprehensive. They later resumed their romance and wed on November 4, 1842.

National Politics

Lincoln’s career in national politics began in 1842 when Illinois voters elected him to the United States House of Representatives. While serving in Washington, Lincoln introduced a plan to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. He also voted to censure President James K. Polk for usurpation of powers regarding the Mexican-American War in 1848—a vote that later seemed inconsistent with some of Lincoln’s own actions during the American Civil War.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

After completing his term in Congress, Lincoln returned to Springfield to practice law in 1849. Voters re-elected him to the Illinois General Assembly in 1854, but he declined to serve because he was pursuing a seat in the United States Senate. Lincoln’s Senate bid was unsuccessful, but he tried again in 1858, running against incumbent Stephen A. Douglas , author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act . When Lincoln accepted the Republican nomination for the Senate seat at the state convention on June 16, 1858, he addressed the sectional division plaguing the United States, asserting that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln and Douglas engaged in a series of seven debates across Illinois during the late summer and fall of 1858. Although Douglas won the election in November, the debates, which focused primarily on slavery, enhanced Lincoln’s national reputation and bolstered his reputation among Republicans.

President Lincoln

U.s. president-elect.

On May 18, 1860, delegates to Republican National Convention held in Chicago, selected Lincoln as their party’s candidate for President of the United States In November, Lincoln received only 39.8% of the popular vote, but his 180 electoral votes were enough to defeat three other candidates, including Stephen Douglas.

Southern Rebellion

The Southern response to Lincoln’s election was quick and electric. On December 20, 1860, delegates to a secession convention in South Carolina voted to secede from the Union because they viewed Lincoln’s hardline stance against the expansion of slavery as a threat to their way of life. By the time Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861, six other states had voted to secede. Despite attempts to resolve sectional differences—most notably the Crittenden Compromise —Lincoln faced a constitutional and military crisis the day he took office. Events rapidly spiraled toward war when South Carolina demanded that federal soldiers evacuate its military installation at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. After weighing several options, including abandoning the fort, Lincoln informed the governor of South Carolina of his intentions to resupply the fort. At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, artillery units from the newly formed army of the Confederate States of America, commanded by General P. G. T. Beauregard , began shelling Fort Sumter , touching off the American Civil War.

Commander-in-Chief

Lincoln’s response was swift and somewhat autocratic, especially considering his earlier criticisms of Polk. On April 15, without authority from Congress, Lincoln called on all state governors to send troops for the formation of a temporary force of 75,000 soldiers. That action had the unfortunate result of forcing states to choose sides, causing Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to join the Confederacy. Further, Lincoln proclaimed a blockade against Southern ports on April 19, 1861. In perhaps his most controversial move, Lincoln suspended the constitutionally guaranteed writ of habeas corpus on April 27, 1861 . When Chief Justice Roger Taney, sitting as a federal circuit judge in the case of Ex parte Merryman , ruled that Lincoln had no constitutional authority to do so, the president ignored the Chief Justice’s ruling. Over the course of the next two years, the Lincoln administration and the Army imprisoned nearly 18,000 American citizens without bringing charges against them. Congress finally ended the controversy, but not the practice, bypassing the Habeas Corpus Act of 1863, which temporarily legitimized the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.

Controversy also plagued Lincoln’s record as commander-in-chief. Despite having far more men and materials at their disposal, Union armies had little success during the early part of the war. 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. The performance of Union armies in the Eastern Theater was inferior to that of the Confederate armies. How much of the failure resulted from poor generalship as opposed to the poor choice of generals is debatable. However, that changed when Union forces under the command of George Meade won the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.

Emancipation

Lincoln’s political performance as president during the war was stellar. When support for the war waned as battlefield casualties mounted, he gradually shifted the focus of the war to the abolition of slavery. On April 16, 1862, Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln used his war powers to issue an executive order abolishing slavery in the states at war with the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation galvanized and reinvigorated Lincoln’s abolitionist supporters, transforming the war from an effort to preserve the Union to a higher moral cause.

Re-election

Despite continually rising casualty totals, public unrest elicited by the practice of conscription, and mounting criticism from Copperheads and the Northern press, Lincoln sustained his political base and won re-election in 1864—no small political feat.

Reconstruction

Even before Lincoln won re-election, he began planning his reconstruction policy to heal the nation’s wounds when the war ended. It is perhaps in this arena where Lincoln’s star shone brightest. On December 8, 1863, Lincoln announced his plan for the reunification of the nation, known as the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction . The plan advocated a full pardon and the restoration of property to all engaged in the rebellion, except the highest Confederate officials and military leaders. 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. Finally, the plan encouraged re-admitted southern states to enact plans to ensure the freedom of former slaves.

Unlike others in his administration and in Congress, Lincoln believed that a lenient approach would best help heal the nation’s wounds once the fighting ended. When Congress tried to impose much harsher terms on the South through the enactment of the Wade-Davis Bill in July 1864, Lincoln used the pocket veto to thwart his opponents. During his second inaugural address, presented on March 4, 1865, Lincoln eloquently expressed his desire

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.

Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Whether Lincoln could have consummated his vision of “malice toward none, with charity for all” will forever remain unknown. On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth fired a bullet into the back of Lincoln’s head as the president attended a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington. Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. the next morning.

National Mourning and Burial

Lincoln’s body lay in state in the White House for dignitaries on April 18. His funeral took place shortly after noon in the White House on April 19. The next day, the president’s casket lay in state at the Capitol, where roughly 25,000 visitors paid their last respects. On April 21, a train carrying Lincoln’s coffin, along with the body of his son Tad, who had died during Lincoln’s presidency, began the long trip back to Springfield, Illinois. The train’s route, which passed through hundreds of communities and seven states replicated, in reverse, Lincoln’s trip to Washington as the president-elect. Officials removed the coffin from the train to lie in state at ten locations along the trip.

Lincoln was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield, Illinois, on May 4, 1865. Since that time, Lincoln’s body has been exhumed and reburied several times. Lincoln’s Tomb, in Oak Ridge Cemetery, has been the final resting place for Lincoln since 1901.

Significance of Abraham Lincoln

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. He is remembered for his efforts to preserve the Union, abolish slavery, and modernize the American economy. He is also remembered for his famous speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, in which he redefined the goals of the Civil War and transformed it into a struggle for the preservation of the American ideal of freedom and democracy. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, just as the Civil War was coming to an end and the country was beginning to heal from the wounds of war. Despite his brief presidency, Lincoln remains an important figure in American history and continues to be widely revered for his leadership, his courage, and his commitment to American ideals.

Written by Harry Searles

Christian Theology Book News and Reviews

Ten Best Abraham Lincoln Biographies

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of Lincoln biographies ? Don’t know where to start ?

Abraham Lincoln books far outnumber those about any other US president. Here are ten of the best Lincoln biographies …

3. A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald White, Jr.

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The Best Books on President Lincoln

Which of the approximately 15,000 books written on President Lincoln should you read? In honor of our greatest leader Allen Barra picks the best reads.

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Two years ago, Paul Tetreault, director of Ford’s Theater in Washington, declared that there are more books written about Abraham Lincoln than any other person than Jesus Christ. The estimate then was over 15,000, nearly half of which were included in a tower of books to honor Abe . This makes the life and legacy of our 16th president intimidating to the newcomer, but here’s ten nonfiction works and one novel that will guide the novice through the halls of Lincoln lit.

Abraham Lincoln by Lord Charnwood (1916)

Godfrey Rathbone Benson, the first Baron Charnwood, was an Oxford educated philosopher, politician (both in the House of Commons and as Mayor of Lichfield) and historian whose biographies on both Lincoln (1916) and Theodore Roosevelt (1923) offer a foreign perspective of our greatest president: “When an English writer tells again this tale, which has been well told already and in which there can remain no important new facts to disclose, he must endeavor to make clear to Englishmen circumstances and conditions which are familiar to Americans.” In other words, Charnwood tells the story as if it had not been told before. This makes it an ideal beginning place for American readers nearly a hundred years after its publication. Available in several paperback editions and e-book.

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills (1993)

A Pulitzer Prize-winning account by our greatest political writer of how Lincoln wrote the 272 words that has become our country’s most important document since the writings of the Founding Fathers. No other work explains why the Gettysburg Address is the linchpin of Lincoln’s political thought and how it has affected American politics ever since.

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald (1995)

Generally regarded by aficionados as one of if not the best single-volume biography of Lincoln. Donald, who died in 2009, was praised by Eric Foner (professor of history at Columbia and author of The Fiery Trial; Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery ) for “Avoiding the two pitfalls that people fall into. One is just hagiography—you know [Lincoln] was born with a pen in his hand ready to sign the Emancipation Proclamation, and the other is the opposite, of course, [Lincoln was] just a racist or didn’t really care about slavery at all. Donald navigates between them.”

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (2003) and Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief (2008) by James M. McPherson

Though it is not a biography of Lincoln, Battle Cry of Freedom is one of the best books about how Lincoln handled the crises of the War, from military to political to social situations. Doris Kearns Goodwin recommended this book on NPR a few years ago, saying that McPherson “is such a narrative genius …what he’s done is to mix together the battles, Lincoln’s leadership, the home front, the finances, the Cabinet, all together, but it drives forward as a story, and you don’t know until finally, perhaps, Atlanta, whether the North is really going to win this war.”

In Tried by War , McPherson maintains that Lincoln’s role as Commander in Chief has been underexamined.; he argues, convincingly, that the President’s violation of civil liberties was not so great as many actions taken by later chief executives in less critical circumstances. His operational device to his commanders was often perceptive—he seemed to have a firmer grasp of grand strategy than some of his generals, particularly McClellan. Though Lincoln was an amateur on the subject of war, McPherson believes he was our greatest war leader.

Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President by Harold Holzer (2005) and Emancipating Lincoln—The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory (2012) by Harold Holzer

Holzer, perhaps our greatest contemporary Lincoln scholar, has written and edited numerous essential volumes, including Lincoln as I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes, and Revelations from His Best Friends and Worst Enemies and Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861 . In Lincoln at Cooper Union he does for Lincoln’s 1860 speech what Garry Wills did for the Gettysburg Address. Holzer makes a convincing case that the speech not only made Lincoln the leading Republican candidate for president but defined the policies on which he was elected.

Perhaps Holzer’s most outstanding recent work is Emancipating Lincoln . Compact and precise—just 172 pages of text and 23 pages of notes—the book is a model of lucid historical writing. There is probably no important document in our country’s history that even Civil War students know so little about than the Emancipation Proclamation. Much of the story, it turns out, is in the back story. Lincoln, once convinced of both the economic and moral validity of freeing the slaves, agonized over the process, rewriting his proclamation three times. (He tested the waters, so to speak, by first abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia, ending, in Holzer’s words, “the incomprehensible anomaly that permitted slavery to exist in the capital of the United States until the second year of a pro-slavery rebellion against the government.”

Short on literary flourish, the Proclamation was long on impact. Its reputation in our own time has declined so much that the Proclamation “is now often viewed not as revolutionary but as delayed, insufficient, and insincere.” Holzer, though, makes a reasoned argument that the lack of fire in Lincoln’s prose was deliberate as he did not wish to enflame moderates and that, whatever it did not accomplish at the moment was largely irrelevant; once the Proclamation was made slavery was doomed. Perhaps Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew said it best: “a poor document, but a mighty act.”

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2006)

It took 141 years after the death of Lincoln for a book to appear which put into detail his genius for reading character and establishing relationships. Lincoln found admirable traits in, among others, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates, Edwin M. Stanton, four men who not only sought the Republican nomination for president in 1860 but held Lincoln himself in contempt. (Stanton referred to the President as “a long-armed ape.”—and you thought Obama got no respect.) No other history has probed the backgrounds of Lincoln’s cabinet members in such depth nor revealed the machinations that Lincoln used to mold a winning team from such disparate players. ( Team of Rivals served as the historical basis for Spielberg’s film Lincoln. )

Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan (2008)

Just when you thought there were no new angles to approach Lincoln from, Fred Kaplan, a distinguished professor emeritus of English at Queens College and, among others, author of The Singular Mark Twain, defined Lincoln through his own words, words that were shaped through early exposure to Shakespeare, the King James Bible, Aesop’s Fables, the writings of Thomas Jefferson, John Bunyon, the speeches of Henry Clay, Classical writers, and poets such as Thomas Gray and Oliver Wendell Holmes and others. “For Lincoln,” writes Kaplan, “words mattered immensely. His increasing skill in their use during his lifetime, and his valuation of their power, mark him as the one president who is both a national leader and a genius with language.” William Dean Howells called Mark Twain the “Lincoln of our literature. Lincoln, Kaplan claims, “was the Twain of our politics.” Kaplan, the editor and critic, and Lincoln, the writer, are a wonderful combination.

Lincoln and the World by Kevin Peraino (2013)

“There can be no new Lincoln stories,” one of the President’s former secretaries wrote in 1900, “the stories are all told.” And yet, as Kevin Peraino writes in his compelling book, Lincoln in the World, “One of the unexpected joys of studying Lincoln in the 21st-century is how much astonishing new material about him has come to light.”

Lincoln in the World focuses on several distinct challenges that defined “Lincolnian foreign policy.” As a young Congressman, he opposed President Polk’s aggressive policy towards Mexico and the subsequent war. (His enemies in Illinois dubbed him “the Benedict Arnold of our district.”) He struggled with his brilliant but irascible secretary of state, William Seward, to control the direction of foreign policy. His standoff with British prime minister Lord Palmerston over the Trent affair, in which U.S. sailors forcibly boarded a British ship to remove Confederate agents. Wisely, he decided to appease the British.) He also engaged in an ongoing chess match with Napoleon III over France’s interference in Mexico.

The thread that runs through each episode is Lincoln’s common sense, good judgment and, above all, patience. He often proved “more adept at the arts of diplomacy that then polished and gold-braided envoys of Europe.” Lincoln in the World isn’t the first work to point out Lincoln’s brilliance as a seminal foreign policy president, but it is the first to gather all the key episodes. Among the choice nuggets Peraino unearths is a letter to Lincoln from none other than Karl Marx, who congratulated him on “the triumphant war cry of your reelection.”

Lincoln by Gore Vidal (1984)

Probably the greatest fictional account of Lincoln’s presidency as well as Vidal’s best novel. Lincoln is seen mostly through the eyes of those who knew him—Vidal’s scholarship is admirable, and he seems to draw from every period source who came in contact with the man Vidal has described as “the American Bismarck.” In other words, the philosophy behind the fiction is that Lincoln did not so much preserve his country as create it, an idea that derives from Edmund Wilson’s Patriotic Gore (no relation to Vidal) but which Vidal brings to life. Vidal uses modern literary technique to bring period detail to life.

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Abraham Lincoln

Michael Burlingame

Now in paperback, this award-winning biography has been hailed as the definitive portrait of Lincoln. Named One of the 10 Top Lincoln Books by Chicago Tribune Named One of the 5 Best Books of 2009 by The Atlantic Winner, 2008 PROSE Award for Best Book in U.S. History and Biography/Autobiography, Association of American Publishers Winner, 2010 Lincoln Prize from the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College In the first multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln to be published in decades, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame offers a fresh look at the life of one of America’s greatest presidents. Incorporating the field notes of earlier biographers, along with decades of research in multiple manuscript archives and long-neglected newspapers, this remarkable work will both alter and reinforce our current understanding of America’s sixteenth president.

Volume 1 covers Lincoln’s early childhood, his experiences as a farm boy in Indiana and Illinois, his legal training, and the political ambition that led to a term in Congress in the 1840s. In volume 2, Burlingame examines Lincoln’s life during his presidency and the Civil War, narrating in fascinating detail the crisis over Fort Sumter and Lincoln’s own battles with relentless office seekers, hostile newspaper editors, and incompetent field commanders. Burlingame also offers new interpretations of Lincoln’s private life, discussing his marriage to Mary Todd and the untimely deaths of two sons to disease.

But through it all—his difficult childhood, his contentious political career, a fratricidal war, and tragic personal losses—Lincoln preserved a keen sense of humor and acquired a psychological maturity that proved to be the North’s most valuable asset in winning the Civil War.

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, this landmark publication establishes Burlingame as the most assiduous Lincoln biographer of recent memory and brings Lincoln alive to modern readers as never before.

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This book supplants [Carl] Sandburg and supersedes all other biographies. Future Lincoln books cannot be written without it, and from no other book can a general reader learn so much about Abraham Lincoln. It is the essential title for the bicentennial.

A complete view of Lincoln's life... thorough.

A monumental boxed effort that weighs in at 10 pounds... The result is a picture of Lincoln from all sides, in a style that is relentless but not daunting.

A magisterial enterprise.

If you aspire to Ultimate Lincoln Knowledge this is a must-read.

These monumental volumes deserve a wide readership.

Burlingame is a towering figure in Lincoln scholarship, and students of the 16th president have been waiting for this book for years. For all his learning—Burlingame may know more about Lincoln and his era than anyone in the world—his take on his subject is fresh, and he doesn't gloss over Lincoln's less appealing attributes. Abraham Lincoln comes as close to being the definitive biography as anything the world has seen in decades.

An exhaustive and stylishly written biography.

A stunning feat of research.

The two-volume set is being heralded as the ultimate new biography of Lincoln, an essential work to be used by all future biographers of the 16th president.

The granddaddy of all the recent books [on Lincoln] is Michael Burlingame's Abraham Lincoln: A Life ... monumental in size, depth and scholarship, this is the new standard biography of our time and surpasses all other life portraits of our 16th president, and is the most important book of the bicentennial.

No review could do complete justice to the magnificent two-volume biography that has been so well-wrought by Michael Burlingame.

The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth has generated a plethora of Lincoln-related items, but none impresses more than this two-volume biography... Essential.

The author knows more about Lincoln than any other living person.

Most thorough account of the development of Lincoln as a man and politician against the backdrop of America's struggle to mature as an idea and a nation... Not a Lincoln for our times, but the Lincoln of his times, and future biographers would do well to take note(s).

This magisterial work tells a rich, thoroughly documented, birth-to-death story of America's greatest president. Its bulk is formidable, but it holds countless rewards for undaunted readers.

Burlingame very likely knows more about Lincoln than anyone who's ever lived, including Mary Todd, and his biography, 20 years in the writing, has a revelation on every page, dug out during the biographer's tireless research into musty libraries and forgotten attics that no one has ever thought to look in before. If there is anything knowable that you want to know about Lincoln, this is the place to find it.

A monumental and meticulous two-volume study of the 16th president... should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in Lincoln.

Lincoln scholars have waited anxiously for this book for decades. Its triumphant publication proves it was well worth the wait. Few scholars have written with greater insight about the psychology of Lincoln. No one in recent history has uncovered more fresh sources than Michael Burlingame. This profound and masterful portrait will be read and studied for years to come.

The remarkable breadth of Burlingame's research has resulted in a book unlike anything else written about Lincoln. It will be a major contribution to the field.

Burlingame has developed a familiarity with the details of Lincoln's life that is truly authoritative, even definitive, and he has genuinely earned his reputation for knowing more about Lincoln than just about anyone who has ever studied him.

Book Details

Author's Note 1. "I Have Seen a Good Deal of the Back Side of This World" Childhood in Kentucky (1809–1816) 2. "I Used to Be a Slave" Boyhood and Adolescence in Indiana (1816–1830) 3. "Separated from His Father, He Studied English Grammar" New Salem (1831–1834) 4. "A Napoleon of Astuteness and Political Finesse" Frontier Legislator (1834–1837) 5. "We Must Fight the Devil with Fire" Slasher-Gaff Politico in Springfield (1837–1841) 6. "It Would Just Kill Me to Marry Mary Todd" Courtship and Marriage (1840–1842) 7. "I Have Got the Preacher by the Balls" Pursuing a Seat in Congress (1843–1847) 8. "A Strong but Judicious Enemy to Slavery" Congressman Lincoln (1847–1849) 9. "I Was Losing Interest in Politics and Went to the Practice of the Law with Greater Earnestness Than Ever Before" Midlife Crisis (1849–1854) 10. "Aroused as He Had Never Been Before" Reentering Politics (1854–1855) 11. "Unite with Us, and Help Us to Triumph" Building the Illinois Republican Party (1855–1857) 12. "A House Divided" Lincoln vs. Douglas (1857–1858) 13. A David Greater than the Democratic Goliath" The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858) 14. "That Presidential Grub Gnaws Deep" Pursuing the Republican Nomination (1859–1860) 15. "The Most Available Presidential Candidate for Unadulterated Republicans" The Chicago Convention (May 1860) 16. "I Have Been Elected Mainly on the Cry 'Honest Old Abe'" The Presidential Campaign (May–November 1860) 17. "I Will Suffer Death Before I Will Consent to Any Concession or Compromise": President-elect in Springfield (1860–1861) 18. "What If I Appoint Cameron, Whose Very Name Stinks in the Nostrils of the People for His Corruption?": Cabinet-Making in Springfield (1860–1861) 19. "The Man Does Not Live Who Is More Devoted to Peace Than I Am, But It May Be Necessary to Put the Foot Down Firmly" From Springfield to Washington, February 11-22, 1861 20. "I Am Now Going To Be Master" Inauguration, February 23-March 4, 1861 21. "A Man So Busy Letting Rooms in One End of His House, That He Can't Stop to Put Out the Fire that is Burning in the Other" Distributing Patronage, March-April 1861 22. "You Can Have No Conflict Without Being Yourselves the Aggressors" The Fort Sumter Crisis, March-April 1861 23. "I Intend to Give Blows" The Hundred Days, April-July 1861 24. "Sitzkrieg" The Phony War, August 1861-January 1862 25. "This Damned Old House" The Lincoln Family in the Executive Mansion 26. "I Expect to Maintain This Contest Until Successful, or Till I Die, or Am Conquered, or My Term Expires, or Congress or the Country Forsakes Me": From the Slough of Despond to the Gates of Richmond, January-July, 1862 27. "The Hour Comes for Dealing with Slavery" January-July 1862 28. "Would You Prosecute the War with Elder-Stalk Squirts, Charged with Rose Water?" The Soft War Turns Hard, July-September 1862 29. "The Great Event of the Nineteenth Century" September-December 1862 30. "Go Forward, and Give Us Victories" From the Mud March to Gettysburg, January-July 1863 31. "The Signs Look Better" Victory at the Polls and in the Field, July-November 1863 32. "I Hope to Stand Firm Enough to Not Go Backward, and YetNot Go Forward Fast Enough to Wreck the Country's Cause": Reconstruction and Renomination, November 1863-June 1864 33. "Hold on with a Bulldog Grip and Chew and Choke as Much as Possible" The Grand Offensive, May-August, 1864 34. "The Wisest Radical of All" Reelection, September-November, 1864 35. "Let the Thing Be Pressed" Victory at Last, November 1864-April 1865 36. "I Feel a Presentiment That I Shall Not Outlast theRebellion. When It Is Over, My Work Will Be Done" April 9-15, 1865 Notes

Michael Burlingame, Ph.D.

Additional resources.

Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Volume 2

Michael Burlingame on Book TV

Lincoln Studies Center

July/August 2009 Atlantic Monthly

Dr. Alvin Jones interviews Professor Michael Burlingame

Accolades from The Atlantic

New Books in American Studies review

JHU Press Blog post: On whether Lincoln ordered an attack on the retreating Lee

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by Michael Burlingame - Unedited Manuscript by Chapters

The work as originally submitted was even more extensive, but largely because of space limitations, it was considered necessary to condense both the narrative and the accompanying documentation. By agreement with the author and the publisher, and in the interest of giving scholars and other students of Lincoln access to references and sources not appearing in the published version, the Lincoln Studies Center is privileged to present on this site the author's original unedited manuscript. This manuscript is accessible by individual chapters, which are displayed in searchable, read-only PDF format.

The user is advised that the work presented here is copyrighted, that Johns Hopkins University Press reserves all rights, and that this material may not be reproduced without permission.

The two-volume set may be ordered at a 25% discount (promo code GZA) direct from the publisher .

Volume One:

Chapter 1 - "I Have Seen a Good Deal of the Back Side of This World": Childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816)

Chapter 2 - "I Used to be a Slave": Boyhood and Adolescence in Indiana (1816-1830)

Chapter 3 - "Separated from His Father, He Studied English Grammar": New Salem (1831-1834)

Chapter 4 - "A Napoleon of Astuteness and Political Finesse": Frontier Legislator (1834-1837)

Chapter 5 - "We Must Fight the Devil With Fire": Slasher-Gaff Politico in Springfield (1837-1841)

Chapter 6 - "It Would Just Kill Me to Marry Mary Todd": Courtship and Marriage (1840-1842)

Chapter 7 - "I Have Got the Preacher by the Balls": Pursuing a Seat in Congress (1843-1847)

Chapter 8 - "A Strong but Judicious Enemy to Slavery": Congressman Lincoln (1847-1849)

Chapter 9 - "I Was Losing Interest in Politics and Went to the Practice of Law with Greater Earnestness Than Ever Before": Mid-Life Crisis (1849-1854)

Chapter 10 - "Aroused As He Had Never Been Before": Reentering Politics (1854-1855)

Chapter 11 - "Unite with Us, and Help Us to Triumph": Building the Illinois Republican Party (1855-1857)

Chapter 12 - "A House Divided": Lincoln vs. Douglas (1857-1858)

Chapter 13 - "A David Greater than the Democratic Goliath": The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Chapter 14 - That Presidential Grub Gnaws Deep: Pursuing the Republican Nomination (1859-1860)

Chapter 15 - "The Most Available Presidential Candidate for Unadulterated Republicans": The Chicago Convention (May 1860)

Chapter 16 - "I Have Been Elected Mainly on the Cry ‘Honest Old Abe’": The Presidential Campaign (May-November 1860)

Chapter 17 - "I Will Suffer Death Before I Will Consent to Any Concession or Compromise": President-elect in Springfield (1860-1861)

Chapter 18 - "What If I Appoint Cameron, Whose Very Name Stinks in the Nostrils of the People for His Corruption?": Cabinet-Making in Springfield (1860-1861)

Volume Two:

Chapter 19 - "The Man Does Not Live Who Is More Devoted to Peace Than I Am, But It May Be Necessary to Put the Foot Down Firmly": From Springfield to Washington (February 11-22, 1861)

Chapter 20 - "I Am Now Going To Be Master": Inauguration (February 23-March 4, 1861)

Chapter 21 - "A Man So Busy Letting Rooms in One End of His House, That He Can't Stop to Put Out the Fire that is Burning in the Other": Distributing Patronage (March-April 1861)

Chapter 22 - "You Can Have No Conflict Without Being Yourselves the Aggressors": The Fort Sumter Crisis (March-April 1861)

Chapter 23 - "I Intend to Give Blows": The Hundred Days (April-July 1861)

Chapter 24 - Sitzkrieg: The Phony War (August 1861-January 1862)

Chapter 25 - "This Damned Old House" The Lincoln Family in the Executive Mansion

Chapter 26 - "I Expect to Maintain This Contest Until Successful, or Till I Die, or Am Conquered, or My Term Expires, or Congress or the Country Forsakes Me": From the Slough of Despond to the Gates of Richmond (January-July, 1862)

Chapter 27 - "The Hour Comes for Dealing with Slavery": Playing the Last Trump Card (January-July 1862)

Chapter 28 - "Would You Prosecute the War with Elder-Stalk Squirts, Charged with Rose Water?": The Soft War Turns Hard (July-September 1862)

Chapter 29 - "I Am Not a Bold Man, But I Have the Knack of Sticking to My Promises!": The Emancipation Proclamation (September-December 1862)

Chapter 30 - "Go Forward, and Give Us Victories": From the Mud March to Gettysburg (January-July 1863)

Chapter 31 - "The Signs Look Better": Victory at the Polls and in the Field (July-November 1863)

Chapter 32 - "I Hope to Stand Firm Enough to Not Go Backward, and Yet Not Go Forward Fast Enough to Wreck the Country's Cause": Reconstruction and Renomination (November 1863-June 1864)

Chapter 33 - "Hold On with a Bulldog Grip and Chew and Choke as Much as Possible": The Grand Offensive (May-August 1864)

Chapter 34 - "The Wisest Radical of All": Reelection (September-November, 1864)

Chapter 35 - "Let the Thing Be Pressed": Victory at Last (November 1864-April 1865)

Chapter 36 - "This War Is Eating My Life Out; I Have a Strong Impression That I Shall Not Live to See the End": (April 9-15, 1865)

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Culture History

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865. Widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in American history, he is renowned for his leadership during the American Civil War, preserving the Union, and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, a pivotal step in ending slavery. Lincoln’s eloquence, exemplified in speeches like the Gettysburg Address, and his commitment to equality have solidified his lasting impact on the nation.

Early Life and Education

Abraham Lincoln’s early life and education laid the foundation for a remarkable journey from a log cabin in Kentucky to the presidency of the United States. Born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County (now LaRue County), Kentucky, Lincoln was the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. The family’s economic circumstances were modest, and life on the frontier presented numerous challenges.

The Lincoln family’s financial struggles led them to move to Indiana in 1816, where young Abraham experienced the hardships of pioneer life. Tragically, in 1818, when Lincoln was just nine years old, his mother, Nancy, succumbed to milk sickness, a common ailment in the region. Her death had a profound impact on Lincoln, leaving him with a sense of loss that would resonate throughout his life.

Thomas Lincoln, Abraham’s father, remarried the following year to Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children of her own. Sarah played a pivotal role in young Abraham’s life, fostering his love for learning and providing a stabilizing influence. Despite the family’s limited resources, she encouraged his education, recognizing his intellectual potential.

Lincoln’s formal education was minimal, consisting of brief periods in frontier schools where he learned the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. His education was irregular, as he often had to work to help support the family. Nonetheless, Lincoln displayed a keen interest in learning and exhibited a voracious appetite for reading.

In 1830, the Lincoln family, seeking improved economic prospects, moved once again, this time to Macon County, Illinois. Abraham, now in his twenties, began to strike out on his own. His years in Illinois were marked by various jobs, including working as a rail-splitter, store clerk, and postmaster. These experiences not only contributed to his work ethic but also exposed him to the realities of life on the expanding frontier.

One of Lincoln’s pivotal experiences during this period was serving in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Though the conflict was brief and inconclusive, it provided Lincoln with some exposure to military life and leadership, foreshadowing the challenges he would face decades later as President during the Civil War.

Despite the economic and personal challenges, Lincoln’s determination to educate himself remained steadfast. He utilized any opportunity to borrow books, often walking long distances to borrow volumes from neighbors. His reading covered a wide range of subjects, including law, literature, and politics. Books such as the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, and Shakespeare’s works left a lasting imprint on his rhetorical style and moral outlook.

In 1832, Lincoln made his first foray into politics, running for a seat in the Illinois State Legislature as a member of the Whig Party. Although he did not win, this campaign marked the beginning of his political career. Two years later, in 1834, he won a seat in the legislature, serving four consecutive terms. During this time, he continued to study law on his own, laying the groundwork for his future legal career.

Lincoln’s passion for the law led him to seek admission to the bar. In 1836, he achieved this milestone and commenced his legal practice in Springfield, Illinois. The following year, he was elected to the Illinois State Legislature and began building a reputation as a capable and honest politician. His legal career flourished, and he gained a reputation for fairness and integrity in his dealings.

In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd, a woman from a prominent Kentucky family. The couple would go on to have four sons: Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. However, tragedy struck the Lincoln family with the death of their second son, Edward, at a young age.

Abraham Lincoln’s early life was marked by perseverance in the face of adversity, a commitment to self-improvement, and a growing presence in the world of Illinois politics. His experiences on the frontier, combined with a thirst for knowledge and an innate sense of justice, shaped the qualities that would later define his presidency. As he navigated the challenges of the rapidly changing nation, these formative years provided the crucible in which Lincoln’s character and leadership qualities were forged.

Political Career

Abraham Lincoln’s political career was a journey that saw him rise from the Illinois State Legislature to become the 16th President of the United States during one of the nation’s most challenging periods – the Civil War. His political ascent was marked by a commitment to preserving the Union and a fervent opposition to the expansion of slavery.

Lincoln’s early political career gained momentum in the 1830s when he served in the Illinois State Legislature as a member of the Whig Party. During this time, he demonstrated an ability to navigate the complexities of state politics while honing his skills as a persuasive speaker. His reputation as an honest and hardworking legislator began to take shape, setting the stage for his future endeavors.

In 1836, Lincoln received his license to practice law and embarked on a legal career in Springfield, Illinois. His involvement in politics continued, and he gained election to the Illinois State Legislature in 1834, 1836, 1838, and 1840. Throughout these years, he developed a keen interest in infrastructure development, advocating for improvements such as roads and canals that would benefit the growing state.

Lincoln’s focus on law and politics intertwined, as he leveraged his legal acumen to navigate the political landscape. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party. Lincoln’s single term in Congress from 1847 to 1849 coincided with the tumultuous debate over the Mexican-American War. While he initially supported the war, he later questioned its origin and demanded that President James K. Polk specify the exact location where hostilities began.

Upon returning to Springfield after his congressional term, Lincoln resumed his legal practice, earning a reputation as a skilled and ethical lawyer. His political ambitions, however, were undeterred. As the nation grappled with the divisive issue of slavery, the political landscape underwent a significant transformation. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 had temporarily maintained a balance between free and slave states, but the acquisition of new territories reignited the debate.

The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which allowed territories to decide on the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, intensified tensions. This event prompted Lincoln to reenter politics, and he aligned himself with the newly formed Republican Party, an anti-slavery political force. In 1856, he campaigned for the Republican candidate John C. Frémont, and by 1858, he emerged as a prominent figure within the party.

The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 marked a critical point in Lincoln’s political career. His opponent, Senator Stephen A. Douglas, advocated for popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery. Lincoln, however, argued that the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free. The debates were widely covered in the press and elevated Lincoln’s national profile, even though he lost the Senate race to Douglas.

The following year, in 1859, Lincoln delivered a speech in New York City at the Cooper Union, further solidifying his reputation as a serious political figure. The speech emphasized his opposition to the expansion of slavery and resonated with anti-slavery sentiments in the North.

The Republican National Convention of 1860 saw Lincoln emerge as the party’s presidential candidate. His nomination was a reflection of the Republican Party’s commitment to preventing the spread of slavery into new territories. The Democratic Party, split along regional lines, nominated multiple candidates, leading to a divided electorate.

In the 1860 presidential election, Lincoln won a decisive victory in the Electoral College, securing 180 electoral votes. His victory, however, did not sit well with Southern states that feared Republican policies would threaten their institution of slavery. The secession crisis unfolded, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the outbreak of the Civil War.

Upon his inauguration on March 4, 1861, Lincoln faced the daunting task of preserving the Union. The Southern states’ secession presented a direct challenge to the authority of the federal government. Lincoln, committed to maintaining the integrity of the nation, declared secession illegal and embarked on a course to reunite the divided states.

Throughout the Civil War, Lincoln faced intense political pressures and military challenges. He made key strategic decisions, including the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free. While this did not immediately free all slaves, it changed the moral tone of the war and aligned Union forces with the cause of ending slavery.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a contentious reelection campaign against Democratic candidate George McClellan. Despite setbacks and public discontent over the prolonged war, Lincoln prevailed. His leadership during the war and his commitment to principles such as the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery cemented his legacy as one of America’s greatest presidents.

Tragically, Lincoln’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on April 14, 1865, just days after the war’s conclusion. His assassination marked a somber end to a political career that had navigated the nation through its darkest hour.

Abraham Lincoln’s political career was marked by a steadfast commitment to principles, astute leadership during a tumultuous period, and a dedication to preserving the Union. His legacy endures as a symbol of unity, freedom, and the enduring pursuit of justice in the face of adversity.

Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, from 1861 to 1865, is etched in history as a defining chapter in the United States . Leading the nation through the Civil War, Lincoln faced unprecedented challenges, demonstrating leadership, resolve, and a commitment to principles that would shape the future of the country.

Lincoln assumed office on March 4, 1861, at a time when the nation was on the brink of division. Southern states had already seceded, forming the Confederate States of America. The new president inherited a deeply divided nation and the monumental task of preserving the Union. In his inaugural address, Lincoln appealed for unity, stating, “We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies.”

As the Confederacy seized federal forts and arsenals, tensions escalated, and on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. This marked the beginning of the Civil War, a conflict that would test the resilience of the nation and the leadership of its president.

Lincoln’s approach to the war was rooted in his dedication to preserving the Union. Initially, he framed the conflict as a rebellion that needed to be suppressed, emphasizing the constitutional duty of the federal government to maintain its authority. The war’s early stages were marked by a series of Union defeats, and the president faced criticism for what some perceived as indecision.

However, Lincoln’s leadership style evolved as the war progressed. He began to grasp the magnitude of the conflict and the need for a more robust and strategic approach. In 1862, he introduced the Emancipation Proclamation, a groundbreaking executive order that declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free. While this did not immediately free the slaves, it changed the character of the war, making the abolition of slavery a central goal for the Union.

The Battle of Antietam in September 1862 provided a crucial turning point. Although it was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, it ended in a tactical draw. Nonetheless, it gave Lincoln the opportunity to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, signaling the Union’s commitment to ending slavery. The final proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, and it added a moral imperative to the Union cause, framing the war as a struggle for freedom.

Lincoln faced criticism and opposition, even within his own party, over issues such as the draft and the suspension of habeas corpus. However, he maintained a firm grip on the direction of the war. The selection of Ulysses S. Grant as the commanding general of the Union Army in 1864 proved pivotal. Grant’s aggressive tactics and commitment to total war brought about decisive victories for the Union, albeit at a heavy cost.

The election of 1864 was a crucial moment in Lincoln’s presidency. Despite facing significant political challenges and discontent over the prolonged war, Lincoln secured his reelection. His victory was a testament to the public’s belief in his leadership and the Union cause.

As the war neared its conclusion in early 1865, Lincoln focused on the task of reconstructing the nation. His vision for reconstruction emphasized a lenient approach toward the Southern states, seeking to bring them back into the Union with minimal retribution. Lincoln’s second inaugural address in March 1865 reflected his commitment to healing the nation’s wounds, famously stating, “With malice toward none, with charity for all.”

Tragically, Lincoln’s presidency was cut short by an assassin’s bullet. On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., John Wilkes Booth shot the president. Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the following day, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated.

Lincoln’s presidency left an indelible mark on American history. His leadership during the Civil War, commitment to the preservation of the Union, and advocacy for the abolition of slavery have solidified his legacy as one of the nation’s greatest leaders. The Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, delivered in November 1863, are enduring symbols of his dedication to freedom and equality.

The Gettysburg Address, delivered on the battlefield where thousands had perished, succinctly encapsulated the principles for which the Union fought. Lincoln’s words, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” resonated not only with the immediate audience but with generations to come.

Lincoln’s presidency demonstrated that the nation could weather the storms of internal strife and emerge with a renewed commitment to its founding principles. Despite the immense challenges he faced, Lincoln’s leadership during a pivotal period in American history secured his place as a symbol of unity, perseverance, and the enduring pursuit of a more perfect union.

Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, stands as one of the most significant milestones in American history. This executive order forever altered the course of the Civil War and transformed the conflict from a struggle to preserve the Union into a moral crusade against slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was a watershed moment that underscored the evolving nature of the Union’s goals and reshaped the trajectory of the nation.

At the onset of the Civil War in 1861, the primary objective for both the Union and the Confederacy was the restoration or secession of the Union, respectively. While the moral issue of slavery simmered beneath the surface, it wasn’t initially the central focus of the conflict. However, as the war unfolded and the Union faced setbacks on the battlefield, the need for a more profound moral purpose became apparent.

In the early years of the war, Lincoln faced the challenge of managing conflicting interests within the Union. Border states like Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware still permitted slavery, and Lincoln needed to maintain their support for the Union cause. Balancing these competing concerns was a delicate task, as a strong stance against slavery risked alienating crucial states.

The Emancipation Proclamation emerged as a strategic and moral response to the evolving nature of the war. Lincoln recognized that the Union needed a cause that resonated with its citizenry and the broader international community. Additionally, the Union sought to undermine the Confederacy’s economic and military infrastructure, much of which relied on the institution of slavery.

The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862, after the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam. This battle, fought in Maryland, provided a critical turning point and an opportunity for Lincoln to make a bold move. The preliminary proclamation warned that if the Southern states did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in those states would be declared free.

On January 1, 1863, with no Confederate states having returned to the Union, Lincoln fulfilled his promise and issued the final Emancipation Proclamation. This executive order declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the Confederate states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” However, it explicitly exempted the border states and areas of the Confederacy under Union control.

The Emancipation Proclamation marked a significant shift in the Union’s goals. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it fundamentally changed the character and purpose of the war. The proclamation made the abolition of slavery a central objective of the Union, turning the conflict into a struggle for freedom and equality.

One of the crucial diplomatic implications of the Emancipation Proclamation was its impact on international perceptions. By aligning the Union cause with the abolition of slavery, Lincoln sought to gain support from European nations, particularly Great Britain and France, which had abolished slavery. This strategic move aimed to prevent these countries from recognizing the Confederacy and providing support.

While the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in and of itself, it had profound effects on the Union war effort. It gave a moral purpose to the conflict, energizing abolitionists and attracting African Americans to join the Union Army and Navy. Approximately 200,000 African Americans, both free and formerly enslaved, served in the Union military, contributing significantly to the Union’s victory.

Moreover, the proclamation paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery through constitutional amendments. Lincoln recognized the need for permanent legal measures to eradicate slavery, and he supported the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Ratified in December 1865, this amendment officially abolished slavery in the United States.

While the Emancipation Proclamation had limitations, including its geographical scope and its reliance on executive authority during wartime, its symbolic and practical impact cannot be overstated. It signaled a moral commitment to freedom, influenced the course of the war, and set the stage for the broader struggle for civil rights that would unfold in the post-war era.

The Emancipation Proclamation remains a testament to the complexities of leadership during times of crisis. Lincoln’s willingness to evolve and adapt to the changing nature of the war demonstrates the dynamic nature of his presidency. By issuing the proclamation, he not only transformed the Union’s war effort but also contributed to the broader arc of American history, laying the groundwork for a more just and inclusive society.

Gettysburg Address

Delivered on November 19, 1863, the Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln stands as one of the most iconic and revered speeches in American history. Given during a dedication ceremony for the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the address encapsulates the essence of American democracy, the sacrifice of the Civil War, and the enduring pursuit of a “new birth of freedom.”

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to 3, 1863, was a pivotal engagement in the Civil War. With staggering casualties on both sides, it marked a turning point in favor of the Union. The magnitude of the loss prompted the establishment of a national cemetery to honor the fallen soldiers, and Lincoln was invited to deliver a few appropriate remarks at its dedication.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, though brief, is a masterpiece of concise and impactful rhetoric. In just over two minutes, he addressed the fundamental principles of the nation, reflected on the sacrifices made on the battlefield, and articulated a vision for the future. The opening lines, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” eloquently harked back to the founding of the United States and the ideals that underpinned its creation.

The central theme of the Gettysburg Address is encapsulated in Lincoln’s assertion that the nation is engaged in a great “civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” Lincoln framed the conflict not merely as a struggle to preserve the Union but as a test of the very principles upon which the nation was founded – a test of whether a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” could endure.

The speech then shifted to a poignant acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by those who fought on the battlefield. Lincoln expressed that it was altogether fitting and proper to dedicate a portion of the nation’s consecrated ground as a final resting place for those who had given their lives. He emphasized that the living had a solemn duty to ensure “that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”

The phrase “a new birth of freedom” encapsulates Lincoln’s vision for the nation’s future. He recognized that the war was not merely a struggle to preserve the Union but a moral reckoning with the institution of slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued earlier in 1863, had declared slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free, aligning the Union’s cause with the broader fight for liberty and equality.

Lincoln’s emphasis on equality and the idea that the United States was a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal was a radical departure from the prevailing racial attitudes of the time. In the context of the mid-19th century, with slavery still deeply entrenched in the South, Lincoln’s words were a bold declaration of the nation’s commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

The brevity and simplicity of the Gettysburg Address belie its profound impact. Lincoln’s eloquence and moral clarity resonated not only with those present at the dedication but with future generations. The address became a touchstone for the nation’s identity, reminding Americans of the enduring principles that bind them together.

The Gettysburg Address also contributed to a shift in the perception of the Civil War. It reframed the conflict as a struggle for a new birth of freedom and emphasized the transformative potential of the nation’s ordeal. Lincoln’s words resonated with a sense of national purpose and a commitment to building a more just and inclusive society.

While the Gettysburg Address was initially met with mixed reviews, its stature grew over time. Today, it is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history, studied for its rhetorical brilliance and its timeless articulation of democratic principles. Its brevity, combined with its profound message, makes it a masterpiece of concise communication, encapsulating the essence of the American experiment in a few hundred words.

As the United States faced the challenges of the Civil War, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address provided a moral compass for the nation. It reminded Americans that their experiment in democracy was worth preserving, and that the sacrifices made on the battlefield were not in vain. The address endures as a testament to the enduring power of words to inspire and shape the course of a nation.

Personal Struggles

Abraham Lincoln’s life was marked by a series of personal struggles, from the hardships of his early years to the immense challenges he faced as President during the Civil War. These struggles not only shaped his character but also contributed to his resilience, empathy, and commitment to the principles of democracy.

Lincoln’s early life was one of poverty and frontier hardship. Born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky (now LaRue County), he grew up in a family that faced constant economic challenges. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was a farmer, carpenter, and land surveyor, and the family moved frequently in search of better opportunities.

Tragedy struck the Lincoln family when Abraham was just nine years old. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died from milk sickness, a common ailment in the region. This loss had a profound impact on Lincoln, leaving him with a sense of abandonment and loss that would linger throughout his life.

After his mother’s death, Lincoln’s father remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children of her own. Sarah played a crucial role in Lincoln’s life, providing stability and encouragement. Despite the family’s limited resources, she recognized Abraham’s intellectual potential and encouraged his love for learning.

Lincoln’s formal education was minimal, consisting of sporadic attendance at frontier schools where he learned basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, his education extended far beyond the classroom. With limited access to books, Lincoln became an avid reader, often walking long distances to borrow volumes from neighbors. His self-directed study included the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, Shakespeare’s works, and other classics.

The challenges of frontier life compelled Lincoln to work from a young age. He took on various jobs, including farm labor, rail-splitting, and working as a store clerk and postmaster. These experiences not only instilled a strong work ethic but also exposed him to the realities of life on the expanding American frontier.

In 1830, seeking better economic prospects, the Lincoln family moved to Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, now in his twenties, began to strike out on his own. His years in Illinois were marked by various jobs and continued struggles. He served in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War of 1832, gaining some exposure to military life.

Lincoln’s entry into the world of politics provided both opportunities and challenges. He began his political career in the Illinois State Legislature as a member of the Whig Party, serving multiple terms during the 1830s. However, political success did not shield him from personal setbacks. In 1832, he experienced his first electoral defeat when he ran for the Illinois State Legislature and lost.

Despite this setback, Lincoln persisted in his political pursuits and continued to study law on his own. He gained admission to the Illinois bar in 1836 and commenced his legal practice in Springfield. His legal career flourished, and he earned a reputation for honesty, fairness, and a keen intellect.

In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd, a woman from a prominent Kentucky family. The couple faced personal tragedies, including the death of their second son, Edward, at a young age. Lincoln’s responsibilities as a husband and father added to the complexities of his life, and his marriage experienced its share of challenges.

As the nation grappled with the divisive issue of slavery in the 1850s, Lincoln found himself at the center of the political maelstrom. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and the subsequent events, including the violent clashes in Kansas and the infamous Dred Scott decision by the Supreme Court, intensified the national debate.

In 1858, Lincoln engaged in a series of debates with Senator Stephen A. Douglas during the Illinois Senate race. Though he lost the election, these debates elevated Lincoln’s national profile and solidified his reputation as a skilled orator and a staunch opponent of the spread of slavery.

The personal struggles of Lincoln’s life converged with the seismic challenges facing the nation. The issue of slavery had reached a boiling point, and the election of 1860 saw Lincoln become the first Republican president. Southern states, fearing the impact of Lincoln’s anti-slavery stance, began to secede from the Union, setting the stage for the Civil War.

Lincoln’s presidency was marked by the monumental struggle to preserve the Union. As the nation descended into war, he faced unprecedented challenges, both on the battlefield and on the home front. The staggering loss of life and the complexities of military strategy weighed heavily on him.

The personal toll of the war was evident in Lincoln’s appearance. He aged rapidly, and the burden of leadership manifested physically. The weight of the nation’s divisions, coupled with the loss of countless lives, including his own son Willie, contributed to a heavy personal toll.

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, represented a personal and moral struggle for Lincoln. While he had always opposed the expansion of slavery, the proclamation signaled a transformative shift, aligning the Union’s cause with the abolition of slavery. This decision reflected both a moral conviction and a strategic calculation about the future of the nation.

Lincoln’s personal struggles were perhaps most evident in his interactions with the public and the soldiers on the front lines. He took the time to visit wounded soldiers and comfort grieving families, displaying a deep empathy that resonated with the American people. His famous letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a mother who had lost five sons in the war, exemplifies his ability to connect on a deeply personal level.

The weight of the war’s toll on the nation, combined with the personal challenges of Lincoln’s life, culminated in his famous Gettysburg Address. Given at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery on the site of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, the address captured the essence of the nation’s struggle and articulated a vision for a “new birth of freedom.”

Tragically, Lincoln’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on April 14, 1865, just days after the end of the war. His assassination marked the culmination of personal and national struggles, leaving a legacy that would endure through the ages.

Abraham Lincoln’s life was a testament to the human capacity for resilience and growth in the face of adversity. From the log cabin in Kentucky to the hallowed halls of the White House, his journey reflected the struggles and triumphs of a nation at a critical juncture. The personal challenges he faced informed his leadership style, fostering empathy, humility, and an unwavering commitment to the principles that define the American experiment in democracy.

Personal Life and Relationships

Abraham Lincoln’s personal life and relationships were marked by triumphs and tragedies, shaping the man who would become the 16th President of the United States. From his early family life in a log cabin to his complex relationships with his wife and children, Lincoln’s personal journey reflects the joys and sorrows that accompany a life dedicated to public service.

Lincoln’s childhood was humble, born to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. Tragedy struck early when Lincoln’s mother died when he was just nine years old. The loss of his mother had a profound impact on Lincoln, leaving him with a deep sense of loss and abandonment.

Following his mother’s death, Lincoln’s father, Thomas, remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children of her own. Sarah played a pivotal role in Lincoln’s life, providing emotional support and stability during his formative years. Despite the family’s limited resources, she recognized Lincoln’s intellectual potential and encouraged his love for learning.

In 1830, seeking better economic opportunities, the Lincoln family moved to Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln, now in his twenties, began to establish himself. This period marked the beginning of Lincoln’s independent life, as he took on various jobs and started to engage in local politics.

Lincoln’s personal life took a significant turn in 1839 when he met Mary Todd, a vivacious and well-educated young woman from a prominent Kentucky family. The two were engaged in 1840 but faced a series of personal and financial challenges that led to a temporary breakup. However, they eventually reconciled and were married on November 4, 1842.

The marriage between Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd was a union of contrasts. Mary came from a well-connected and affluent family, while Lincoln’s background was one of poverty and hardship. Despite their differences, they shared a deep emotional connection and a mutual respect for each other.

The Lincolns went on to have four sons: Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. However, their family life was marked by personal tragedies. Edward, their second son, died at the young age of four in 1850. This loss deeply affected both parents, and Lincoln reportedly grieved intensely over the death of his son.

As Lincoln’s political career progressed, his relationship with Mary faced its share of challenges. Mary Todd Lincoln, while intelligent and politically astute, struggled with mental health issues and faced public criticism. The stresses of Lincoln’s political life, combined with the burdens of the nation during the Civil War, took a toll on their relationship.

Despite the strains on their marriage, the Lincolns shared a genuine bond. Mary played a supportive role during Lincoln’s political career, providing advice and engaging in political discussions. Her social skills and connections were valuable assets, particularly during Lincoln’s presidency.

The White House, during Lincoln’s tenure, became a reflection of both his leadership and his family life. The Lincolns faced the immense personal and emotional toll of the Civil War, with Mary experiencing the loss of friends and family members who fought on both sides of the conflict. The death of their son Willie in 1862 added to the weight of their personal struggles.

Abraham Lincoln’s parenting style was characterized by a balance of discipline and affection. He was known for being indulgent with his sons, allowing them to explore the White House freely. His interactions with his children were marked by warmth and a genuine interest in their well-being.

While the presidency brought unparalleled challenges, Lincoln’s role as a father remained important to him. He took time to engage with his children, whether through reading to them or participating in games. His relationship with his youngest son, Tad, was particularly close, and Tad often accompanied his father to official events and meetings.

The personal challenges faced by the Lincoln family extended to the nation as a whole. The Civil War brought unprecedented loss and suffering, and Lincoln, burdened by the weight of the conflict, sought solace in his family. The strains on his marriage and the grief over the loss of loved ones mirrored the collective pain experienced by the nation.

Lincoln’s personal struggles were evident in his appearance as well. The burdens of leadership, combined with the grief of the war, aged him rapidly. His haggard appearance and the lines on his face spoke to the personal toll of the presidency and the immense challenges faced by the nation.

As the war neared its conclusion in 1865, the Lincolns faced the prospect of reconstruction and healing. Lincoln’s second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865, reflected his vision for a reunified nation. He called for “malice toward none” and “charity for all,” emphasizing the need for reconciliation and unity.

Tragically, Abraham Lincoln’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on April 14, 1865, just days after the war’s conclusion. His assassination marked a somber end to a presidency marked by personal and national struggles. The mourning that swept the nation mirrored the personal grief experienced by the Lincoln family.

The legacy of Abraham Lincoln’s personal life and relationships endures through the ages. His marriage to Mary Todd, marked by challenges and love, reflects the complexities of personal relationships amid the tumult of political life. The losses suffered by the Lincoln family mirrored the collective pain of the nation during the Civil War.

Lincoln’s ability to navigate personal and familial struggles while leading a nation through its darkest hour is a testament to his resilience and character. His commitment to principles of unity and equality, as articulated in the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, was not only a reflection of his political philosophy but also an expression of his deeply held beliefs about the nature of the American experiment.

In the end, Abraham Lincoln’s personal life and relationships were woven into the fabric of his presidency and the nation’s history. His journey from a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House, marked by personal triumphs and tragedies, remains a poignant and enduring chapter in the story of America.

Views on Slavery

Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery evolved throughout his life, reflecting the complex and shifting dynamics of the institution in American society. From his early encounters with slavery on the frontier to his leadership during the Civil War, Lincoln’s stance on slavery transformed from one of pragmatic opposition to a steadfast commitment to its abolition, culminating in the Emancipation Proclamation and his pursuit of the 13th Amendment.

Lincoln’s early exposure to slavery occurred during his childhood in Kentucky and Indiana. Growing up on the frontier, he witnessed the presence of slavery, as some families in the region owned enslaved individuals. However, his family did not own slaves, and their economic circumstances were such that they were often struggling to make ends meet.

The death of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, when he was just nine years old, added a layer of complexity to his early experiences with slavery. After his mother’s death, his father, Thomas Lincoln, remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children. The Lincolns’ blended family did not own slaves, but their economic challenges persisted.

As Lincoln ventured into the realm of politics and law, his views on slavery became more pronounced. In the Illinois State Legislature during the 1830s, Lincoln aligned himself with the Whig Party, which generally opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories. However, his early political career did not center explicitly on the issue of slavery; rather, it focused on economic development, infrastructure, and issues relevant to the growing state of Illinois.

Lincoln’s personal and political views on slavery began to crystallize during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. While he was a member of the Whig Party during his single term, the issue of the Mexican-American War brought the question of slavery to the forefront. Lincoln initially supported the war, but he grew increasingly critical and called for President James K. Polk to specify the exact spot where hostilities began. This scrutiny marked a shift in his political stance, foreshadowing a more principled approach to issues related to slavery.

Upon leaving Congress, Lincoln returned to Springfield, Illinois, and resumed his legal practice. During the 1850s, the national debate over the expansion of slavery intensified, fueled by events such as the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. This act, championed by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, allowed territories to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

The turmoil surrounding the Kansas-Nebraska Act rekindled Lincoln’s political ambitions. By this time, the Whig Party was disintegrating, and Lincoln found a new political home within the newly formed Republican Party, an anti-slavery coalition. He recognized the moral and political implications of the slavery debate, and his commitment to preventing its spread gained prominence.

The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 marked a turning point in Lincoln’s political career and showcased his evolving views on slavery. As the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Lincoln engaged in a series of debates with Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who advocated for popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery. Lincoln articulated a more principled stance, arguing that the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free.

In his famous House Divided speech delivered in Springfield in 1858, Lincoln stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” This declaration captured the essence of his evolving perspective on slavery. While he did not advocate for immediate abolition, he firmly opposed the extension of slavery into new territories.

The 1858 Senate race, which Lincoln ultimately lost to Douglas, elevated Lincoln’s national profile. His articulation of a moral opposition to the expansion of slavery resonated with anti-slavery sentiments in the North. While he did not win the Senate seat, the debates set the stage for his future political ambitions and solidified his position as a prominent figure within the Republican Party.

The 1860 presidential election marked a critical juncture in Lincoln’s views on slavery. As the Republican nominee, he ran on a platform opposing the extension of slavery into new territories. The election’s outcome triggered the secession crisis, as Southern states feared the impact of Lincoln’s anti-slavery policies on their institution.

When Lincoln assumed the presidency on March 4, 1861, seven Southern states had already seceded from the Union. His primary goal was to preserve the Union, but the issue of slavery remained at the forefront. In his inaugural address, Lincoln reassured the Southern states that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it already existed but firmly asserted that secession was illegal.

The outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 transformed the nature of the conflict and Lincoln’s approach to slavery. The initial focus remained on preserving the Union, but as the war unfolded, it became evident that the institution of slavery was central to the Southern economy and war effort.

The turning point came with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The proclamation declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free, fundamentally changing the character and purpose of the war. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it shifted the moral tone of the conflict and aligned the Union cause with the broader goal of ending slavery.

Lincoln’s decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation reflected both moral conviction and strategic calculation. Morally, he had come to view slavery as incompatible with the principles of liberty and equality upon which the nation was founded. Strategically, he recognized the potential to weaken the Confederacy by undermining its economic foundation and gaining support from abolitionist factions in Europe.

The proclamation marked a profound evolution in Lincoln’s views on slavery, transforming him from a pragmatist who opposed its expansion to a leader committed to its abolition. As the war progressed, Lincoln became increasingly convinced that the nation could not endure with slavery persisting in any form.

In 1864, as the war continued and Lincoln faced a contentious reelection campaign, he pushed for the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment, which would officially abolish slavery, represented a definitive break from the past. Lincoln saw the need for a permanent legal measure to eradicate slavery and believed that the amendment would be a fitting conclusion to the war.

The 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865, several months after Lincoln’s assassination. While Lincoln did not live to see its final ratification, his advocacy for the amendment reflected the culmination of his evolving views on slavery. The nation that emerged from the Civil War was fundamentally altered, with the abolition of slavery enshrined in its constitutional framework.

Abraham Lincoln’s journey from a young man on the frontier witnessing the complexities of slavery to the President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and advocated for the 13th Amendment reflects a profound evolution in his views. His commitment to preserving the Union shifted from a pragmatic concern for the nation’s stability to a principled stance against the institution of slavery. The trajectory of Lincoln’s views on slavery mirrored the tumultuous times in which he lived, reflecting the broader transformation of the nation during a period of unprecedented crisis.

While Lincoln’s evolution on the issue of slavery has been analyzed and debated by historians, it underscores the complex interplay of moral, political, and strategic considerations that shape leaders and their decisions. Lincoln’s ability to adapt and grow in response to the challenges of his time is a testament to his leadership, pragmatism, and commitment to the enduring principles of freedom and equality.

In the annals of American history, Abraham Lincoln stands as a symbol of leadership during a pivotal moment. His views on slavery, as reflected in his speeches, debates, and ultimately in the policies of his presidency, played a crucial role in shaping the nation’s trajectory. From the plains of the Midwest to the hallowed halls of the White House, Lincoln’s journey encapsulates the moral and political struggle to reconcile the principles of liberty with the institution of slavery.

As we reflect on Lincoln’s legacy, it prompts us to consider the broader implications of leadership in times of crisis. Lincoln’s willingness to confront and reassess his views, particularly on an issue as divisive as slavery, serves as a compelling example for leaders navigating complex and contentious challenges. His legacy challenges us to strive for a more just and inclusive society, guided by the enduring principles that define the American experiment in democracy.

Assassination and Legacy

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln on the evening of April 14, 1865, just days after the end of the Civil War, marked a tragic and fateful conclusion to a presidency that had guided the nation through its darkest hour. Lincoln’s legacy, forged in the crucible of war and shaped by his steadfast commitment to the principles of freedom and equality, endures as a beacon in American history.

On the night of April 14, 1865, President Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Unbeknownst to him, this seemingly ordinary evening would become one of the most pivotal moments in American history. John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer and actor, entered the President’s theater box and shot Lincoln in the back of the head.

The nation awoke to the shocking news of Lincoln’s assassination on the morning of April 15, 1865. The joy that had accompanied the recent end of the Civil War was instantly replaced by grief and sorrow. The President’s death sent shockwaves through the nation, leaving a profound void at a critical juncture of reconstruction and healing.

Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the following day, on April 15, 1865. His death marked the first assassination of a sitting U.S. President and plunged the nation into mourning. The loss of Lincoln, who had steered the nation through its most perilous period, left a profound impact on the collective consciousness of the American people.

The assassination of Lincoln was not an isolated act; it was part of a broader conspiracy that aimed to decapitate the Union government. Booth, along with several co-conspirators, sought to assassinate not only the President but also Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. While the attempts on Johnson and Seward were unsuccessful, Lincoln’s death left an indelible mark on the nation’s history.

Booth’s motives for assassinating Lincoln were rooted in his fervent support for the Confederacy and his belief in white supremacy. As the Union forces secured victory, Booth saw the President’s vision for reconstruction, which included civil rights for freed slaves, as a threat to the Southern way of life. In Booth’s distorted view, assassinating Lincoln was a desperate attempt to preserve the Confederacy’s ideals.

The aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination saw a swift and intense manhunt for Booth and his co-conspirators. On April 26, 1865, Booth was located in a barn in Virginia. Refusing to surrender, he was shot and killed by Union soldiers. The remaining conspirators faced trial, with several receiving harsh sentences, including four who were executed by hanging.

The nation grappled with the loss of Lincoln, mourning a leader who had become a symbol of hope, unity, and moral purpose. As the first U.S. President to be assassinated, Lincoln’s death left an indelible imprint on the American psyche. His funeral procession, which spanned multiple cities and states, became a solemn journey of mourning and reflection.

Lincoln’s legacy, however, extended far beyond the immediate aftermath of his assassination. His leadership during the Civil War and his unwavering commitment to the principles of freedom and equality left an enduring impact on the nation. As the country entered the challenging era of reconstruction, Lincoln’s vision for a united and reconciled nation continued to guide policymakers.

The Gettysburg Address, delivered by Lincoln on November 19, 1863, during the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, remains one of the most iconic speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln articulated a vision for a nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This concise and powerful statement encapsulates the essence of American democracy and became a touchstone for the nation’s identity.

Another pivotal aspect of Lincoln’s legacy was the Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it transformed the character and purpose of the Civil War by aligning the Union cause with the abolition of slavery. The proclamation laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which officially abolished slavery in the United States.

Lincoln’s commitment to preserving the Union while simultaneously addressing the moral issue of slavery demonstrated a nuanced and visionary approach to leadership. His ability to navigate the complexities of a nation torn apart by war and ideological divisions showcased his pragmatism, empathy, and unwavering dedication to the principles of democracy.

In the years following Lincoln’s death, the process of reconstruction unfolded. His vision for a reconciled nation faced significant challenges as policymakers grappled with the complexities of integrating the Southern states back into the Union and establishing civil rights for newly emancipated slaves. Despite the difficulties, Lincoln’s legacy continued to guide those who sought to build a more just and inclusive society.

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln left an enduring impact on the American presidency and the nation’s history. The subsequent presidents faced the daunting task of navigating the complexities of reconstruction and healing a fractured nation. Lincoln’s absence loomed large, and his successors grappled with the formidable challenges of implementing his vision in a post-war America.

Over time, Lincoln’s image evolved into that of a revered figure, an American hero whose leadership transcended the turbulent times in which he lived. His humble origins, marked by poverty and frontier hardship, endeared him to the American people as a symbol of the possibility of upward mobility and success through hard work and perseverance.

The mourning and reverence for Lincoln continued to shape the nation’s collective memory. Memorials, monuments, and institutions dedicated to his legacy proliferated across the country. The Lincoln Memorial, situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., became a symbol of national unity and a place of reflection for millions of visitors.

The legacy of Abraham Lincoln extended beyond the United States. His commitment to the principles of freedom and equality resonated on the global stage, influencing leaders and movements around the world. The enduring appeal of Lincoln’s vision for a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal transcended time and borders.

In the realm of literature and popular culture, Abraham Lincoln became an iconic figure. Countless books, films, and artistic representations explored his life, leadership, and the enduring impact of his presidency. The Lincoln mythos became a powerful narrative thread woven into the fabric of American identity.

Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, while a tragic and abrupt end to his life, did not diminish his legacy. Instead, it elevated him to the status of a martyr for the cause of democracy and equality. The nation’s collective memory of Lincoln focused on his role as the Great Emancipator, the leader who guided the United States through its greatest trial and paved the way for a more inclusive and just society.

As the United States continued to grapple with issues of civil rights and equality in the decades that followed, Lincoln’s legacy remained a touchstone. The struggles for civil rights in the 20th century found inspiration in the principles articulated by Lincoln during the Civil War. His vision for a nation committed to the proposition that all people are entitled to the same fundamental rights and opportunities reverberated through the ongoing quest for justice.

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln left an indelible mark on the nation, forever intertwining his legacy with the tumultuous period of the Civil War and reconstruction. Lincoln’s enduring impact lies not only in the policies he championed but also in the ideals and

principles that continue to shape the American experiment. The legacy of Abraham Lincoln serves as a beacon, reminding the nation of the enduring struggle for freedom, equality, and unity.

The enduring resonance of Lincoln’s legacy is evident in the continued study and reverence afforded to his life and presidency. Historians, scholars, and educators delve into the complexities of his leadership, examining the nuanced decisions he made and the profound impact they had on the trajectory of the nation. The lessons drawn from Lincoln’s presidency extend beyond the pages of history books, providing insights into the challenges of leadership during times of crisis.

One aspect of Lincoln’s legacy that stands out is his ability to bridge the gap between competing ideals and forge a common national identity. He confronted the profound contradiction of a nation conceived in liberty yet entangled in the institution of slavery. Lincoln’s unwavering commitment to preserving the Union while addressing the moral stain of slavery demonstrated a pragmatic and visionary approach to leadership.

The principles articulated by Lincoln during his presidency, encapsulated in iconic speeches like the Gettysburg Address, transcended the specific context of the Civil War. They became foundational elements of the American creed, guiding subsequent generations in their pursuit of a more perfect union. The notion that a nation, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, must strive for unity, justice, and freedom resonates through the annals of American history.

The challenges faced by the nation in the aftermath of the Civil War, as it sought to heal its wounds and redefine its identity, mirrored the personal struggles of individuals and communities. The legacy of Lincoln provided a moral compass during Reconstruction, encouraging a path toward reconciliation and a commitment to civil rights. While the journey toward justice was fraught with setbacks, Lincoln’s vision continued to inspire those who sought to build a more inclusive and egalitarian society.

The evolution of Abraham Lincoln from a self-educated prairie lawyer to the revered leader of a divided nation underscores the transformative power of leadership. His ability to navigate the complexities of his time, adapt to changing circumstances, and remain steadfast in his commitment to core principles serves as a model for leaders across various domains.

In the realm of civil rights, Lincoln’s legacy intersected with the ongoing struggles for equality in the 20th century. The Civil Rights Movement drew inspiration from the principles espoused by Lincoln, particularly the idea that the nation should aspire to live up to its foundational commitment to equality. Figures like Martin Luther King Jr. invoked Lincoln’s words and vision in their quest for justice and civil rights, recognizing the enduring relevance of his moral compass.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1922, became a symbolic space for gatherings and reflections on civil rights. It was at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The juxtaposition of Lincoln’s legacy with the contemporary struggle for civil rights underscored the enduring impact of his vision on the quest for racial equality.

In literature and popular culture, Abraham Lincoln continued to capture the imagination of artists, writers, and filmmakers. His life and presidency became the subject of countless works, each contributing to the rich tapestry of Lincoln’s legacy. The nuanced exploration of his character, the challenges he faced, and the moral dilemmas he confronted added depth to the understanding of his leadership.

While the assassination of Abraham Lincoln remains a somber chapter in American history, it did not overshadow the enduring impact of his presidency. The tragedy of his death served to elevate his status to that of a national martyr, reinforcing the resonance of his legacy. The collective mourning that followed his assassination reflected not only the grief over the loss of a leader but also a recognition of the profound contributions he made to the nation.

The legacy of Abraham Lincoln extends beyond the borders of the United States, influencing global perceptions of democracy, leadership, and the pursuit of human rights. His journey from a log cabin on the American frontier to the presidency became a symbol of the transformative potential embedded in the democratic experiment. Leaders and movements around the world found inspiration in Lincoln’s commitment to liberty and equality, recognizing the enduring relevance of his principles.

Lasted Stories

President Abraham Lincoln

Honest Abe was the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches tall.
He set up a national banking system while he was president. He also established the Department of Agriculture.
He was known as a gifted storyteller and liked to tell jokes.
On the day he was shot, Lincoln told his bodyguard that he had dreamt he would be assassinated.
He was the first president who had a full beard.
He often stored things like letters and documents in his tall stove-piped hat.
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U.S. Presidents

Abraham lincoln.

16th president of the United States

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky on February 12, 1809, to parents who could neither read nor write. He went to school on and off for a total of about a year, but he educated himself by reading borrowed books. When Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died. His father—a carpenter and farmer—remarried and moved his family farther west, eventually settling in Illinois .

As a young adult, Lincoln worked as a flatboat navigator, storekeeper, soldier, surveyor, and postmaster. At age 25 he was elected to the local government in Springfield, Illinois. Once there, he taught himself law, opened a law practice, and earned the nickname "Honest Abe."

He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost two U.S. Senate races. But the debates he had about the enslavement of people with his 1858 senatorial opponent, Stephen Douglas, helped him win the presidential nomination two years later. (Lincoln opposed the spread of slavery in the United States .) In the four-way presidential race of 1860, Lincoln got more votes than any other candidate.

A NATION DIVIDED

When Lincoln first took office in 1861, the United States was not truly united. The nation had been arguing for years about enslaving people and each state’s right to allow it. Now Northerners and Southerners were close to war. When he became president, Lincoln allowed the enslavement of people to continue in southern states but he outlawed its spread to other existing states and states that might later join the Union.

Southern leaders didn’t agree with this plan and decided to secede, or withdraw, from the nation. Eventually, 11 southern states formed the Confederate States of America to oppose the 23 northern states that remained in the Union. The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter, South Carolina , when troops from the Confederacy attacked the U.S. fort.

WARTIME PRESIDENCY

Lincoln’s primary goal as president was to hold the country together. For a long time, it didn’t look as if he would succeed. During the early years, the South was winning the war. It wasn’t until the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania during July 1863 that the war turned in favor of the Union.

Through speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln encouraged Northerners to keep fighting. In this famous dedication of the battlefield cemetery, he urged citizens to ensure "that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Earlier that same year Lincoln called for the end of the enslavement of people in his Emancipation Proclamation speech.

When the war was nearly over, Lincoln was re-elected in 1864. Civil War victory came on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Some 750,000 soldiers had died during the four-year conflict.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Seeing the Union successfully through the Civil War was Lincoln’s greatest responsibility, but it wasn’t his only triumph during his presidential years. Together with Congress, he established the Department of Agriculture; supported the development of a transcontinental railroad; enacted the Homestead Act, which opened up land to settlers; and crafted the 13th Amendment, which ended the enslavement of people.

TRAGIC FATE

Less than a week after people celebrated the end the Civil War, the country was mourning yet again. Lincoln became the first president to be assassinated when he was shot on April 14, 1865.

The night he was shot, he and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, were watching a play in Washington, D.C. The entrance to their box seats was poorly guarded, allowing actor John Wilkes Booth to enter. Booth hoped to revive the Confederate cause by killing Lincoln. He shot Lincoln in the back of the head, then fled the theater. He wasn’t caught until two weeks later. He was shot during his eventual capture and died from his wounds.

The wounded and unconscious president was carried to a boardinghouse across the street, where he died the next morning, April 15, 1865. Lincoln’s presidency was tragically cut short, but his contributions to the United States ensured that he would be remembered as one of its most influential presidents.

• The Lincoln family ate at the White House dinner table with their cat.

• Lincoln sometimes kept important documents under the tall black hats he wore.

• Lincoln was taller (at six feet four inches) than any other president.

From the Nat Geo Kids books Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum and Weird But True Know-It-All: U.S. Presidents by Brianna Dumont, revised for digital by Avery Hurt

Louis Gossett Jr., 87, Dies; ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘Roots’ Actor

His portrayal of a drill instructor earned him the Oscar for best supporting actor. He was the first Black performer to win in that category.

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A portrait of Louis Gossett Jr., an older man with a shaved head wearing a brown jacket and a colorful tie.

By Anita Gates

Louis Gossett Jr., who took home an Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman” and an Emmy for “Roots,” both times playing a mature man who guides a younger one taking on a new role — but in drastically different circumstances — died early Friday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87.

Mr. Gossett’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett confirmed the death. He did not specify a cause.

Mr. Gossett was 46 when he played Emil Foley, the Marine drill instructor from hell who ultimately shapes the humanity of an emotionally damaged young Naval aviation recruit (Richard Gere) in “ An Officer and a Gentleman ” (1982). Reviewing the movie in The New York Times, Vincent Canby described Sergeant Foley as a cruel taskmaster “recycled as a man of recognizable cunning, dedication and humor” revealed in “the kind of performance that wins awards.”

Mr. Gossett told The Times that he had recognized the role’s worth immediately. “The words just tasted good,” he recalled.

When he accepted the Oscar for best supporting actor in 1983, he was the first Black performer to win in that category — and only the third (after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier) to win an Academy Award for acting.

Mr. Gossett, a versatile actor, played a range of parts in his long career. But he was best known for playing decent, plain-spoken men, often authority figures.

By the time he won his Oscar, he had already won an Emmy as Fiddler, the mentor of the lead character, Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), in the blockbuster 1977 mini-series “ Roots .”

Fiddler was, as the name suggested, a musician, an enslaved man on an 18th-century Virginia plantation. Mr. Gossett was not thrilled about the role at first. “Why choose me to play the Uncle Tom?” he remembered thinking in a 2018 Television Academy video interview . But he came to admire the survival skills of forebears like Fiddler, he said, and based the character on his grandparents and a great-grandmother.

That portrayal, he said, became “a tribute to all those people who taught me how to behave.”

Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn, the only child of Louis Gossett, a porter, and Helen (Wray) Gossett, a nurse. He made his Broadway debut when he was 17 and still a student at Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway.

While healing after a basketball injury, he appeared in a school play, just to occupy his time. Impressed, a teacher suggested that he audition for “ Take a Giant Step ,” a play by Louis Peterson that was opening at the Lyceum Theater in the fall of 1953. He won the lead role, that of Spencer Scott, a troubled adolescent. Brooks Atkinson of The Times praised his “admirable and winning performance,” one that conveyed “the whole range of Spencer’s turbulence.”

Sidney Fields devoted a column in The Sunday Mirror to the young man, who shared his career plans. “I always wanted to study pharmacy,” Mr. Gossett said. “But now after college I’ll try acting. I know it’s a tough business, but if I fail, I’ll have the pharmacy degree to fall back on.”

He ended up majoring in drama (and minoring in pharmacy) while on a basketball scholarship at New York University. In 1955, he returned to Broadway, in William Marchant’s comedy “The Desk Set.” By the time he graduated, acting was paying him more than any basketball team would.

He made his film debut as an annoying college man in “ A Raisin in the Sun ” (1961), an adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play that starred Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. He had appeared onscreen only twice before — in two episodes of “The Big Story,” an NBC drama series, in 1957 and 1958.

Before becoming a film star, Mr. Gossett had a thriving theater career. In less than a decade he landed six Broadway roles, including that of a Harlem hustler in “Tambourines to Glory” (1963), a South African grandfather’s servant in “The Zulu and the Zayda” (1965), a lawyer who had killed a white man in a civil rights demonstration in “My Sweet Charlie” (1966) and the Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in “Murderous Angels” (1971).

In the mid-1960s, he replaced the actor playing the big-time boxing promoter Eddie Satin in the musical “Golden Boy,” starring Sammy Davis Jr. His most unfortunate role may have been as a Black man with a white slave in “Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights” (1968), a comedy written by Robert Alan Aurthur and directed by Sidney Poitier. The play, which Clive Barnes of The Times called racist, closed after a week.

Mr. Gossett never committed to another Broadway role. But he appeared for four nights as the flashy lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical “Chicago” in 2002.

In the 1960s, he also performed as a folk singer in Greenwich Village coffee houses. He and Richie Havens co-wrote the antiwar song “Handsome Johnny,” which Mr. Havens recorded in 1966 and later sang at Woodstock.

His dozens of feature films included “The Landlord” (1970), in which he played a man on the brink of insanity; “Travels With My Aunt” (1972); and “The Deep” (1977), as a Bahamian drug dealer. His later films included “ Diggstown ” (1992), in which he played a boxer, and the movie version of Sam Shepard’s “Curse of the Starving Class” (1994), in which he played a bar owner.

Mr. Gossett made more than 100 television appearances, ranging from lighthearted comedies like “The Partridge Family” to dramas like “Madam Secretary.” He played the title role, a Columbia anthropology professor who investigates crimes, on the short-lived 1989 series “Gideon Oliver.”

He also appeared in numerous television movies, among them “The Lazarus Syndrome” (1978), about a cardiologist; “ A Gathering of Old Men ” (1987), about a Black man who kills in self-defense; “Strange Justice” (1999), about the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation process (he played the presidential adviser Vernon Jordan); and “Lackawanna Blues” (2005), based on Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s play. His other TV-movie roles included the Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat and the baseball star Satchel Paige.

He continued to act until last year, when he was seen in the film version of the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.”

Mr. Gossett’s marriage to Hattie Glascoe in 1964 lasted only five months. He and Christina Mangosing married in 1973, had one child and divorced after two years. His 1987 marriage to Cyndi James Reese ended in divorce in 1992.

Mr. Gossett is survived by his sons, Satie and Sharron Gossett, and several grandchildren.

In the Television Academy interview, Mr. Gossett urged fellow actors to help effect political and social change in a disturbing world. “The arts can achieve it overnight,” he said. “Millions of people are watching.” He added, “We can get to them quicker than anybody else.”

Michael S. Rosenwald contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this obituary misstated the name of the play in which Mr. Gossett portrayed the Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba on Broadway in 1971. It is “Murderous Angels,” not “Dangerous Angels.”

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The 15 Best Books on President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln by Lord Charnwood. No other narrative account of Abraham Lincoln's life has inspired such widespread and lasting acclaim as Charnwood's Abraham Lincoln: A Biography. Written by a native of England and originally published in 1916, the biography is a rare blend of beautiful prose and profound historical insight.
Ten Best Abraham Lincoln Biographies
Abraham Lincoln books far outnumber those about any other US president. Here are ten of the best Lincoln biographies …. 1. Lincoln. by David Herbert Donald. Many critics agree that if you are only going to read one Abraham Lincoln biography this is the one to read….
Best Books About Abraham Lincoln (108 books)
108 books based on 111 votes: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lincoln by David Herbert Donald, Manhunt: ...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky, U.S.—died April 15, 1865, Washington, D.C.) was the 16th president of the United States (1861-65), who preserved the Union during the American Civil War and brought about the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Lincoln and his cabinet.
The best books on Abraham Lincoln
1 Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer. 2 Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L Wilson. 3 Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills. 4 Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory by Harold Holzer. 5 They Knew Lincoln by John E Washington.
Best Books (And Surprising Insights) On Lincoln : NPR
Battle Cry Of Freedom. By James M. McPherson. Purchase. But Lincoln's political persona is but one dimension of the man. Andy Ferguson, senior editor of The Weekly Standard and author of Land of ...
The Best Biographies of Abraham Lincoln
Often described as the second best single-volume biography of Lincoln (after David Herbert Donald's 1995 biography) I was not disappointed. Although fairly lengthy (at nearly 700 pages) it is entertaining to read and easy to follow. ... - Benjamin Thomas's "Abraham Lincoln: A Biography" Best "Non-Traditional" Lincoln Biography:
Abraham Lincoln: Biography, U.S. President, Abolitionist
Abraham Lincoln was the 16 th president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, and is regarded as one of America's greatest heroes due to his roles in guiding the Union through the ...
Abraham Lincoln: Facts, Birthday & Assassination
Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in a one-room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln's ...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (/ ˈ l ɪ ŋ k ən / LING-kən; February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman, who served as the 16th president of the United States, from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the United States through the American Civil War, defending the nation as a constitutional union, defeating the insurgent Confederacy, playing a ...
President Abraham Lincoln Biography
War & Affiliation Civil War / Union. Date of Birth - Death February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865. Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. His family moved to Indiana when he was seven and he grew up on the edge of the frontier. He had very little formal education, but ...
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Lincoln's Battle with God: A President's Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America by Stephen Mansfield. "Abraham Lincoln is the most beloved of all U.S. presidents. He freed the slaves, gave the world some of its most beautiful phrases, and redefined the meaning of America.
Ten Best Abraham Lincoln Biographies
10. Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln. by Douglas Wilson. This Lincoln biography explores the early years of Lincoln's political career. "As Douglas L. Wilson shows us in Honor's Voice, Lincoln's transformation was not one long triumphal march, but a process that was more than once seriously derailed.".
Abraham Lincoln, Biography, 16th President of the United States
February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865. Abraham Lincoln was an American political leader during the 19th century. Rising from humble beginnings, Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States in 1860. Lincoln's election prompted the secession of several Southern states and eventually the beginning of the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln
This award-winning biography has been hailed as the definitive portrait of Lincoln. Named One of the 5 Best Books of 2009 by The Atlantic Named One of the 10 Top Lincoln Books by Chicago Tribune ... In the first multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln to be published in decades, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame offers a fresh look at the ...
Ten Best Abraham Lincoln Biographies
Abraham Lincoln books far outnumber those about any other US president. Here are ten of the best Lincoln biographies …. 3. A. Lincoln: A Biography. by Ronald White, Jr. Some sources, including USA TODAY, claim that his is the best 1-volume bio of Lincoln, and it won a slew of awards when it came out in 2009.
The Best Books on President Lincoln
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (2003) and Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief (2008) by James M. McPherson. Though it is not a biography of Lincoln, Battle Cry of Freedom ...
Abraham Lincoln
Winner, 2008 PROSE Award for Best Book in U.S. History and Biography/Autobiography, Association of American Publishers ... In the first multi-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln to be published in decades, Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame offers a fresh look at the life of one of America's greatest presidents. Incorporating the field notes ...
Abraham Lincoln: A Life
Michael Burlingame's long-awaited Abraham Lincoln: A Life, published in 2008 by the Johns Hopkins University Press in two large volumes and nearly 2,000 pages, is believed by many Lincoln scholars to be the most exhaustively researched and fully documented biography of Abraham Lincoln ever written.. The work as originally submitted was even more extensive, but largely because of space ...
Abraham Lincoln
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South. The opposite was the result ...
Abraham Lincoln: Biography, Presidency, & Legacy
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865. Widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in American history, he is renowned for his leadership during the American Civil War, preserving the Union, and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, a pivotal step in ending slavery.
Biography of President Abraham Lincoln
by Alexander Gardner. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. Served as President: 1861-1865. Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson. Party: Republican. Age at inauguration: 52. Born: February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky. Died: April 15, 1865. Lincoln died the morning after being shot at Ford ...
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln became the first president to be assassinated when he was shot on April 14, 1865. The night he was shot, he and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, were watching a play in Washington, D.C. The entrance to their box seats was poorly guarded, allowing actor John Wilkes Booth to enter. Booth hoped to revive the Confederate cause by killing Lincoln.
CRITICAL MASS
It's a quick read, a page turner that isn't as detailed as some others, such as Michael W. Kauffman's definitive 2004 biography "American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies" or ...
Louis Gossett Jr., 87, Dies; 'An Officer and a Gentleman' and 'Roots
He made his Broadway debut when he was 17 and still a student at Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway. ... Mr. Gossett received an Emmy award as best supporting actor for the role.

The 15 Best Books on President Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Lincoln at Gettysburg by Gary Wills

Lincoln’s Sword by Douglas L. Wilson

The Fiery Trial by Eric Foner

Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White

Tried by War by James M. McPherson

Honor’s Voice by Douglas L. Wilson

Abraham Lincoln by Lord Charnwood

Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk

Lincoln at Cooper Union by Harold Holzer

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years by Carl Sandberg

We Are Lincoln Men by David Herbert Donald

The Lincolns: Portraits of a Marriage by Daniel Mark

History Books » American History » Books on American Presidents

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L Wilson

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills

Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory by Harold Holzer

They Knew Lincoln by John E Washington

1 Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

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The 20 Best Books about Abraham Lincoln

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul by Brian Kilmeade

The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President – and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. Phillips

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald

A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White

Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times by David S. Reynolds

The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations by Abraham Lincoln and Bob Blaisdell

Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk

With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates

The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner

Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln by Edward Achorn

Lincoln and the Fight for Peace by John Avlon

The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution by James Oakes

Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President by Ronald C. White

A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln by Sidney Blumenthal

Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader by Michael J. Gerhardt

Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War by Tom Wheeler

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson

Lincoln and the Irish: The Untold Story of How the Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln Save the Union by Niall O’Dowd

Lincoln’s Battle with God: A President’s Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America by Stephen Mansfield

Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War by Roger Lowenstein

Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: A History of Courage, Intrigue and Unlikely Friendships by Michael Hogan

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