Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809--April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States (March 4, 1861 - April 15, 1865). As an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery and a political leader in the western states, he won the Republican Party nomination in 1860 and was elected president later that year.

Lincoln helped preserve the United States by leading the defeat of the secessionist Confederacy in the American Civil War. He introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoting the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. Lincoln's leadership qualities were evident in his close supervision of the victorious Federal (i.e., Northern or Union) war effort. Lincoln also rallied public opinion through the powerful rhetoric of his messages and speeches; his Gettysburg Address is remembered as the prime example. At the close of the war, Lincoln took a liberal view of Reconstruction, seeking to speedily re-unite the nation through a policy of generous reconciliation.

Lincoln was the target of severe criticism during his presidency. Anti-war Copperheads vilified him for allegedly refusing to compromise on slavery, and for war measures which, they believed, overstepped the bounds of executive power. Radical Republicans criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery, and for not being ruthless enough toward the conquered South at war's end. However, Lincoln's assassination in 1865 would make him a martyr for the ideal of national unity.

Historians have since taken a kinder view of his presidency and its legacy. Scholars rank Lincoln among the top three U.S. Presidents, with the average of those surveys placing him at number one. He is noted for his lasting influence on U.S. politics - redefining republican values,[citation needed] promoting nationalism, and enlarging the powers of the federal government.