Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents of the United States. He served as the 16th President of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the country during one of its most tumultuous periods, the American Civil War, and played a crucial role in preserving the Union, ending slavery, and modernizing the country. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. He grew up in poverty and lacked formal education, but he was a voracious reader and taught himself through books. He moved to Illinois as a young man and became a successful lawyer and politician. Lincoln's political career began in the Illinois state legislature, where he served from 1834 to 1842. He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. In 1858, he ran for …show more content…
His victory sparked a crisis in the southern states, which feared that Lincoln and the Republicans would abolish slavery. In December 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union, and by the time Lincoln took office in March 1861, six other states had followed suit. Lincoln's presidency was dominated by the Civil War, which began in April 1861, just a few weeks after he took office. He faced enormous challenges in leading the country through the war, including managing the military, dealing with dissent within his own party, and navigating the complex politics of the border states. One of Lincoln's most important accomplishments as president was his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared that all slaves in the Confederate states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." Although the proclamation did not immediately free any slaves, it signaled a major shift in the Union's war aims and helped to pave the way for the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery throughout the United