Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Lincoln led the nation through its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis in the American Civil War. He succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy.
Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. Congressman from Illinois. In 1849 he returned to his law practice but became vexed by the launch of additional lands to slavery as a result of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Abraham Lincoln was more than just an American hero; he represented the dawn of a new era in human civilization based on freedom, self-government and equality.
To this day, Lincoln is synonymous with the principles of liberty, democracy, equal rights and unification. His willingness to stand alone on issues he believed in made him one of the most beloved and noteworthy leaders in modern history. Lincoln is recognized as the United States' saint legend, and he is reliably positioned as the best U.S. president ever.
