Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1861, until his assassination on April 15, 1865. A leader of the Republican Party, he guided the nation through the Civil War and worked to end slavery.
Lincoln preserved the Union during the American Civil War through determined wartime leadership, strategic appointments, and use of executive authority to meet the extraordinary crisis of rebellion.
He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, strongly supported the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, and left a lasting legacy as a symbol of national unity, liberty, and democratic governance; his assassination made him a martyr for those causes.
Led the Union through the Civil War; Issued the Emancipation Proclamation (1863); Delivered the Gettysburg Address; Supported and helped secure passage of the 13th Amendment; Exercised broad wartime executive powers, including suspension of habeas corpus; Reorganized Union military leadership and appointed key commanders
Key highlights and dated events associated with this presidency.
Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address and reframed the Civil War around national unity and equality.
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate-held territory.