Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President of the United States

Early Life and Education

Lincoln's early life was marked by poverty and hardship. He grew up in a poor farming family and had very little formal education. However, he was an avid reader and largely self-educated. He eventually became a store clerk and then a lawyer, earning his law license in 1836.

Political Career

Lincoln's entry into politics began in 1832, when he ran for the Illinois state legislature. He won the election and went on to serve several terms in the state legislature. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he spoke out against the Mexican-American War.

In 1858, Lincoln ran for the U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas, a prominent Democrat. Although Lincoln lost that election, his debates with Douglas brought him national attention and set him up for his future presidential campaign.

Presidency

In 1860, Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States, with a platform of stopping the spread of slavery and preserving the Union. As President, Lincoln faced the immense challenge of the Civil War, which began in April 1861 when Confederate forces fired on Union troops at Fort Sumter.

Lincoln's leadership during the Civil War, his commitment to preserving the Union, and his eloquence in speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, have become legendary. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, declaring freedom for all slaves in Confederate territory.

Assassination

Tragically, Lincoln's life was cut short by an assassin's bullet. On April 14, 1865, he was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died the next morning, and his death was mourned by the nation.

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