Abe Lincoln

Who He Was

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1809, Lincoln grew up in poverty on the frontier and was almost entirely self-educated, teaching himself law by reading borrowed books. He served in the Illinois state legislature before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and, eventually, to the presidency. He led the country through the Civil War, the greatest constitutional and military crisis in American history, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. His leadership helped preserve the Union and set the country on a path toward ending the institution of slavery.

Why He Matters

Abraham Lincoln's life is one of the most powerful illustrations in American history of what public service can accomplish. He rose from poverty with almost no formal education to hold the nation's highest office, and he used that office to make decisions of extraordinary moral consequence at enormous personal and political cost. Lincoln is remembered not only for what he achieved but for how he led: with honesty, humility, a willingness to listen, and a belief that the strength of a democracy depends on the character of the people who hold its offices. For young people considering public service, Lincoln's story is a reminder that where you start does not determine where you can go.