Abraham Lincoln

Definition

The 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the nation through its Civil War, preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government and modernized the U.S. economy.

Related terms

Civil War: A war fought from 1861-1865 between Northern states loyal to the Union and Southern states that seceded to form their own country known as Confederate States of America.

Gettysburg Address: A famous speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln in November 1863 at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of Gettysburg battlefield.

Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: The killing of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., just days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.