First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln rose from humble frontier roots to become America’s 16th president during one of the most tumultuous periods in the nation’s history. A self-taught lawyer, legislator and outspoken opponent of slavery, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history—revered for preserving the Union during the bitter U.S. Civil War and for ending slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation.&nbsp;

Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln rose from humble frontier roots to become America’s 16th president during one of the most tumultuous periods in the nation’s history. A self-taught lawyer, legislator and outspoken opponent of slavery, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history—revered for preserving the Union during the bitter U.S. Civil War and for ending slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation.&nbsp;

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America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian - the U.S. president - would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

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The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

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February is dedicated as Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, including the civil rights movement and their artistic, cultural and political achievements.

Black History

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Martha Washington set many standards for American First Ladies, but from Abigail Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump, each has left her mark on the office.

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded control over politics and business.

Lincoln ‑ Topics

Election of 1860

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Emancipation Proclamation: How Lincoln Used War Powers Against Slavery

Mary Todd Lincoln

13th Amendment

Hampton Roads Conference

Lincoln‑Douglas Debates