OVERVIEW: Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was defined by the Civil War. Before he even took office—and largely because of his election—southern states were seceding from the Union, and he would ...

Considered one of the nation's greatest presidents, Abraham ... after Lincoln took office, Confederate forces fired on Union troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and the Civil War began.

Finally, constitutionally and politically, Lincoln had to grapple with the evolving meaning of the Civil ... the war must lead to “a new birth of freedom” or it would have been fought in vain. Major ...

Abraham Lincoln was an American hero — but a flawed one. As we celebrate his essential contributions to our country, let's ...