Excerpt
Introduction
Abraham Lincoln’s face is everywhere. He’s on the penny, the five-dollar bill, and one of the biggest monuments in Washington, D.C. Schools, streets, and even whole towns are named after him. But why? What made him such an important president? The United States has had many leaders, but Lincoln stands out because of what he did, the choices he made, and the way he led during one of the most difficult times in the country’s history.
Lincoln was the president when the United States was splitting apart. The country was arguing—fighting, really—about whether slavery should continue. The North and South disagreed so much that the Southern states decided to break away and form their own country. That had never happened before. Lincoln believed the United States should stay together, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. That wasn’t an easy position to take. People on both sides were furious. Some thought he wasn’t doing enough, while others thought he was ruining the country.
But Lincoln didn’t back down. He led the nation through the Civil War, the deadliest war the U.S. has ever seen. It wasn’t just a war between two armies—it was a war between people from the same country, sometimes even from the same families. Soldiers fought battles in their own backyards, and the entire nation was affected. Through it all, Lincoln stayed focused. He made sure the Union kept fighting, even when things looked hopeless. And when the war finally turned in the Union’s favor, he made a decision that would change the country forever—he ended slavery in the United States.
Before Lincoln, slavery had existed in America for over 200 years. Millions of people were born into slavery, forced to work without pay, and treated as property. Lincoln believed that was wrong. His most famous act as president was signing the Emancipation Proclamation, a law that declared enslaved people in the Southern states free. It wasn’t an easy decision, and not everyone agreed with it at the time. But Lincoln saw it as necessary—not just to win the war, but to make the United States a better place.
And he didn’t stop there. He pushed for the 13th Amendment, which permanently ended slavery in the entire country. This wasn’t just a war-time decision—it was a lasting change that made sure slavery would never return. Some presidents are remembered for wars or battles, but Lincoln is remembered for something bigger: making America a place where all people could be free.
But Lincoln’s importance wasn’t just about what he did—it was also about how he did it. He was a leader who listened. He didn’t surround himself with people who always agreed with him. In fact, many of the people in his cabinet, the group of advisors who helped him run the country, had once been his political opponents. He picked them because he believed the best ideas came from hearing different opinions, even if those opinions clashed with his own.
Lincoln was also known for being incredibly honest. People called him "Honest Abe" because he told the truth, even when it wasn’t easy. He didn’t pretend to have all the answers, and he didn’t act like he was better than everyone else. He spoke in a way that made sense to ordinary people. He didn’t use fancy words or try to impress anyone—he just said what needed to be said. That made people trust him, even when they didn’t agree with him.
He also had a way of making big ideas easy to understand. One of his most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address, was only a few minutes long, but it became one of the most powerful speeches in American history. Instead of giving a long, complicated speech, he got right to the point: the country was fighting not just to win a war, but to make sure that democracy—the idea that people have the power to choose their leaders—would survive.
Lincoln’s leadership helped reunite the country after the Civil War, but he didn’t get to see the results of his work. Just days after the war ended, he was assassinated while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre. His death shocked the nation. People mourned, not just because a president had been killed, but because Lincoln had become a symbol of unity, hope, and freedom.
Abraham Lincoln’s face is everywhere. He’s on the penny, the five-dollar bill, and one of the biggest monuments in Washington, D.C. Schools, streets, and even whole towns are named after him. But why? What made him such an important president? The United States has had many leaders, but Lincoln stands out because of what he did, the choices he made, and the way he led during one of the most difficult times in the country’s history.
Lincoln was the president when the United States was splitting apart. The country was arguing—fighting, really—about whether slavery should continue. The North and South disagreed so much that the Southern states decided to break away and form their own country. That had never happened before. Lincoln believed the United States should stay together, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. That wasn’t an easy position to take. People on both sides were furious. Some thought he wasn’t doing enough, while others thought he was ruining the country.
But Lincoln didn’t back down. He led the nation through the Civil War, the deadliest war the U.S. has ever seen. It wasn’t just a war between two armies—it was a war between people from the same country, sometimes even from the same families. Soldiers fought battles in their own backyards, and the entire nation was affected. Through it all, Lincoln stayed focused. He made sure the Union kept fighting, even when things looked hopeless. And when the war finally turned in the Union’s favor, he made a decision that would change the country forever—he ended slavery in the United States.
Before Lincoln, slavery had existed in America for over 200 years. Millions of people were born into slavery, forced to work without pay, and treated as property. Lincoln believed that was wrong. His most famous act as president was signing the Emancipation Proclamation, a law that declared enslaved people in the Southern states free. It wasn’t an easy decision, and not everyone agreed with it at the time. But Lincoln saw it as necessary—not just to win the war, but to make the United States a better place.
And he didn’t stop there. He pushed for the 13th Amendment, which permanently ended slavery in the entire country. This wasn’t just a war-time decision—it was a lasting change that made sure slavery would never return. Some presidents are remembered for wars or battles, but Lincoln is remembered for something bigger: making America a place where all people could be free.
But Lincoln’s importance wasn’t just about what he did—it was also about how he did it. He was a leader who listened. He didn’t surround himself with people who always agreed with him. In fact, many of the people in his cabinet, the group of advisors who helped him run the country, had once been his political opponents. He picked them because he believed the best ideas came from hearing different opinions, even if those opinions clashed with his own.
Lincoln was also known for being incredibly honest. People called him "Honest Abe" because he told the truth, even when it wasn’t easy. He didn’t pretend to have all the answers, and he didn’t act like he was better than everyone else. He spoke in a way that made sense to ordinary people. He didn’t use fancy words or try to impress anyone—he just said what needed to be said. That made people trust him, even when they didn’t agree with him.
He also had a way of making big ideas easy to understand. One of his most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address, was only a few minutes long, but it became one of the most powerful speeches in American history. Instead of giving a long, complicated speech, he got right to the point: the country was fighting not just to win a war, but to make sure that democracy—the idea that people have the power to choose their leaders—would survive.
Lincoln’s leadership helped reunite the country after the Civil War, but he didn’t get to see the results of his work. Just days after the war ended, he was assassinated while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre. His death shocked the nation. People mourned, not just because a president had been killed, but because Lincoln had become a symbol of unity, hope, and freedom.