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'''Abraham Lincoln''' (1809-1865) presided over the Civil War as the 16th president of the United States.  Idolized by the North and hated by the South, Lincoln pursued his goal of keeping the Union together despite the fervent desire by southerners to secede.  Approaching secession with the mind of the attorney that Lincoln was, he declared it illegal and managed, or mismanaged in the view of some, the resultant war.

'''Abraham Lincoln''' (1809-1865) presided over the Civil War as the 16th president of the United States.  Idolized by the North and hated by the South, Lincoln pursued his goal of keeping the Union together despite the fervent desire by southerners to secede.  Approaching secession with the mind of the attorney that Lincoln was, he declared it illegal and managed, or mismanaged in the view of some, the resultant war. He is also famous for having declared: "Congressmen who willfully take action during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs, and should be arrested, exiled or hanged."

Homeschooled in his youth, Lincoln became a successful railroad attorney in Illinois who was known for his integrity and his piercing cross-examinations.  He lost many more political races than he won, and served briefly in Congress as a Whig opposed to the Mexican War.  That cost him reelection, and a decade later in 1858 he ran for the [[U.S. Senate]] against the dynamic speaker [[Stephen Douglas]], who defeated him.  But Lincoln ran a strong enough race that Douglas was forced to alienate some of his supporters with his [[Freeport Doctrine]], and when both ran for president two years later in 1860, Lincoln won easily without even campaigning.

Homeschooled in his youth, Lincoln became a successful railroad attorney in Illinois who was known for his integrity and his piercing cross-examinations.  He lost many more political races than he won, and served briefly in Congress as a Whig opposed to the Mexican War.  That cost him reelection, and a decade later in 1858 he ran for the [[U.S. Senate]] against the dynamic speaker [[Stephen Douglas]], who defeated him.  But Lincoln ran a strong enough race that Douglas was forced to alienate some of his supporters with his [[Freeport Doctrine]], and when both ran for president two years later in 1860, Lincoln won easily without even campaigning.