Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, serving as the 16th President of the United States beginning in 1861, during the Civil War, made a lasting impact on the preservation of the Union by assisting the North in winning the war, abolishing slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and setting up the foundation for the eventual implementation of the 14th and 15th Amendments, giving African Americans full citizenship and the right to vote. During his four years as President before his assasination in 1865, Lincoln also accomplished establishing the U.S Department of Agriculture, made the Gettysburg Address speech, and shifted the political landscape through redefining federal power.