Abraham Lincoln

Would you try to save a country if it was breaking in two? Abraham Lincoln did exactly that. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States during the 1860s. Born in 1809, he grew up poor in a log cabin, taught himself to read, and became a lawyer. As president he faced the Civil War (1861-1865) and his main job was to keep the nation together.

People called him 'Honest Abe' because he valued truth and fairness. His most important actions changed the course of history. In 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that enslaved people in Confederate states should be free. That order did not free everyone at once, but it changed the goal of the war and gave hope to millions.

He also gave the Gettysburg Address - a short, powerful speech about equality and a government 'of the people, by the people, for the people.' After the war, the 13th Amendment was passed, and slavery was ended across the whole country. Because of Lincoln, the United States stayed one nation and moved closer to freedom for more people. He liked telling stories, sometimes wore a tall stovepipe hat, and is remembered on the penny, the five-dollar bill, and at Mount Rushmore. For a 10-year-old, Lincoln is a clear example that courage, honesty, and ideas can change history.