Life of Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States

The biography traces a humble upbringing and self-education, outlines early legal practice and state legislative service, and recounts national emergence through debates, a landmark eastern speech, and the campaign that produced the presidency. It follows the administration’s measured response to secession, inaugural responsibilities, cabinet formation, and the mobilization and conduct of the civil war while sketching major policies and proclamations. The account concludes by reflecting on postwar hopes and includes a collection of speeches, messages, proclamations, and letters to illustrate governing principles and the subject’s public character.