Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. Today, he is best known for ending slavery and preserving the Union by overseeing the war effort during the American Civil War. He selected the generals and approved their strategy; selected senior civilian officials; supervised diplomacy, patronage and party operations; and rallied public opinion through messages and speeches. His influence has been magnified by his powerful oratory; his Gettysburg Address had a lasting impact on American values.
Growing up in Indiana, Lincoln became one of Illinois' most respected lawyers. He entered politics by helping to found and lead the state's Whig Party; he helped found and lead the Illinois Republican Party. In 1860 he won the party nomination as a moderate and was elected in a four-way race. Fearing that he would interfere with slavery, 11 Southern states seceded. Lincoln refused to recognize the Confederacy and made it his first priority to reunite the nation. To do that he had to overthrow slavery as well, which he did through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. He took personal charge of Reconstruction, seeking to speedily re-unite the nation. He was opposed by the Radical Republicans who advocated much harsher policies. Lincoln's assassination as the war ended made him a martyr and icon of American nationalism.