Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States from 1861 to 1865 when he was assassinated. He was the leader of the United State during the Civil War and he helped to preserve the Union as well as abolish slavery and modernize the economy. He was mainly self-educated, became a lawyer and was elected to the United States House of Representatives and opposed the Mexican-American War. He also took part in very popular debates with his rival Stephen A. Douglas who was a Democrat.
Lincoln is often ranked as the greatest President of the United States and applauded for his heightened nationalism, sense of business, fight against violence amongst humans and adherence to the principles of the Founding Fathers. Lincoln was also noted for using Euclidian geometry to aid him in choosing right from wrong when it came to making important political decisions. In addition, his actions were influenced by the principles of John Locke and Edmund Burke in regards to liberty and tradition.