Introduction

Abraham Lincoln’s life reads like an American folk tale. The story of a boy born into poverty, whose drive and determination saw him become the most powerful man in the nation. But how did he navigate a path for a youthful country so deeply divided over slavery? What was his role in the devastating civil war? And how did one man attract such public adoration and murderous wrath all at the same time?

This is a Short History of Abraham Lincoln.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to David S Reynolds, Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York, and author of Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.

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