Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a small log cabin in Kentucky. He loved to read and taught himself many things. He grew up to be a lawyer, and people called him "Honest Abe."
Key idea
Lincoln was the 16th President. He led the country through the Civil War (1861 to 1865), worked to end slavery and kept the country together.
Why it works
When Lincoln was elected, many states in the South left the country because they wanted to keep slavery. The North and the South fought the Civil War. In 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which said enslaved people in the rebelling states were free. That same year he gave a short, famous speech at Gettysburg. The North won in 1865, the country stayed one, and slavery ended. Lincoln died in April 1865, just after the war.
Common mistake
Some children think Lincoln was the first President, or lived at the same time as Washington. Washington was the 1st President (1789). Lincoln was the 16th (1861), more than 70 years later.
For the grown-up: Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, and died the next day; share that when your child is ready. His face is on the five-dollar bill, and the Lincoln Memorial stands in Washington, D.C.