Abraham Lincoln Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865), was one of the truly great men of all time. He led the United States during the American Civil War (1861-1865), which was the greatest crisis in U.S. history. Lincoln helped end slavery in the nation and helped keep the American Union from splitting apart during the war. Lincoln thus believed that he proved to the world that democracy can be a lasting form of government. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, …showed first 75 words of 849 total…

…showed last 75 words of 849 total…to provide funds for the war. Soldiers and civilians alike sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" or "Dixie." Winslow Homer's painting Prisoners from the Front brought him his first fame. Patriotic literature of the time included John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Barbara Frietchie" and Edward Everett Hale's story "The Man Without a Country." Lincoln and numerous other Americans chuckled at the humorous writings of Artemus Ward and admired the patriotic prints of Currier and Ives.