Honest Abe of the West

Black and white portrait of Abe Lincoln outlined by blue rope bookended by stars, shield, and wheat symbols. Black text above and below portrait over yellowed background. 

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He served from March, 1861until his assassination in April, 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy. Abraham Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe” as a young man – before he became a lawyer or a politician—and the name stuck. In 1859 when he ran for president the nickname became his campaign slogan, and his writings show that he valued honesty.