In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, who had risen to prominence mainly through his scintillating debates with Stephen Douglas, was awarded the Republican nomination for president. He subsequently won the office of presidency, largely because the Democratic Party was divided. Following his inauguration, Lincoln was immediately forced to deal with the secession of seven southern states. These break-away states called themselves the Confederate States of America. The outbreak of hostilities between southern and U.S. forces occurred at Fort Sumter. The U.S. Civil War would thereafter completely dominate President Lincoln's agenda and he would have little time for anything else. Lincoln, as a wartime commander, exhibited flexibility. He experimented …

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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Presidency of Abraham Lincoln". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 January 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=10, accessed 26 November 2024.]