This biography for young readers examines the life of the sixteenth U.S. president and the constitutional issues that arose during his administration.

Praise by many as America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln guided the country through the Civil War and was the Great Emancipator who freed the enslaved and paved the way for the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. Lincoln was denounced by others as a tyrant who trampled the Constitution, denied individual liberty, and failed to avert the war that left more than six hundred thousand American soldiers dead.

Born in a cabin deep in the backwoods of Kentucky, growing up in a family considered “the poorest of the poor,” Lincoln rose to become a highly respected lawyer and stateman. He often used different arguments with different people depending on the needs of the moment, leading one exasperated opponent to call him two-faced, and leaving others to marvel at his effectiveness as a politician and leader.

A practical statesman and not an idealist, Abraham Lincoln knew he could not accomplish all he set out to do, but he remained alert for opportunities to achieve his long-desired objective of liberty and justice for all.

The book includes selections of Lincoln’s writing, a bibliography, and an index.

“This concise and balanced narrative encapsulates the life and legacy of one of the country’s most important leaders. . . . A solid addition for understanding America’s story.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The author adroitly reviews the facts of Lincoln's entire life, divided into 16 chapters, and examines his emergence as a politician and his views on slavery.” —School Library Journal