<span>On March 4, 1861, a Kentucky-born congressman from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th president of the United States. The new commander-in-chief inherited a Union that was divided beyond repair--torn asunder by the decades-long debate over slavery and its future in the American republic. One month later, that division erupted into a civil war. To Abraham Lincoln fell the task of guiding the country through its darkest days. At the time of his death at the hand of an assassin's bullet, the Civil War was coming to a close and the question of slavery had been settled once and for all. Learn more about the fascinating presidency of Abraham Lincoln.</span>
