It was a long war with many casualties. Soon, Lincoln was unpopular in many parts of
the north; in the south, he was simply hated.
Even after the northern forces won the war and Lincoln was president of the whole
country again, many people in the south wished him dead. That hatred only got worse
when Lincoln kept his word and freed the slaves. But even though he was getting death
threats, Honest Abe stuck to his principles.
One night Lincoln went with his wife to watch a play. At the theater, an actor who didn’t
like Lincoln’s politics shot and killed him. It was a great shock to the nation. The country
had lost its strong but gentle leader.
That was more than 140 years ago, but Abraham Lincoln is still remembered as one of
the greatest leaders in American history - the man who ended slavery in the United States
by doing the right thing, no matter what the cost.
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