Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was the16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until 1865. He led the USA through the greatest crisis in its history - the American Civil War, he put an end to slavery, preserved the Union, took the U.S. economy to a completely new level, reinforced the federal government, and mobilized and energized the nation. No other President of the United States has made such astonishing and historically significant accomplishments.