ntroduction: Denounced as unpatriotic for his belief in democracy, then nominated for high office almost as an afterthought, Lincoln became the country's most admired president
Day 1: October 5, 1818: Alone: A childhood tragedy makes Lincoln wonder about leaving his mark on the world
Day 2: January 12, 1848: Unpopular voice: Lincoln sacrifices his first national office to speak out against a war and a president
Day 3: November 2, 1858: Good fight: Lincoln debates Senator Stephen A. Douglas about the extension of slavery into the American West
Day 4: May 18, 1860: Surprise candidate: Ranked fourth out of four, Lincoln shocks the favorites and becomes the nominee for president
Day 5: April 18, 1861: Treason: The government of South Carolina attacks U.S. troops it has kept trapped in an island fort
Day 6: July 21, 1861: Defeat: The first battle of the war ends in a disaster for the Union and puts Lincoln in a difficult position
Day 7: September 22, 1862: Emancipation: Ignoring political advice and resistance, Lincoln takes steps to abolish slavery himself
Day 8: November 19, 1863: "Shall not perish": Lincoln dedicates graves at the site of a turning point in the war, the worst battle in American history
Day 9: April 9, 1865: Victory: General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant, making the Confederacy's defeat inevitable
Assassination: A desperate Confederate sympathizer kills Lincoln less than a week after Lee's surrender
Afterword: December 6, 1865: Freedom: After his death, Lincoln's greatest achievement, the abolition of slavery, is added to the Constitution
Notes and selected bibliography.
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