Abraham Lincoln was in politics.
Abraham Lincoln . Subsequently , on April 12 , 1861 , a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter inspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind the Union . The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln , one of the best-known in American history . The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly , the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois . During the American Civil War ( 1861 -- 1865 ) , the Union referred to the United States of America and specifically to the national government of president Abraham Lincoln and the 20 free states and 5 border states that supported it . The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress which , along with the Senate , composes the legislature of the United States .