Abraham Lincoln was alive in America.
Abraham Lincoln ( [ ˈeɪbrəhæm_ˈlIŋkən ] February 12 , 1809 -- April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 . Largely self-educated , he became a lawyer in Illinois , a Whig Party leader , and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives , in which he served for eight years . The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln , one of the best-known in American history . It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War , on the afternoon of Thursday , November 19 , 1863 , at the dedication of the Soldiers ' National Cemetery in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg . The Lincoln -- Douglas Debates ( also known as The Great Debates of 1858 ) were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln , the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois , and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas , the Democratic Party candidate .