From his birth to a destitute family in 1809 to his assassination while serving as president of the United States of America in 1865, Abraham Lincoln's intriguing life is illustrated in this pictorial biography. While many of his actions, including his decision to declare war on the South, are still the subject of debate, Lincoln had an exceptional influence on the history of the United States.

Along with propaganda cartoons and personal diary excerpts, this definitive book shares Lincoln's life through more than three hundred rare and illuminating pictures, while raising questions about such controversial subjects as his sexuality and the legitimacy of his birth. The author supplies the evidence and invites his readers to draw their own conclusions. In addition to examining Lincoln's enigmatic private life, author John Chandler Griffin illustrates the wide range of his affiliations and supporters.

An extremely rare snapshot of the South Carolina Secession Convention, an image evoking the morbid memory of Lincoln in an open coffin after his assassination, and the famous photo from Lincoln's eminent two-and-a-half minute Gettysburg Address are presented in this volume. Each picture, whether obscure or familiar, offers a look into the life of Abraham Lincoln--one of the most dominant, decorated, and debated men in American history.