United States Declaration of Independence – while this document was instrumental in the founding of the United States, it was also a statement of human rights, most notably through the phrase that "all men are created equal". Abraham Lincoln made the document the centerpiece of his rhetoric (as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863), and his policies. He considered it to be the foundation of his political philosophy and argued that the Declaration is a statement of principles through which the United States Constitution should be interpreted.
United States Senate election (Illinois), 1858 – Abraham Lincoln was the Republican Party candidate and ran against incumbent Stephen Douglas of the Democratic Party. Stephen Douglas remained Senator, but the debates between the two propelled the popularity of Lincoln and acquired for him a national reputation, which helped him to be chosen as the Republican candidate for president in 1860.
Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 – held publicly in 7 towns, they drew especially large numbers of people from neighboring states, as the issue of slavery was of monumental importance to citizens everywhere in the nation. The debates were covered in complete detail in newspapers across the country.
Overland Campaign strategy – Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and President Abraham Lincoln devised a coordinated strategy that would strike at the heart of the Confederacy from multiple directions. This was the first time the Union armies would have a coordinated offensive strategy across a number of theaters.[3]
Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation – in 1863, Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, and set it as the last Thursday in November. It has remained thus ever since.
Gettysburg Address (1863event) – this speech was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. In his address, Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence[4] and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the Union sundered by the secession crisis,[5] with "a new birth of freedom"[6] that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.[7] Lincoln also redefined the Civil War as a struggle not just for the Union, but also for the principle of human equality.[4]