'Lincoln Portrait': Music of Copland, Words of a Leader

2009 Lincoln Bicentennial 4 of 4- Lincoln the President
By the time Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, seven southern states had already seceded and formed the Confederacy (the rest joined in April). Seeking initially to preserve the Union, then eventually working to end slavery, Lincoln struggled against the Confederacy as well as his own military. He learned the ways of a war leader quickly and was able, after four bloody years, to bring the conflict to a close in 1865. He was not able to enjoy the fruits of victory or lead the effort to reconcile the nation, the victim of assassination on April 14, 1865.

VOA Learning English: 'Lincoln Portrait': Music of Copland, Words of a Leader

Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809, was the 16th US president. He led a civil war to keep the states united THIS IS AMERICA (download mp3)