Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky to a poor family. His mother died when he was young and he had little formal education, instead working and studying on his own. Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States, where he is renowned for signing the Emancipation Proclamation and helping the Union win the Civil War. He overcame obstacles like his mother's death and lack of schooling to become a influential leader, though he was assassinated in 1865.