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Events on Monday 4 March 1861 2
1857 – 1861Buchanan presidency15th President — 1857 to 1861James Buchanan served as the 15th President from March 4, 1857 to March 4, 1861. His inability to address the slavery crisis allowed the Southern states to begin seceding, leaving Lincoln to inherit the Civil War.
1861 – 1865Lincoln presidency16th President — led Union through Civil WarAbraham Lincoln served as the 16th President from March 4, 1861 until his assassination on April 15, 1865. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), freeing slaves in Confederate states, and guided the nation through its greatest crisis.