l practice. Lincoln and Stone declared that "the institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy."*2 Later, Lincoln continued with his dream to become part of the law. He wanted to become president. On March 4, 1861, Lincoln took the oath of office and became the 16th President of the United States. In his inaugural address, Lincoln denied that he had any intention of interfering with slavery in states where the Constitution protected it. He urged the preservation of the Union. Lincoln warned that he would use the full power of the nation to "hold, occupy, and possess" the "property and places"*3 belonging to the federal government. By "property and places," he meant forts, arsenals, and custom houses. Lincoln's closing passage had great beauty and literary power. He appealed to "the mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land." The attack on Fort Sumter marked the start of the Civil War. Lincoln met the crisis with energetic action. He called out the militia to suppress the "insurrection." He proclaimed a blockade of Southern ports, and expanded the army beyond the limit set by law. He then led the United States during the Civil War (1861-1865), which was the greatest crisis in U.S. history. During the Civil War, Lincoln's first task was to win the war. He had to view nearly all other matters in relation to the war. It was "the progress of our arms," he once said, "upon which all else depends." But Lincoln was a peace-loving man who had earlier described military glory as "that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood--that serpent's eye that charms to destroy."*4 The Civil War was by far the bloodiest war in U.S. history. Lincoln became a remarkable war leader. Some historians believe he was the chief architect of the Union's victorious military strategy. This strategy called for Union armies to a...