Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the 16th President of the United States, holds a central place in Give Me Liberty! as the leader who navigated the country through one of its most perilous periods, the Civil War, and initiated the abolition of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln’s significance lies in his policies and leadership during the war and his embodiment of the American struggle with the concepts of liberty and equality. His presidency, from 1861 to 1865, culminated in the passage of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States. Lincoln’s eloquence, as displayed in speeches like the Gettysburg Address, redefined the purpose of the war and the very meaning of American freedom, asserting that the nation was conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. His assassination in 1865 made him a martyr for the cause of liberty and set the stage for the tumultuous Reconstruction era that followed.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) is featured in Give Me Liberty! as a seminal figure in the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. Her tireless campaigning and advocacy were instrumental in the eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.