Lincoln the President – On March 4, 1861, as Abraham Lincoln stood on the platform erected within the eastern portico of the Capitol and was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States, it was clear his administration would be unlike any other in American history. While other presidents had faced external conflicts, Lincoln would face an armed insurrection of his own countrymen. Perhaps because of this exact crisis, Lincoln selected a cabinet that included some of his most intense political rivals rather surrounding himself with “yes men.” Together, Lincoln and his cabinet would not only navigate America’s deadliest conflict but also manage foreign affairs to ensure the confederacy was never recognized as an independent nation. At home, his administration introduced sweeping legislation on everything from national currency to the transcontinental railroad to the expansion of education through public colleges and universities.