Abraham Lincoln,the sixteenth man to hold the office of President of The United States,gave to our nation many legacies which are a part of our heritage as Anericans. Probably the greatest of these was a profound sense of the idea of fairness and honesty. He was scrupulous about honesty to the point that he earned the nickname "Honest Abe".  He believed strongly in the idea that the Union must be preserved at all costs so that future Americans would have the heritage that was truly theirs. The Civil War was undountedly the greatest test that any president or nation has ever experienced, with families divided over the issue of succession, and fathers, brothers, sons, and nephews pitted against each other in battle.  Lincoln stood firm that our nation could only prosper if it was not divided into North and South, which was quite unpopular with many citizens of both camps.  He also gave us the legacy of faith in God through his faithful and reverent acknowledgement of Almighty God, and his life which was characterized by his prayers and his service based on faith.  He believed in the ability of mankind to demonstrate the beauty of the Christian life in love and service to others, and in righteous living.  It was at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that he demonstrated his true stature as a man and leader when he offered the simple,short,and yet eloquent address at the dedication of the cemetary located on one of the great Civil War battlefields.  Several other eloquent orators of the day offered long and wordy speeches that day, but all have paled into oblivion, yet "The Gettysburg Address" lives on in the hearts and minds of all Americans, even today!