Abraham Lincoln Quiz
Honest Abe from a Kentucky log cabin to Ford's Theatre: 15 questions on the life of the 16th president.
Abraham Lincoln was which number president of the United States?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
16th
Lincoln took office on 4 March 1861 as the 16th president, succeeding James Buchanan, by which time seven Southern states had already declared their secession from the Union.
Ulysses S. Grant, the general who won the war for Lincoln, became the 18th president in 1869, two places after him.
By what nickname was Lincoln widely known, reflecting his reputation for integrity?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Honest Abe
Lincoln earned the nickname Honest Abe as a young store clerk and lawyer in Illinois, where stories circulated of him walking miles to return a few cents of overcharged change.
Old Hickory was Andrew Jackson and Old Rough and Ready was Zachary Taylor, both military heroes turned president.
Which political party nominated Lincoln for president in 1860?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Republican Party
Lincoln won the new Republican Party's nomination in Chicago in May 1860 and carried the election that November against a divided opposition, becoming the first Republican president.
Lincoln had spent most of his earlier career as a Whig and only joined the Republicans after the Whig Party collapsed in the mid-1850s.
In which state was Abraham Lincoln born in 1809?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Kentucky
Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 in a one-room log cabin at Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky, and the family moved to Indiana when he was seven and to Illinois when he was 21.
Confederate president Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky too, less than 100 miles away and only eight months earlier.
What was the maiden name of Lincoln's wife, whom he married in Springfield in 1842?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mary Todd
Mary Todd came from a wealthy slave-owning family in Lexington, Kentucky, and married Lincoln on 4 November 1842 at her sister's house in Springfield, Illinois.
Several of Mary's half-brothers fought for the Confederacy, which led to whispers in Washington that the First Lady was a Southern sympathiser.
With which words does Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of November 1863 begin?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Four score and seven years ago
Lincoln opened his two-minute address at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery on 19 November 1863 with 'Four score and seven years ago', counting 87 years back to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The main speaker that day, Edward Everett, talked for two hours, then wrote to Lincoln that he wished he had captured the central idea as well in two hours as Lincoln had in two minutes.
Against which Illinois senator did Lincoln hold his famous series of seven debates in 1858?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Stephen Douglas
Lincoln challenged the incumbent Democrat Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Senate campaign, and the seven debates on slavery drew huge crowds and national newspaper coverage.
Douglas kept his Senate seat, but the debates made Lincoln a national figure and the two met again in the 1860 presidential election, which Lincoln won.
Who succeeded Lincoln as president after his assassination in April 1865?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Andrew Johnson
Vice President Andrew Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat who had stayed loyal to the Union, was sworn in on the morning of 15 April 1865, a few hours after Lincoln died.
Johnson had been so drunk at his own inauguration as vice president six weeks earlier that Lincoln had to reassure colleagues it would not happen again.
Which state did Lincoln represent for a single term in the US House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Illinois
Lincoln served one term as a Whig congressman for Illinois, where he opposed the Mexican American War, before returning to his Springfield law practice.
He had earlier served four terms in the Illinois state legislature, beginning in 1834 at the age of 25.
Which play was Lincoln watching at Ford's Theatre on the night he was shot?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Our American Cousin
Lincoln was watching the comedy Our American Cousin, and John Wilkes Booth timed his shot to coincide with the biggest laugh line of the play so that the noise would cover the gunshot.
Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen boarding house, where he died at 7:22 the next morning without regaining consciousness.
How tall was Abraham Lincoln, still the tallest US president in history?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
6 feet 4 inches
Lincoln stood 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm), and his stovepipe hat made him look taller still; Lyndon Johnson is the only other president to come close at 6 feet 3.5 inches.
Lincoln kept letters and notes tucked inside the band of his tall hat, using it as a kind of portable filing cabinet.
In which city is Lincoln buried, in a tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Springfield, Illinois
After a 1,600 mile funeral train journey through seven states, Lincoln was buried on 4 May 1865 at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, the Illinois capital where he had lived and practised law for 24 years.
In 1876 a gang of counterfeiters tried to steal the body and ransom it, which is why Lincoln's coffin was eventually encased in concrete.
Which former Union general ran against Lincoln as the Democratic candidate in the 1864 presidential election?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
George McClellan
George B. McClellan, whom Lincoln had twice removed from command, ran on a Democratic platform calling for peace talks, but Union victories at Atlanta and in the Shenandoah helped Lincoln win 212 electoral votes to 21.
Soldiers were allowed to vote in the field for the first time, and about three quarters of them backed Lincoln over their former general.
Which of Lincoln's four sons was the only one to survive to adulthood?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Robert
Robert Todd Lincoln outlived all three of his brothers: Edward died at three, Willie died in the White House at eleven and Tad died at eighteen. Robert went on to serve as Secretary of War and ambassador to Britain.
Robert was nearby at the assassinations of three presidents, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, and afterwards declined invitations to presidential events.
Who served as Lincoln's vice president during his first term, from 1861 to 1865?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin, a former senator from Maine, was Lincoln's vice president throughout the first term but was dropped from the ticket in 1864 in favour of Andrew Johnson to attract pro-war Democrats.
Hamlin later returned to the Senate and served as US minister to Spain in the 1880s, outliving Lincoln by 26 years.
Your results
More to explore
All History quizzes →About the Abraham Lincoln Quiz
He was born in a Kentucky log cabin, stood 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall, lost a Senate race to Stephen Douglas and then won the presidency two years later. Abraham Lincoln held the Union together through four years of civil war and was shot five days after it effectively ended. His Gettysburg Address runs to about 270 words and is still memorised by schoolchildren.
These 15 questions cover Lincoln's early life and family, his nickname, his famous debates and speeches, the 1860 and 1864 elections, the national holiday he proclaimed and the night at Ford's Theatre. It suits anyone with an interest in American history, and the last few questions on his running mates and his sons will stretch even Lincoln devotees.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Does the Abraham Lincoln Quiz repeat the Civil War Quiz?
No. The battles and generals are covered in the American Civil War Quiz, so this one focuses on Lincoln the man: his origins, family, speeches, elections and death.
What is the hardest question in the Abraham Lincoln Quiz?
Probably the one about his first vice president, who served through almost the entire Civil War but is now largely forgotten.
How many questions and how long does it take?
There are 15 multiple choice questions with an explanation and a bonus fact after each one. Most people finish in about five minutes.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Abraham Lincoln was which number president of the United States?
16th Lincoln took office on 4 March 1861 as the 16th president, succeeding James Buchanan, by which time seven Southern states had already declared their secession from the Union. Ulysses S. Grant, the general who won the war for Lincoln, became the 18th president in 1869, two places after him. - By what nickname was Lincoln widely known, reflecting his reputation for integrity?
Honest Abe Lincoln earned the nickname Honest Abe as a young store clerk and lawyer in Illinois, where stories circulated of him walking miles to return a few cents of overcharged change. Old Hickory was Andrew Jackson and Old Rough and Ready was Zachary Taylor, both military heroes turned president. - Which political party nominated Lincoln for president in 1860?
The Republican Party Lincoln won the new Republican Party's nomination in Chicago in May 1860 and carried the election that November against a divided opposition, becoming the first Republican president. Lincoln had spent most of his earlier career as a Whig and only joined the Republicans after the Whig Party collapsed in the mid-1850s. - In which state was Abraham Lincoln born in 1809?
Kentucky Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 in a one-room log cabin at Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky, and the family moved to Indiana when he was seven and to Illinois when he was 21. Confederate president Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky too, less than 100 miles away and only eight months earlier. - What was the maiden name of Lincoln's wife, whom he married in Springfield in 1842?
Mary Todd Mary Todd came from a wealthy slave-owning family in Lexington, Kentucky, and married Lincoln on 4 November 1842 at her sister's house in Springfield, Illinois. Several of Mary's half-brothers fought for the Confederacy, which led to whispers in Washington that the First Lady was a Southern sympathiser. - With which words does Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of November 1863 begin?
Four score and seven years ago Lincoln opened his two-minute address at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery on 19 November 1863 with 'Four score and seven years ago', counting 87 years back to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The main speaker that day, Edward Everett, talked for two hours, then wrote to Lincoln that he wished he had captured the central idea as well in two hours as Lincoln had in two minutes. - Against which Illinois senator did Lincoln hold his famous series of seven debates in 1858?
Stephen Douglas Lincoln challenged the incumbent Democrat Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Senate campaign, and the seven debates on slavery drew huge crowds and national newspaper coverage. Douglas kept his Senate seat, but the debates made Lincoln a national figure and the two met again in the 1860 presidential election, which Lincoln won. - Who succeeded Lincoln as president after his assassination in April 1865?
Andrew Johnson Vice President Andrew Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat who had stayed loyal to the Union, was sworn in on the morning of 15 April 1865, a few hours after Lincoln died. Johnson had been so drunk at his own inauguration as vice president six weeks earlier that Lincoln had to reassure colleagues it would not happen again. - Which state did Lincoln represent for a single term in the US House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849?
Illinois Lincoln served one term as a Whig congressman for Illinois, where he opposed the Mexican American War, before returning to his Springfield law practice. He had earlier served four terms in the Illinois state legislature, beginning in 1834 at the age of 25. - Which play was Lincoln watching at Ford's Theatre on the night he was shot?
Our American Cousin Lincoln was watching the comedy Our American Cousin, and John Wilkes Booth timed his shot to coincide with the biggest laugh line of the play so that the noise would cover the gunshot. Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen boarding house, where he died at 7:22 the next morning without regaining consciousness. - How tall was Abraham Lincoln, still the tallest US president in history?
6 feet 4 inches Lincoln stood 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm), and his stovepipe hat made him look taller still; Lyndon Johnson is the only other president to come close at 6 feet 3.5 inches. Lincoln kept letters and notes tucked inside the band of his tall hat, using it as a kind of portable filing cabinet. - In which city is Lincoln buried, in a tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery?
Springfield, Illinois After a 1,600 mile funeral train journey through seven states, Lincoln was buried on 4 May 1865 at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, the Illinois capital where he had lived and practised law for 24 years. In 1876 a gang of counterfeiters tried to steal the body and ransom it, which is why Lincoln's coffin was eventually encased in concrete. - Which former Union general ran against Lincoln as the Democratic candidate in the 1864 presidential election?
George McClellan George B. McClellan, whom Lincoln had twice removed from command, ran on a Democratic platform calling for peace talks, but Union victories at Atlanta and in the Shenandoah helped Lincoln win 212 electoral votes to 21. Soldiers were allowed to vote in the field for the first time, and about three quarters of them backed Lincoln over their former general. - Which of Lincoln's four sons was the only one to survive to adulthood?
Robert Robert Todd Lincoln outlived all three of his brothers: Edward died at three, Willie died in the White House at eleven and Tad died at eighteen. Robert went on to serve as Secretary of War and ambassador to Britain. Robert was nearby at the assassinations of three presidents, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, and afterwards declined invitations to presidential events. - Who served as Lincoln's vice president during his first term, from 1861 to 1865?
Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin, a former senator from Maine, was Lincoln's vice president throughout the first term but was dropped from the ticket in 1864 in favour of Andrew Johnson to attract pro-war Democrats. Hamlin later returned to the Senate and served as US minister to Spain in the 1880s, outliving Lincoln by 26 years.
Browse other categories
Every category has its own quizzes, each with instant explanations.