Lincoln Signs Enabling Act for West Virginia

Date: December 31, 1862 • Location: Belington, United States

American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an enabling act that would admit West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederacy and playing a major role in the abolition of slavery.