president abraham lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was one of the earliest contributors to civil rights. Back in his time, it was a period of slavery. In Abraham's mind, he felt that slavery was unconstitutional. As a result of his mindset, he created the Emancipation Proclamation in which all slaves were freed in the states loyal to the president. As well, he created his eloquent speech widely regarded as the "Gettysburg Address," which greatly expressed the Declaration of Independence and equality. In simple terms, he described three rights that all people should have. These rights are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," which has become a part of the foundation of civil rights. Although his speech was rather short, it still left a huge impact on those who heard it, and it was considered his best written work. Therefore, he is known as the man who abolished slavery as described in the Thirteenth Amendment, which was approved in 1865 shortly after Abraham's death.