The Civil War was a significant force in the eventual dominance of the singular usage by the end of the 19th century.[356]

Historical reputation
In his company, I was never reminded of my humble origin, or of my unpopular color.[357]— Frederick Douglass
In surveys of U.S. scholars ranking presidents conducted since 1948, the top three presidents are Lincoln, Washington, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, although the order varies.[358][o] Between 1999 and 2011, Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan have been the top-ranked presidents in eight public opinion surveys, according to Gallup.[360] A 2004 study found that scholars in the fields of history and politics ranked Lincoln number one, while legal scholars placed him second after George Washington.[361]

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Lincoln's assassination left him a national martyr. He was viewed by abolitionists as a champion of human liberty. Republicans linked Lincoln's name to their party. Many, though not all, in the South considered Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability.[362] Historians have said he was "a classical liberal" in the 19th-century sense. 