I am well aware of what Lincoln did, including such "horrible things" such as suspending Habius Corpus (sp?). It was a time of war, I don't blame him. But if you want to complain about states rights, blame it on Chief Justice Marshall.
The reason I chose Lincoln is because he filled "The American Dream". A poor boy from Kentucky, he taught himself to be a lawyer. Upon becoming a politician, he stood on his moral, not giving in to political pressure (for the most part - and yes, I know Lincoln didn't really like the blacks and wanted to send them back to Africa).