<P> Lincoln adhered to the Whig theory of the presidency, which gave Congress primary responsibility for writing the laws while the Executive enforced them . Lincoln vetoed only four bills passed by Congress; the only important one was the Wade - Davis Bill with its harsh program of Reconstruction . He signed the Homestead Act in 1862, making millions of acres of government - held land in the West available for purchase at very low cost . The Morrill Land - Grant Colleges Act, also signed in 1862, provided government grants for agricultural colleges in each state . The Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 granted federal support for the construction of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869 . The passage of the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Acts was made possible by the absence of Southern congressmen and senators who had opposed the measures in the 1850s . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="3"> The Lincoln Cabinet </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Office </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Term </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> President </Td> <Th> Abraham Lincoln </Th> <Td> 1861--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Vice President </Td> <Th> Hannibal Hamlin </Th> <Td> 1861--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Andrew Johnson </Th> <Td> 1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Secretary of State </Td> <Th> William H. Seward </Th> <Td> 1861--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Secretary of Treasury </Td> <Th> Salmon P. Chase </Th> <Td> 1861--1864 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> William P. Fessenden </Th> <Td> 1864--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Hugh McCulloch </Th> <Td> 1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Secretary of War </Td> <Th> Simon Cameron </Th> <Td> 1861--1862 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Edwin M. Stanton </Th> <Td> 1862--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Attorney General </Td> <Th> Edward Bates </Th> <Td> 1861--1864 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> James Speed </Th> <Td> 1864--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Postmaster General </Td> <Th> Montgomery Blair </Th> <Td> 1861--1864 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> William Dennison Jr . </Th> <Td> 1864--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Secretary of the Navy </Td> <Th> Gideon Welles </Th> <Td> 1861--1865 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Secretary of the Interior </Td> <Th> Caleb Blood Smith </Th> <Td> 1861--1862 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> John Palmer Usher </Th> <Td> 1863--1865 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="3"> The Lincoln Cabinet </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Office </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Term </Th> </Tr>

When would a 16 year old be born