Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest men to have served in the office of President of the United States. He was a humble man of humble origins. Yet he rose to the highest position in the land because he was persistent. Today we look back and are glad that he was in charge. He proved that he was a great leader by his actions during the war by his political smarts and belief that slavery was wrong and that the Union must be saved.

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. His mother died while he was still quite young. His father remarried and his step mother recognized Abe's natural abilities. She assisted him in his education. However, Abe's father did not believe that education was important and made Abe work in the fields and then had him work for others and took the money for the family. It was no wonder that Abraham left home at 18. He traveled on the Mississippi and finally settled in Illinois where he studied Law.

Abraham was a persistent person. He studied on his own until he could get into law school, where he worked very hard. He had a store go bankrupt, lost some elections in Illinois, but made a name for himself as a result. He finally won an election, a big one. He was elected to the Presidency of the United States. However, his election caused several of the southern states to secede from the Union. Abraham didn't want a war, but he knew that slavery was wrong and that the Union must be saved.

Lincoln's leadership during the war was all that held it together. He was beset on all sides, but would not allow himself to move from his beliefs. He searched for a Military leader and finally found one in U.S. Grant. With Grant as the Commander, Lincoln made his preparations for winning the war and what would happen afterwards. However, it was not to be. He was murdered soon after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Virginia.

Abraham Lincoln was a humble man, persistent man and a great leader. His fundamental beliefs about saving the Union and removing slavery finally allowed the United States to come closer to living its constitution," all men are created equal....."