Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln once said, ""the source of all moral principle-no less than of all political and constitutional right-was the proposition "that all men are created equal"" ("Abraham Lincoln."). This quote explains Lincoln's vision for his country and how he was going to govern it. Mr. Lincoln was the President of the United States during the Civil War. He started the Civil War because he believed "that all men are created equal." On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation commenced denying the right for southerners to own slaves ("Lincoln, Abraham."). As a result, it denied southerners a workforce to keep the confederate army going. Shortly after, Lincoln won the civil war; he was assassinated at Ford's theater by John Wilkes Booth. A hero must possess reliability, determination, and be morally strong. Reliability is defined as someone who will do what they promise. Determination is defined as someone who will never give up, and will achieve a goal, no matter the circumstances. Being morally strong is not cowering under immense pressure. As a reliable, determined, and morally strong hero, Abraham Lincoln used his childhood and leadership to start and win the civil war, so he could abolish slavery.

Lincoln, during the civil war, promised to ensure civil liberties that he had to obliged to. He accomplished many of those promises, which established his reliability. During the civil war, Lincoln focused mostly on one idea, which was, "He was interested only in a restored Union. He did insist on ending slavery in the reconstructed states" ("Abraham Lincoln."). As a president, he was reliable because instead of backing down when the United States broke apart, he wanted to restore the Union. Also, he was reliable in ending slavery in the states and he was the only president to do something about slavery. When Lincoln first became president, the constitution required the president to take an oath: "...to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, "and made it the duty of the President to" take care that the laws be faithfully executed" ("Abraham Lincoln."). Lincoln followed the laws of the constitution and didn't revolt against it. He made sure to execute the laws presented in the constitution, and the commitments of being the sixteenth president. What he accomplished during his presidency proved he was extremely reliable.

Abraham Lincoln fought for what he believed in, and was determined to accomplish his goals throughout his presidency. An accomplishment he was determined to succeed was, to end slavery in the United States, "...when it would have real meaning as a war measure, to issue his Emancipation Proclamation" ("Abraham Lincoln."). He went through many battles with his own country to try to end slavery. At the battle of Gettysburg, he said that, "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" (Abraham Lincoln."). He was determined to tell everyone that he was going to make his country "all men are created equal." So he did it at one of the biggest battle, the Gettysburg battle. Even before the civil war, he had many accomplishments that he was determined to achieve. One major one was when he "was elected to Congress in 1846. To the extent that he made a name for himself in Washington..." ("Lincoln, Abraham."). Lincoln was determined to have his name in congress. He studied many books on law. When he was elected in congress, his determination paid off and he was able to extend his name in Washington ("Lincoln, Abraham."). Lincoln's determination helped him strive to complete all the accomplishments that he had in his life.

It was essential for Abraham Lincoln to be morally strong in his life in order for him to accomplish what he wanted achieve. The data from "Abraham Lincoln" show that Lincoln had to live in a rough environment as a child, for example, "Lincoln mostly educated himself. His parents could not read or write, and they needed him and his older sister Sarah to help with the farm chores every day. As a result, it was rare when the children had time to attend school" ("Abraham Lincoln."). Lincoln grew up in an uneducated and financial stressed environment. Despite his living conditions, he was morally strong. He didn't follow the footsteps of his parents that couldn't read or write and lived a farm. He did the exact opposite. He educated himself which made him the man he was, all because he was morally strong. An illustration of morally strong was seen in his second inaugural address: "His second inaugural address was brief. It lacked bitterness toward the South and urged his people "to bind up the nation's wounds." "With malice toward none; with charity for all," Americans could achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace" (Holzer). Because of Lincoln's strong morals, he didn't punish southerners for going to war with him. Also, didn't punish them for going against his believes. Instead, he wanted to reunite with them again and "cherish a just and lasting peace." Lincoln remaining morally strong helped him go through his dilemma in his childhood and his adult years.

Because of Abraham Lincoln's childhood and leadership, he acquired the traits of a hero, reliability, determination, and high moral standards. Which helped him, start and win the civil war that abolished slavery. In the article, Holzer provides details of what Abraham Lincoln did after the Civil War ended, "...president suggest (sic) for the first time that America owed African Americans the right to vote" (Holzer). This inspires people and me to go above and beyond the norm. Even though Lincoln already abolished slavery, he wanted to ensure African American the right to vote. Which, at that time, was an unthinkable action for many people to conceive. Also, he was unique and one of a kind because he was the first president to suggest and strive to the above changes. He inspired others to not follow the pack, but to be one of a kind. Because of him being one of a kind and going above the standard Abraham Lincoln suits the definition of a hero.

Works Cited

"Abraham Lincoln." American Civil War Reference Library. Kevin Hillstrom and Laurie

Collier Hillstrom. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker. Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2000. 265-278. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 May 2014.

"Abraham Lincoln." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in

Context. Web. 6 May 2014.

Holzer, Harold. "Heroes of History Lecture: Abraham Lincoln, American Hero by Harold

Holzer."Heroes of History Lecture: Abraham Lincoln, American Hero by Harold Holzer. We the People, 2004. Web. 04 May 2014. <http://wethepeople.gov/heroes/holzerlecture.html>.

"Lincoln, Abraham." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity,

Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 450-452. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 May 2014.