Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the one who lead the North to victory and reunited our nation as one, was a man who failed countless time. This man was one who rose from nothing but a farm to where he ended up, the white house. Abraham Lincoln was the United States 16th president who led during a civil war. Lincoln rose from humble beginnings in a farm in Kentucky, but after the death of his mother and other sibling's life started to come down on him. However his thirst for knowledge, and motivation towards politics, led him into the studies of law later on. After obtaining his degree politics pulled him in and at first he seemed to never win and by the end his prospect of presidency took hold. He led the North to victory but before trying to rebuild the nation he was sadly assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln possessed traits that many would define as "heroic", he was fair and thought of men as all equal, he was devoted to the nation, and was determined to win and glue our nation back together from the pieces. Lincoln's devotion to our nation, fairness, to everyone, and determination as a person who wants to reunite what has been demolished, establishes him as a hero in the eyes of many.

Lincoln had many feats which seemed to excel above others such as his devotion to the nation and he would do anything to preserve it. Lincoln was in great desire of repairing his nation and wants people to reunite as one. "Lincoln turned his attention to the task of putting the country back together as quick and painlessly as possible."Lincoln wanted to reunite the nation as one quickly and painlessly after the years of war because he cared about the nation and didn't want it collapse. The country, to Lincoln, was one of the most important things to keep united and he even would put his life down to see that through. Lincoln, again, wanted to preserve the nation and his devotion to this was a great motivation. "The North was fighting for the higher purpose of preserving the United States as a democratic nation."This quote furthers the thought that even on top of preserving the nation its self he also wanted to keep the thoughts and ideals of the people involved. Lincoln really relied on his devotion to the nation and benefited from it with backup of the American people supporting his ideas in even odd situations to preserve the nation. Lincoln's devotion to the nation was one of the utmost respect as he stood by the nation to the end.

Lincoln was also a very determined person throughout his entire life and never seemed to give out after being pushed down; he would in fact get up and try harder until something clicked. Lincoln was determined, even at a young age, to obtain knowledge no matter the pain."Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge while working on a farm." Lincoln even having a "job" on the farm he would walk miles to a school to quench his thirst for knowledge. As a child, Lincoln would read during his free times at the farm, and head towards the school during his time off. Even when Lincoln lost he was determined to bounce back into the world of politics."In the end, Lincoln lost the election to Douglas. However, mentioned as a presidential prospect. Lincoln was used to failing in life as it happened to him so often during politics, but president was an option never considered but he tried because he was determined to make politics work. Lincoln was determined to make a change in the nation and for him to do so he knew he had to keep trying to get noticed and eventually it paid off. Lincoln's determination was one that made him go through so much to obtain the powerhouse of politics even after failing so much at it.

Lastly, Lincoln was one who was fair to all no matter what they have done or what color they are. Lincoln was a man who encouraged a speedy recovery and to be fair to those re joining. "The President was flexible and generous, encouraging Southerners to lay down their arms and join." Lincoln was a fair man who would let people join back to recover the nation quicker. He would not even punish the men instead he would approve of them greatly. Lincoln believed that people should be treated equally as well as having them join back with the nation would help eventually repair ties faster."If the rebellion could force us to postpone a national election, they have conquered and ruined us. Lincoln believed in maintaining the nation's fairness of the people and opportunities of chances changing even the president's seat during times of war. Lincoln wanted to show the people he was fair to all those who wanted to change or maintain the same. Lincoln was a man who was fair to all and would even risk his position to maintain it.

Lincoln, in the hearts and minds of many, was a saving grace during our countries time of need and his devotion to our country showed how people, when their minds are set towards a goal, can accomplish the improbable. Lincoln inspires myself, and others, to always have a will and to never give up even after so many downs. I view Lincoln as a person who we always see in the movies, the underdog, and the one who always gets bullied and shoved into the mud. Even after taking the beating he still has the will to get back up and fight for what he believes in and eventually surprise us with a startling victory. Lincoln has shown how through determination and hard work, anything is possible.

Works Consulted

"Abraham Lincoln." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography In Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
 
"Abraham Lincoln." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle. Detroit: Gale Group, 2003. Student Resources In Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.

"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. 30 Mar. 2013.

Current, Richard N. "Lincoln, Abraham." N.p., 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.

The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from "The Presidents of the United States of America," by Michael Beschloss and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2009 by the White House Historical Association.