Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln as President (Douglas, Frederick. "Civil War." Mrlincolnandfreed (Douglas Frederick had this on "MLAF"))

Abraham Lincoln was a hero because he freed blacks from slavery, and he devoted himself to our country to make it a better place. Abraham Lincoln was the one who ensured that blacks would be free forever from slavery in America. He devoted himself to making America a land where all are free. But, he faced many hardships along the way.

Abraham Lincoln was a great man, and his unique childhood may have contributed to that. As a boy, he led a rough life. His brother, Thomas, died at birth, and the Lincolns were devastated. Abraham grew a bit more, and it wasn't long before tragedy struck again. His mother died, leaving his father as the head of the family. This made Abe, or "Honest Abe" as people called him, second in command, and with it came a boatload of responsibilities. Once he was old enough, he became a lawyer and did that for a while. He married Mary Todd. But soon, Abraham Lincoln was sick of a lawyer life. So, he ran for president. He was elected with 301 electoral votes.

Abraham Lincoln as a young adult. (Publishers, History Place. "The History Place Pres (The History Place Publishers))

Abraham Lincoln decided that the best way to abolish slavery was to influence the people who enforced it. So he ran for president. When he was elected, Abraham Lincoln became the United States' 16th President in 1861. He chose his cabinet and began to speak out against slavery. The South was big on slavery at this time, and they rebelled against Lincoln's new declarations. Soon enough, a Civil War erupted, and the North, backed by Abraham Lincoln, began to battle the South. The war would go on for many years. Soon, the war ended, with Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy in 1863. But, in the surrender, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln, and the bullet killed him.

Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. (History.com Staff. "Abraham Lincoln." History.com. (The History.com Editors))

A hero is someone with a dream about things that could happen and they follow through. They view everyone as the same in a crisis and do everything they can for everyone in danger. Abraham Lincoln did just that and gave his life for a cause that he believed in. But, he didn't fail, and today, we honor him on President Day and think back about how he freed us from slavery. His efforts to abolish slavery were heroic, and many people today thank him. He was a hero in the way that he fought to abolish slavery and serve our country as our president. What could be more heroic than that?

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