Abraham Lincoln

Have you ever had to hold a country together that was tearing itself apart? Abraham Lincoln had to do just that after the South seceded from the Union. That is just one reason why many people considered Abraham Lincoln a hero. Abraham Lincoln stood up for what he believed in. He held a nation together through some of its darkest times.

Lincoln may have become an American hero but he was not born one. Lincoln was born in a log cabin on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. Lincoln's mom died when he was just ten and Lincoln and his father moved to Illinois. Lincoln grew up trying to learn as many things as he possibly could while working on a farm in New Salem, Illinois. When he was older, Lincoln served as a captain in the Black Hawk War and he also served in the Illinois state legislature for eight years. In 1858, Lincoln ran for senator against Douglas and lost but his views in debates won him a Republican nomination for president.

Abraham Lincoln won the presidential race but his view of anti-slavery made the South secede from the Union. Lincoln viewed this as a crime and after the attack on Fort Sumter, war was declared. The Union was fighting the Confederacy, the North was at war with the South, brother was killing brother, and the one man who had to hold it all together was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was able to rise up to the challenge and used his great speaking and strategic abilities to give the North an upper hand in the Civil War. Abe signed the Emancipation Proclamation and gave the Gettysburg Address, one of his most famous speeches. Abraham used his great mind to win the war but soon after his victory he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth.

Abraham Lincoln was a hero. Abraham Lincoln made some risky decisions during his career as President. Those decisions shaped America today. He was so influential that other speakers like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., copied his style. Abraham Lincoln used all intelligence and bravery to make all the right decisions to win the Civil War. That is why Abraham Lincoln is a hero.