Abraham Lincoln

My hero is 16th president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is famous for freeing all slaves in the United States although he had many more accomplishments than that. He led the United States through its bloodiest war, created the Emancipation Proclamation, and never gave up in his goal of equality for slaves while at the same time keeping the Union from tearing itself apart. Not many people could have been able to do all of that. This is why he is my hero. He was an amazing man that fought for he equality and freedom of all people.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,1809 in a small, one room log cabin in Kentucky.The family moved several times before settling in Indiana where they lived in another log cabin. He gained a reputation for being brave because he once took on the leader of the towns ruffians in a wrestling match. He was 6' 4" and 180 pounds when he was only 23 years old so he was very tall for his age. As a child he also taught himself to read. This led to a lifelong desire to learn. He often had to borrow books from neighbors to learn more. When he was 23 he served briefly in the Black Hawk War before becoming interested in politics. At Lincoln's first speech, while running for Illinois General Assembly, there was someone trying to attack another person in the audience. Lincoln grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and flipped him over where he could be arrested. This had a good impression on the crowd as they wanted someone strong to serve in their government. He lost so he started studying law.

Lincoln was a respected lawyer despite teaching himself law from a book borrowed from a neighbor. He helped Zachary Taylor become president however backed out of politics again once he wasn't offered the position he wanted and was instead offered governor of the new Oregon Territory. He became a lawyer once more and handled several famous cases. His most famous case was when he was defending a man who was accused of killing someone else. He used a judicial rule, question a witnesses credibility, so he won the case. In 1858-1860 he became involved in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. They were the most famous political debates in history over slavery. They were so famous that the most common type of high school debate was named after the (Lincoln-Douglas Debate or LD for short). Lincoln won the popular vote but Douglas was re-elected to the Senate. One year later, Lincoln announced his decision to run for president. He won and was the first Republican president of the United States.

As Lincoln took office the southern states declared themselves an independent country,"The Confederate States of America". Lincoln rejected any treaties and stated, "I will suffer death before I consent to any concession or compromise which looks like buying the privilege to take possession of this government to which we have a constitutional right". This showed his bravery and that he wouldn't give up easily. 2 months later the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter. The Union declared war on the South as the bloodiest war in American history unfolded. Lincoln mobilized 75,000 troops to attack the South. Lincoln was commander in chief of this vast army. He ordered blockades and drafted 2.1 million soldiers to help fight to keep the country together. After the Union's first victory of a battle in the war, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It stated that all of the 4 million slaves in the United States be freed. But the war wasn't over yet. The bloodiest battle had yet to be fought: Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, there were a combined 46,000 men killed or injured on both sides. After the battle Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time, the Gettysburg Address. After several months of stalemate the Union pushed through and came out victorious.

After the war Abraham Lincoln still had 3 years left as president. However this would end shortly. Lincoln was attending a play at Ford's theater in Washington D.C when suddenly a man named John Wilkes Booth ran into the president's box and shot him in the back of the head with a gun. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest men ever on this planet, was dead. His casket was put on a train and rode through the Union cities that had supported him during the war. Booth was tracked down 12 days later and shot. One of the greatest people ever, after a long and illustrious life, was dead.