Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (http://holidays.bfn.org/lincoln/miller.jpg)

Abraham Lincoln was brought to earth on February 12, 1809. As the son of a Kentucky frontiersman, his father didn't like reading, thus creating tension between Lincoln and his father. Nevertheless, he strove for a good education. Since he had few books, he was constantly borrowing them from his neighbors. Once he grew up, he moved to New Salem, Illinois. There, he worked at several jobs including being the member of the Whig party and did a brief service in the Black Hawk War as a captain of a his volunteer company. While he was there, he studied law and became a lawyer.

In 1829, Lincoln met Mary Todd. After three years, they got married and had 4 children, three that died before the age of twenty. Soon he became a successful attorney and bought a home on the corner of Eighth and Jackson in 1844. In 1846, he ran and was elected for the United States House of Representatives. While serving, he was known for his distaste for the Mexican War and slavery. He ran for the U.S. Senate but lost to Douglas. Nevertheless, he gained national recognition.

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln became president for the United States of America. When in office, the South seceded from the union and the Civil War erupted. During this time, he gave lots of great speeches including the famous Gettysburg Address. Right after the Union prevailed over the Confederates, Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth.

Abraham Lincoln fought for equal rights for all men. It was Lincoln who led the Union through the tough time of the Civil War, where one of the bloodiest wars in all of the American history happens. It was also his idea to create the 13th Amendment while running for office the second time, even though it was not favorable. He wrote and spoke famous speeches like the Gettysburg Address and the House Divided speech. He even led the Union to victory against the Confederates while three of his progenies were dying. He did many achievements and prevailed over many obstacles.

The reason why I think Abraham Lincoln is a hero is because of his ability to act the way he wants the world to be. When he was a little boy, he thought that slavery was wrong. He was the one who changed the way people thought of slavery. He issued the 13th Amendment and even fought against the Confederates. The main issue of the war was to keep the union from falling apart, but Lincoln had a different idea. Under the issue of keeping the union together, he added another idea of abolishing slavery. This was the real reason why the Civil War went underway. He never backed down from what he believed was right. This is the reason why he is my hero. I wish I could live as honorably as he did.