Adam Smith
English I
Miss Henson
2 February 2011
Abraham Lincoln: An American Hero
Abraham Lincoln, also known as “Honest Abe,” is one of the most famous and well known heroes and presidents the world has ever known. It all began where he grew up in Hodgenville, Kentucky in a cabin in the woods. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was a pioneer, and his mother, Nancy Lincoln, raised Abe and his sister, Sarah. However, in December of 1816, his family lost their Kentucky home in a lawsuit and moved to southwestern Indiana where a tent was their shelter until they were able to build a log house. His family lived in abject poverty, and Lincoln shared chores with his sister and helped to take care of the crops. Besides these responsibilities, he hunted and fished for food. However, the worst was yet to come. Lincoln’s mother died suddenly in 1818 (Current 1&2).
A year later, his father remarried and Lincoln’s stepmother, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, encouraged Lincoln to read and go to school. Although Lincoln had very little formal education, he was able to become a successful lawyer known for his fairness and honesty (“Accomplishments” 2).
In 1860 these same qualities led his election to the presidency. It was Abraham Lincoln’s leadership qualities and decisive actions, in the face of strong opposition, that led the Union to win the war and abolish slavery, making him one of America’s most heroic presidents.
President Lincoln’s courage, leadership abilities, and wise decision-making led the Union to victory in the Civil War. As early as 1862, Lincoln had imposed a blockade on the southern ports which caused the Confederate troops’ supplies to decline sharply. He also made the decision to use the railroads to expedite the transport of supplies to Union troops (Boritt 260).
The Term Paper on Abraham Lincoln President States Illinois
... nine hours. After fighting for life like only he could, President Abraham Lincoln passed away at 7: 22 a. m. on the morning ... reconsider its actions, but also reinforced his belief that the Union was perpetual, and that states could not secede, saying, "In ... beginning with South Carolina in 1860. Abraham Lincoln was chosen by destiny as the man to lead the Nation through its most trying ...
The war itself started with the Confederate army’s attack of Fort Sumter soon after Lincoln became president. After this attack, Lincoln recognized a relative weakness of his, military strategizing, and took the initiative to start reading books about military strategy and warfare (McPherson 5).
He subsequently doubled the size of the Union army and navy by calling on volunteers to fight in the war (Boritt 260).
In addition, he used black troops, who were treated poorly by their fellow white soldiers, but who nonetheless added to the North’s military strength. As the war progressed, Lincoln still had to address the fact his commanders were not leading effectively or as he wished.
In order to have a fast-moving military offensive, Lincoln had to hire and fire many commanders until he finally settled on Ulysses S. Grant as his general. Grant used Lincoln’s strategy of offense which was to fight the enemy on every front and, by 1864, Grant had eroded the resources of the south (Mc Pherson 6; Boritt 260).
Overall, Lincoln “combined statecraft and the overall direction of armies with an effectiveness that increased year by year” (Current 8).
Lincoln’s efficiency in decision-making and his choice of Grant to command the Union army made all of the difference. Lincoln’s leadership throughout the civil war truly defines him as a hero to the United States of America.
Lincoln always stressed the fact that the Union army had to prevail. This belief was one of Lincoln’s main motives for engaging the Confederacy in war. Without the preservation of the Union, Lincoln believed the United States would no longer be a free country and the states would no longer be united as one nation. Initially, Lincoln said he would do whatever it took to save the Union, whether that meant maintaining slavery, freeing only a portion of slaves, or eliminating slavery. However, as Lincoln came to appreciate the degree of anti-slavery sentiment present in the North, he made the abolition of slavery a priority of his presidency (Current 9).
The Essay on Abraham Lincoln Slavery Congress President
Abraham Lincoln has influenced the world a great deal. He has influenced the world with his achievements, and his outlook on humanity. His views will have a lasting influence on the world for all time. Abraham Lincoln was the 16 th president of the United States, and one of the greatest leaders in American history. He was a noble, humane man who stood out because of his strong opinions. He was a ...
Explain what about this makes him heroic…elaborate-mention the union
The emancipation of slavery had been an evolving goal of Lincoln’s throughout his life. When Lincoln was young, he and his friend rode a boat down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and he saw many slaves being sold on the slave markets (McPherson 7).
It was then that Lincoln understood the cruelty of slavery and its effects on African-American people. Lincoln went out of his way to protest against slavery when others thought of blacks as less than human. When Lincoln was a member of the Whig political party, he had the courage to stand up and oppose slavery even though his party supported it (McPherson 9).
As president, Lincoln appreciated that it would take time for the nation to abolish slavery, and this patience contributed to him being a great leader. Therefore, in 1861 and 1862, he denied two requests for the freeing of slaves because he knew it was premature. However, in 1863, he requested that the Emancipation Proclamation become law. Although subsequent steps were required to achieve this goal, Lincoln’s strong words expressed in the document gave slaves continued hope that they would one day be treated as equals.
Lincoln’s heroic actions and leadership led the union to overwhelm the Confederacy and abolish slavery. In the aftermath of the war, Lincoln was asked what he would do with the Confederates and he said, “we must extinguish our resentment if we expect harmony and union” ( McGinnis 443).
This statement reflects Lincoln’s deep desire to make the nation whole again. In a book entitled Rating the Presidents, a poll was taken of seven hundred nineteen professors, elected officials, and historians and they identified Abraham Lincoln as first in “the categories in which the various presidents were rated (which) included leadership qualities, accomplishments, crisis management, political skill, character, and integrity”(“Accomplishments”2).
Another survey that was funded by C-SPAN and consisted of 65 historians, who were asked to rank presidents on such qualities as public persuasion, economic management, and moral authority, also identified Lincoln as superior to all other U.S. presidents (“Accomplishments”2).
The Essay on Abraham Lincoln And Slavery
Abraham Lincoln and Slavery What did Abraham Lincoln do and think regarding slavery during the Civil War? In Abraham's First Inaugural Address he states "I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no ...
Abraham Lincoln was, and remains, one of our nation’s greatest presidents and heroes.
It was during these formative years that Lincoln identified that “knowing the truth and living the truth was the first quality that characterized his early manhood” (McGinnis 440).
