My Hero is Abraham Lincoln

A hero is someone who has been recognized for a courageous act or nobility in character. Heroes in my opinion are people who have attained special achievements in history and are remembered for their abilities and personal qualities which make them role models. Heroes are often remembered for risking or rather sacrificing their lives for the good of their people. However, not everybody is considered a hero in war, heroes are distinguished as ordinary people doing most ordinary things for a better good for their fellow humans. Moreover, the word hero tend to be overused nowadays making it lose its intended meaning. Heroes are meant to overcome their fears or dangers for the good of their people. Culturally, heroes are the people we look up to and possess admirable values. The long time heroes made a great impact on the society’s culture.

Every time I hear the word hero, I think of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Abraham was such a great person. He was the president during the time of civil war which was the bloodiest war ever in America. During his reign, my hero was able to free the slaves which is the main reason why I consider him as the most significant hero in American history. He stood for the rights of all citizens and encouraged freedom for all by considering everyone as equal. Abraham was born on 12th February in the year 1809. He grew up in a very poor family in Hardin County, Kentucky with his parents together with his sister. He was a well-educated passionate reader who studied both mathematics, literature, and law. He faced tragedy at the age of nine when his mother died from milk sickness. After the death of his mother, the father decided to marry a second wife named Sarah Bush Johnston. His sister also died later during childbirth leaving him as the only child. His family relocated to southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln's faced challenges during his formal education as he needed to work always to help his family.

His family relocated once more to the South of Illinois around Macon County in the year 1830, and Lincoln handled a position wearing down a stream flatboat pulling cargoes from river Mississippi down to New Orleans. After settling down in New Salem town in Illinois, where he filled in as a retailer and a postmaster, he joined the government in support of the Whig Party, and won the race of Illinois state authoritative body in 1834. Lincoln and his Whig Party legends Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, opposed the act of slavery and slave trade within the districts, and had a spectacular plans of developing the country, with consideration on business and urban zones instead of agriculture.

Lincoln was a self-made lawyer, as he was able to learn law by himself and passed the bar examination in 1836 (Allison, Scott & George 167-183). He later moved to the recently named capital state of Springfield. He worked there as a legal advisor for a couple of years where he was branded the name "Honest Abe" due to his honest nature. He served customers running from singular occupants of residential communities to national railway lines.

Abraham was chosen to run for presidency during the 1860’s. He was the most opposed candidate at that time, and almost half the country seceded from the nation after he was elected. Although he was president for about four years, he is still considered as the greatest president leaving behind an important legacy in every nation today. During his reign, he was a courageous, humane and persistent president. First, he won the civil war that resulted at the end of slavery. He also managed to unite the nations despite the civil war. Amongst Lincoln's opportunity, the war was set between the Northern and Southern parts of America. Southern people needed slavery to be lawful however the Northern people wanted to end slavery. Lincoln was one of the general population who tried to free the slaves. He made it his need to free them and in the long run, he did. He led the union to war in order to stop the separation of the Southern State from the United States. Thereafter, he rebuilt the Southern State that was destroyed by the war and transformed it into an industrial state to boost the economy. In 1862, he signed the Homestead Act that entitled every settler who agreed to cultivate land for five years, sixteen acres of land.

Being an abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln encountered several obstacles in his attempt to abolish slavery. The main obstacle was the constitution. Most founders of the constitution were against the abolition of slavery making it difficult to change it. Lincoln made an extremely important move towards the thirteenth amendment that took effect in 1865, at the time of emancipation proclamation, which marked two years later. Also, before becoming the president, my hero ran for the legislative seat but lost twice in all his attempts. He also runs for the position of the speaker of the state and lost again (Blumenthal & Sidney 1849-1856). Next, he contest for the seats of the congress, senate, and vice president and missed all of them. However, in his final attempt to run for presidency, luck was on his side, and he won the election. In all his trials and errors, he was persistent. He stood stronger and showed determination in his mission to accomplish his dreams. Abraham Lincoln’s story shows that one should stand strong in the mission to accomplish their dreams. If you set your mind to do something, you will achieve it through patience and determination.

His win was influenced by Grace Bell, an 11-year-old girl who sent him a letter telling him to grow a beard. The girl thought that if he grew a beard, he would stand a chance to acquire more votes for becoming the president of the United States. Despite being a determined and brave hero, he was also an honest man. He once got extra change from a lady who bought something at a higher price in his shop due to his wrong pricing. When he realized his mistakes, he had to walk extra miles to the ladies house just to return the extra money.

In 1864, Lincoln went up against his rival, the democratic nominee the late Union General George McClellan in the last reelection battle. Union triumphs in challenge especially General William’s catch of Atlanta in September, obtained numerous presidential votes. In his second opening address, passed on March 4, 1865, Lincoln focused on the southern reconstruction mission and patch up the Union with philanthropy for all. Affiliation triumph was close, and Lincoln gave a speech on the White House plant on April 11, empowering the citizens to welcome the new Southern States into the overlay. Unfortunately, Lincoln was not able live to help achieve this goal.

Many Americans consider him as the greatest president of all time history to hold the presidential office. I would say his reputation is very well deserved considering all his achievements during his time in office. He was never a coward. He always stood up tall and fought for what he knew was right. He ran for the presidential seat because he was convinced that being a president, he was entitled to the powers to uphold, protect and defend the constitution. The end of civil war lead by President Abraham Lincoln marked the end to slavery of African Americans. I consider him my hero because he stood up for the rights of the weak people who were treated unfair. He outsmarted his adversaries, competitions, and united the nation amongst an intense time. His splendor, courage and heroic act ended the civil war hence creating a better future for the country.

The American view about heroes has somewhat been distorted. The particular qualities that make a person heroic have evolved with time to fit the preferable characteristics of the American culture at the present moment. To be considered a hero, one has to meet all the timeless and specific criteria of their society. Heroes who fail to meet their society’s changing standards lose their former echelon of respect and prestige from the society. Abraham Lincoln showed all the qualities of a hero and in America he is honored for his excellent work. What truly motivated Lincoln was the pursued of a better life; he was trying to run away from his rough childhood. He looked for books to read and what he read allowed him to see life beyond the farm. The farm did not challenge him intellectually; being poor was the challenge. He stood and led when many others fail to. Lincoln strived for success no matter the situation he found himself in; he either found a way or made a way.

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