Abraham Lincoln A Hero

Cole Peterson
Mr. Vollmer
English 12, A
20 October, 2015
Abraham Lincoln Not everyone is a hero, but anybody can be one. Heroes are rare, they are few and far between. Not every person has the ability to be heroic. A hero is someone who is looked up to, someone who is admired. A hero is respected, and more often than not they possess courage. Heroes are viewed differently from person to person. A local elementary teacher might be considered a hero to some, while a veteran is a hero to others. To me Abraham Lincoln is a hero. Abraham Lincoln was a hard worker, he overcame adversity, and he had a tremendous amount of bravery. Abraham Lincoln is a hero because he supported a just cause, and stood up for the weak and vulnerable. Abraham Lincoln
was born on February 12, 1809. He was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky during the beginning of the Republic. Abraham's father, Thomas Lincoln, was nearly illiterate. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, was an illegitimate child. When he was seven, in 1816, Lincoln's family moved to Indiana, and as he aged, to Illinois (Jaffa 1). Abraham was raised on a farm, and was expected to help with the grueling workload. Unlike his father, Lincoln did not have a passion for farm duties. His intent was to learn. Abraham Lincoln was constantly borrowing books from whoever he could. His reading was limited because of the scarcity of sources, but he managed to dive deep into the subjects he read. At age nine Lincoln experienced heartache when his mother died. The loss was devastating to Abraham and his family, but Lincoln persevered through the tragedy. Lincoln began to take interest in the outside world.
"His first exposure to the wider world came when, in 1828 and 1831, Lincoln traveled in a flatboat down the Mississippi to New Orleans" (The Presidents, 1996). After years of traveling around Abraham found himself back in Illinois, in the villages of New Salem, and Springfield (Jaffa 1). Lincoln worked several jobs, he even volunteered to fight in the Black Hawk War, yet his duties were limited. Then, in 1832, Abraham Lincoln made his first attempt at being a politician. He ran for the Illinois Legislature, and although he initially failed, he continued his aspirations to be a politician. Two years after his first run, Lincoln was elected into the Illinois House of Representatives (Jaffa 1). Lincoln remained in the House of Representatives for six years, from 1834 until 1840. "Indeed, into the 1850s, Lincoln's main political task remained advocating his own brand of an economic vision that called for the development of the United States through the nurturing of banking, commerce, industry, and transportation, and through the movement from a poor sort of farming toward intensive, scientific agriculture" (The Presidents, 1996). In 1847 Abraham and his family moved to Washington D.C. Here, Lincoln served a term in the The United States House of Representatives. While doing so Lincoln ran into conflict, and because of this his interest in politics diminished. He soon found himself involved with Law, as an attorney. As time
passed, slavery began to be an issued topic in the political world. Lincoln found himself back in politics. In 1855 Lincoln ran for a seat in the United States Senate. "Although Lincoln lost a close contest, he improved his standing as a leader for the new political alignment and emerged in 1856 as a prominent contender for the Republican party's first vice presidential nomination" (The Presidents, 1996). Lincoln became known nationally, and eventually found himself to be in charge of the country.
Abraham Lincoln was elected as President on November 6th, 1860. Lincoln was president during the nations greatest internal conflict. Lincoln strongly opposed slavery, which lead to the succession of many slavery infested states. These southern states feared a Republican influenced government (Korn 1). "Lincoln's presidency was devoted to saving the Union, which meant, in his mind, the rededication of the nation to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and especially to the proposition that all men are created equal" (Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, 2000). By his inauguration, seven American states had withdrawn from the Union and formed a new and liberated government. Lincoln decided it was necessary to assemble an army to fight to protect the Union. With this decision came immense pressure. Lives would be sacrificed, and ultimately victory was uncertain (Korn 1). After four violent years of battle, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Slaves all over the southern states were now legally free. On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves in states in Rebellion against the Union "shall be then, thencefoward, and forever free" (Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology). Abraham Lincoln had saved the country from being divided into separate areas, and more importantly he brought justice to those in need of it.
Although freedom was not immediately granted to those enslaved, Lincoln took a major step in providing liberty and justice for African Americans. On April 14, 1865 Lincoln was in a attendance during a play at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. In the middle of the play Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. The following day Lincoln passed away. This was the first presidential assassination. Sadly this was the end of his presidency, and the end of a great American hero. Lincoln is widely considered to be the greatest American President. In the eyes of a select few, Abraham Lincoln was disliked, but he was respected by many. Lincoln accomplished many great feats. Later in his presidency he had the authority to free every slave. Lincoln contributed significantly to the abolishment of slavery. Slavery was wrong in every sense, and Lincoln knew that. He spoke for those who did not have a voice, he fought for freedom. This is why Abraham Lincoln is a hero.