Rudolph Thomas
(Name of Subject)
(Name of Professor)
Lincoln: A Man Worthy of Recognition
Looking back to the history of America, I can say that slavery had imbedded a great impact on it. It’s in the mid-19th century when slavery ruined the America’s growing nation. People thought that it will be abolished when the constitution is written in 1787. But then, the invention of cotton gin by Eli Whitney gave slavery a spotlight in the southern states while it’s gradually obliterated in the northern states. Because of this, the USA had been divided into two—the “free states” and “slaved states”. This issue of slavery caused lots of notable moments in the history of America; from the Missouri Compromise to Compromise of 1850; from the violent incident called ‘Bleeding Kansas’ to the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom Cabin; and of course, the Civil War. (Lambert, 2012) What if it didn’t end in the 19th century? A greater chaos might have been made. This issue on slavery made Abraham Lincoln, for me, the bravest president of America. Abraham Lincoln is 16th president of the USA. He’s a lawyer with no formal education and a republican. He’s the American greatest leader and most eloquent in speeches among all other presidents. For me, his eloquence showed his brevity as he’s not afraid of whatever it will lead him to. Reading his famous quotes, I can say that America can still be inspired by his words. Some other interesting facts about him are he being the tallest and the first to wear a beard among all the presidents. As he also said, “Every person is responsible for his own looks after 40.” (The Quotations Page, 1994) Trivial facts aside, he triggered the infamous American Civil War by greatly opposing slavery. (Summers, 2013) “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”-Abraham Lincoln (The Quotations Page, 1994)
Opposing slavery, he believed that ‘Free states’ will outnumber slaved ones. So even if at first he was reluctant that he can abolish slavery, he still made the Emancipation Proclamation on September 23, 1962. (Lambert, 2012) This proclamation freed all the slaves starting January 1, 1863 who were taken away from home and not yet under control by the north. And on December 1865, after 13th amendment of the said proclamation, slavery’s totally banned in any states. This just not ended the slavery but also the American Civil War. (Summers, 2013)This event in the history is the hallmark of Lincoln’s career. Unfortunately, Lincoln was not able to witness this event as he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 16, 1865. Also, it made him the first president to be assassinated. (Lambert, 2012)
Even though Abraham Lincoln did not finish his term as the president of the USA, his four years already made a great impact on the history. Presidential ranking shows that he’s on the top three with Roosevelt and George Washington. (Wikipedia, 2013) This is a proof that America, even up to the new age, still recognized his greatness.
According to him, “Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” (The Quotations Page, 1994)
Yes, he is worthy of all this recognition.
References:

The Quotations Page. (1994). Retrieved April 26, 2013, from http://www.quotationspage.com
Wikipedia. (2013, April 26). Retrieved April 26, 2013, from Historical Rankings of the President of the United States: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/historical-rankings-of-the-presidents-of-the-united-states
Lambert, T. (2012). A Brief History of America. Retrieved April 26, 2013, from http://www.localhistories.org/america
Summers, R. (2013, January 21). POTUS: Presidents of the United States. Retrieved April 26, 2013, from http://www.potus.com