Abraham Lincoln: The Nation's Greatest President

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Character. Integrity. Leadership. Those are the first words that come to mind when people think of Abraham Lincoln. He is viewed as the greatest president in American history. Lincoln was a common man. He came from a humble background, where he had no privileges or advantages. Lincoln was never taught life lessons only the necessity of unrelenting work. He learned from all his failures instead of giving up. Nevertheless, his rough and disadvantaged childhood made him a stronger person. His determination and perseverance led him to the nation’s highest office.
Lincoln was and is still an important figure to our country because of his role as a leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War. In addition, he ended slavery in the United States. He fulfilled the nation’s promise of equality for all Americans, regardless of color. As the 16th President of the United States …show more content…
They have praised him for what he accomplished during his presidency. Even so, they are more amazed on how he did it. In the book, Lincoln, David Herbert Donald stats that “...at every stage of his’s career he knew how to calculate the evidence before him, and why he reached his decisions” (Donald 15). In 1982, fifty historians were asked to rate the presidents in four categories: leadership, accomplishments, political skills, and character/integrity. As you might expect, Abraham Lincoln was at the top of the list. None of the other presidents exceeded Lincoln in any category. In other words, Abraham Lincoln is the greatest president by every measure. After the war, he was portrayed as worshipping figure. Lincoln managed to save the Union and abolish slavery to “define the creation of a more perfect Union in terms of liberty and equality” (McGovern:11). He left a legacy that lasted beyond his death. To this day, no president has ever faced a greater crisis nor accomplished as much as Abraham Lincoln
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