Great Heroes:Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example

Reading and Writing Level 7 Ann Liberona 5/15 Great Heroes Heroic leaders are characterized by respect for human life. Luther is a good example of a hero who had heroic respect for human life. He effortlessly fought and presented many speeches that were aimed at convincing the whites to respect blacks as equal human beings. He once said, “We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. We will not hate you, but we will not obey your evil laws. We will soon wear you down by pure capacity to suffer” (Contemporary Heroes and Heroines 1). He had the mental courage to fight the evils done by the whites whilst using nonviolent means. He was not afraid to rush to the demonstration scenes and lead the demonstration in a peaceful manner. Actually, he was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1964 for his fight for a peaceful and just world. Lincoln had a strong sense of heroic respect for human life. Lincoln demonstrated strong respect for human life when he differed strongly with Secretary of State William H. Seward on issue of Charleston harbor. He totally refused to agree with him and stood on his own principles. Heroic leaders are characterized by a strong sense direction, focus and a strong motivation to lead people in the right way. Heroic leaders seek to liberate people from the present problems especially considering that past or present leaders cause such problems. Therefore, Lincoln demonstrated his originality by coming up with original leadership ideas. More importantly, he was able to take the American nation to great heights especially in democracy and human rights for the blacks by thinking beyond what other common people could see. He used to wait for the best moment to make people understand his strong points. For example, Lincoln “waited until after the victory at Antietam, when it would have real meaning as a war measure, to issue his Emancipation Proclamation” (Encyclopedia of World Biography 5). By using his originality, he was able to achieve much by putting across his ideas when people would believe in him. This is a strong quality of a heroic leader. Luther had a strong sense of personal choice and effectiveness. He chose to fight for the rights of the blacks by using peaceful demonstrations. Although the blacks suffered due to the peaceful demonstrations, his idea was effective since the whites came to realize that Luther’s war was a war between good and evil and not a racial war. It is important to note that Luther made a strong choice to fight against oppression by using nonviolent means. It is true that his method was effective since the Americans saw the fruits after some time. It is said that “In 1965, King and other civil rights leaders saw the fruits of their labor when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act. In the words of one historian, "it was the crowning achievement of the Civil Rights movement” (St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 3).   Likewise, Abraham Lincoln was a world hero who had a strong sense of personal choice and effectiveness. He had personal choice of gaining more knowledge. When he was not working, Abraham walked 2 miles to the schoolhouse to learn basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Additionally, while working at the law firm he did all he could to gain knowledge on law where he succeeded in becoming an effective lawyer. When his family was moving to Coles County, Abraham chose not to go along as he was of independent age and had arrangements to take a cargo of produce downriver to New Orleans where he was effective in that mission. Lincoln was effective in his leadership since he waited until the best time to make his ideas known to the people. For example, he waited until the beginning of the war to show Americans that slavery was against human rights. In addition, hero’s perspective on the world is original, going beyond what other people think is possible. Luther’s heroic perspective on the world was original and went beyond what other people thought was impossible. In his many speeches, he explained his dream of an ideal world whereby people will be judged by their own actions and not the color of their skin. In one important speech he said, “My four little children ... will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character” (Contemporary Heroes and Heroines 3). Although other people thought this was impossible, he made them believe it was possible. Through many demonstrations and many speeches, the dream finally came to be true. Abraham Lincoln demonstrated his originality in making the world a better place by thinking beyond what other leaders of his time could think. He devoted his time to read law books so that he could have a deeper understanding of law. He became a great leader since he had deep understanding of the leadership system and the law.  His opinion on the war with Mexico was different. When other people thought the war was right, Lincoln thought the war was not good for the people. Lincoln worked hard to resist slavery in America at the time when many states in America were supporting slavery. His thoughts went beyond what people could think since he believed that slavery could end in America despite resistance from many leaders of his time. Lincoln “viewed slavery as a "moral, social and political wrong" and looked forward to its eventual abolition” (Encyclopedia of World Biography 4). More importantly, Lincoln made a good selection of leaders for his cabined despite opposition from opponents. He taught them the importance of authentic leadership for the good of the American people. Truly, heroes are individuals of great physical and mental courage. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the world’s renowned heroes due to the fact that he had strong sense of physical and mental courage. Indeed, it can be argued that Luther was the strongest heroic leader to have ever lived. This is because he existed in time when there was greatest resistance for black identity. Luther rose above all the odds and acted with strong mental and emotional courage to make the whites understand the importance of equality for both whites and blacks (St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 1-5). Luther fought fearlessly for what he believed in. His mental courage began back in school since he performed excellently in his academics. When he joined the public life, he used every opportunity to campaign for human rights in a non-violent way. Luther had a mental courage to resist the evils done by the whites even when it meant sacrificing his own life and the lives of fellow blacks. In the same way, Lincoln had great physical and mental courage He had the courage to offer himself for charity where he used his skills in ax to split rails, not only for the Lincoln farm and for others as well. Abraham Lincoln had great mental courage in offering good, national, unifying, and dignified leadership. He fought racism courageously and hence offered many speeches calling for principles of nationalism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy (Encyclopedia of World Biography 1-5). Lincoln served four terms in the legislature and became floor leader of his party in the lower house. He stood courageously by his decisions, which proved effective after sometime. Actually, when Congress convened in December 1847, Lincoln, the only Whig from Illinois, voted for the Wilmot Provision against the wishes of many that declared Mexico had jurisdiction over "the spot" where blood was first shed and not the United States. (Encyclopedia of World Biography 1-5). It is important to note that heroes are not measured by publicity. Whether a heroic act receives worldwide attention or occurs in an obscure setting with only a single witness, a heroic act is still heroic. Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated this fact in his lifetime as a fighter for human rights and equality. Although many of the heroic leaders achieve their objectives while in leadership office, Martin Luther King, Jr. achieved his objectives in obscure settings with few witnesses. However, his heroic acts still remained heroic and are remembered even to date. Most of his speeches were not made on a presidential platform but were made in the midst of demonstrators. For example, he began his fight for humanity in Rosa Parks when he joined a small group of demonstrators who were demonstrating against the arrest of the woman who had been arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white in a bus. Although the group was small and insignificant, Luther’s actions were recognized by the world and people began appreciating him as a champion of human rights and equality. On the same note, Lincoln mostly acted single handedly. His heroic acts were conceived and delivered without support of other leaders in his time. He differed with Secretary of State William H. Seward single handedly and refused to support him even when there was a possibility that his decision could bring war. He had John C. Fremont removed from leadership when he used martial law to fight people demanding for their rights. As the Americans celebrate their liberties today, they cannot forget the contribution of Lincoln towards achievement of human rights and liberties. Although Lincoln ruled in a time when little support came from other leaders of his time, he was able to make meaningful change by expressing his noble ideas even at times when no one supported him. This is indeed the act of a great hero. In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. were some of the greatest heroes of all times. They went beyond normal human capacity to make sure that the world became a better place for everyone. Abraham Lincoln had a strong sense of personal choice and effectiveness in that he chose to do what was right despite resistance from opponents. He made strong personal choices to fight war to make America a liberated place for blacks and whites. Lincoln’s perspective on the world was original and went beyond what other people thought was possible in that, when other people thought the war was right, Lincoln thought the war was not good for the people. Lincoln worked hard to resist slavery in America at the time when many states in America were supporting slavery. On the other hand, Martin Luther King, Jr. achieved his objectives in obscure settings with few witnesses. However, his heroic acts still remained heroic and are remembered even to date. Luther had a mental courage to resist the evils done by the whites even when it meant sacrificing his own life and the lives of fellow blacks. He was not afraid to rush to the demonstration scenes and lead the demonstration in a peaceful manner. These two heroes are worth to be emulated by present and future leaders. Works Cited "Abraham Lincoln." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. GaleBiography In Context. Web. 10 May 2012.http://0-ic.galegroup.com.libcat.widener.edu/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1631003963&mode=view&userGroupName=wideneru_main&jsid=1b2cff5ef31d72e93e8f178df966f0fa "Martin Luther King, Jr." Contemporary Heroes and Heroines. Vol. 1. Gale, 1990. GaleBiography In Context. Web. 10 May 2012.http://0-ic.galegroup.com.libcat.widener.edu/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1607000153&mode=view&userGroupName=wideneru_main&jsid=8e64fad32c30d170fe91b166e8173823 "Martin Luther King, Jr." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergastand Tom Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. Gale Biography In Context.Web. 10 May 2012.http://0-ic.galegroup.com.libcat.widener.edu/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK2419200650&mode=view&userGroupName=wideneru_main&jsid=60e243d408ce7af2ad6e1252139b2ecd Read More