Abraham+Lincoln+by+Narissa+Kunkudatharn

Catergory: Polictics
 * __ABRAHAM LINCOLN __**

__**Background: **__ I, Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States was born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. My family was one of modest means, yet I did not let that deter me from attempting to excel. I had a thirst for knowledge that pushed me to teach myself through books and reading. I worked hard to excel in my studies and eventually became a lawyer through sheer drive and hard work. In this way, I embody IB Learner who is an inquirer and strives to be knowledgeable for I believe that //“A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.”//

As a lawyer, I quickly realized that the capacity for quick thinking and public speaking would lead me to success. These skills opened the way for me to enter the arena of public service and politics. Eventually, the American public entrusted me with the duty of President of the United States. In this position I encountered the greatest challenges of my life. I had to stay true to my principles and beliefs while holding the Union together. I was strongly opposed to slavery since //“our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”// Unfortunately, my brothers in the South did not think like me. The Union was in danger of dividing. As the President, it was my duty to hold my country together and not let it break away. Therefore I had to make the extremely difficult decision of going to war for I knew that //“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”// Though many of our young and bright men died in the war, I promised myself that //“these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."// Therefore, the Union was saved, slavery was killed and a stronger nation with liberty and equality was created.

Finally, I would like my legacy to be defined not by my being the President, but for the man I hope was. I would like to be remembered for my honesty and integrity. I would like to be remembered as the man who mobilized the people by appealing to their ideals and by acting with //“malice towards none”// in order to create a just and more enduring nation. The United States became a stronger country and a leading nation of the world through these actions. I am known to be a man of principles, so I would like to encourage all IB learners to act with honesty, integrity and justice towards everyone. I want them to remember that it is always easier to do good than to do wrong. Hold respect for your fellow mankind and become true citizens of the world in order to create //“a just and lasting peace among ourselves and among all nations.”//



Sources

=Bibliography = The History Place. 1996. 22 10 2010 .

=Bibliography = Abraham Lincoln. 22 10 2010 .

=Bibliography = Abraham Lincoln. 22 10 2010 <http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/alincoln.html>.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Slavery. 1998-2010. 27 10 2010 <http://www.abfition.com/abraham-lincoln/lincoln-quotes-slavery.htm>.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham Lincoln Biography. 27 10 2010 <http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/american/abraham-lincon.html>.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). 27 10 2010 <http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/lincoln/essays/biography/9>.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lincoln's Legacy 150 years later. 27 10 2010 <http://www.suite101.com/content/lincolns-legacy-remains-strong-150years-later-a154648>.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why Lincoln still matters. 27 10 2010 <http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-12/entertainment/lincoln.book.white_1_lincoln-bicentennial-lincoln-legal-papers-abraham-lincoln?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ>.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Selected Lincoln Quotations on Education. 02 11 2010 <http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/educate.htm>.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Images =<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">02 11 2010 <http://abrahamlincolnfunfacts.com/images/Abraham_Lincoln.jpg>.

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