Who is someone you admire? It could be someone close to you - your father, mother, other relative or friend who you look up to. It could be an athlete who has remarkable skills. It could be a political or historical figure who did something great for your country or the people of another country. It could be a religious leader who inspires you. Or it could just be someone who has overcome many difficulties.
Monday, February 17th will be Presidents' Day in which U.S. remembers two of her greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington's was born on February 22, 1732 and Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. Most people know that George Washington was America's first president and a great leader. He was actually a multifaceted man. Because his father died, the family did not have enough money to send him to England for a formal university education, so Washington taught himself all he knew. His first profession was a surveyor. He was an excellent dancer, the best horseman of his time, and known as the "foremost farmer" of America because of his experiments with crop rotation and fertilizers. He had a huge, beautiful plantation in Virginia. He called his slaves "My People" and when he died, he freed all of them. He was a military leader in the Seven Year War, then in the Revolutionary War. He was elected to be the first president for two 4-year terms and established the tradition of being a president, not a king, and being called "Mr. President," not "Your Majesty." He was a humble man who loved and honored God. Immediately after his being sworn in as the president, he walked over to a nearby church and knelt down and prayed for God to help him lead this country.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of this country. He was born into a poor farming family in Illinois and was a self-educated lawyer.The Civil War started in 1861, the year after Lincoln was elected, 1860. Lincoln faced the insurmountable challenge of uniting a divided nation. He said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free." His later decision to free all the slaves was the biggest turning point in this country's \history - that all American people no matter what color you are will be free and equal. After the war ended in 1865, Lincoln used "generous reconciliation" to rebuild the south. He modeled the Christian principles of love and forgiveness to reunify this country. Instead of punishing the enemy, Lincoln issued much money be sent to the south for their reconstruction. Lincoln is remembered for preserving the union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy. For more than 100 years, American has been a country that has been learning to overcome division and prejudice and discrimination. Equality is an ideal that America strives for.
These two great president are people that I admire and that most Americans admire. Who do you admire and why?
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