Title: Abe Lincoln: An Extraordinary Leader Word Count: 731 Summary: Perhaps noted as one of the greatest United

States presidents of all time, Abrah am Lincoln s early life may not have reflected his potential greatness. He failed in business. He lost election to the state legislature, Speaker of the House, no mination for Congress, appointment of land officer, U.S. Senate twice and nomina tion for Vice President. After those eight major failures, Lincoln was elected P resident of the United States. How many of us would have kept going like Lincoln did? Keywords: Leadership, Inspirational, Crisis Management, Management, Persistence Article Body: Perhaps noted as one of the greatest United States presidents of all time, Abrah am Lincoln s early life may not have reflected his potential greatness. He failed in business. He lost election to the state legislature, Speaker of the House, no mination for Congress, appointment of land officer, U.S. Senate twice and nomina tion for Vice President. After those eight major failures, Lincoln was elected P resident of the United States. How many of us would have kept going like Lincoln did? Many problems that we think of today pale in comparison to what happened in the late 1850 s and middle 1860 s. Lincoln dealt with eleven southern states that had se ceded from the Union. Eleven states formed the Confederate States of America dur ing his presidency. Americans may think that there are divisions among our country today. There was an enormous division during the Civil War era. Americans literally died on both sides of the war: North and South. There were several key challenges that Lincoln faced as U.S. President: 1. Lincoln was president during the American Civil War, which lasted four years About five weeks after Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th United States Preside nt, the American Civil War began. Lincoln was president when the country was lit erally falling apart. Division may exist between families. Unfortunately, some family members may go y ears without talking to one another. Are problems within families really that te rrible compared to the unrest during the Civil War? Some families were divided s o much by the war that one son may have fought for the North while another son o f the same family fought for the South. 2. The most American casualties happened during the Lincoln Administration 600,000 to 700,000 Americans died in the Civil War. The American Civil War casua lties exceed the United States losses in all of its other wars from The American Revolution to the present. Do any of us think that we have such an enormous responsibility? Lincoln had an insurmountable responsibility of having the most American casualties during his

term as president. More Americans died from war during Lincoln s presidency than a ll of the other American presidents combined. 3. Lincoln suffered from Depression Lincoln, who lived in the nineteenth century, did not have access to antidepress ants, such as Prozac, to take as prescription medication nor could he go to a dr ug store and purchase St. John s Wort over the counter. Lincoln never had the luxury of having access to modern treatments. Lincoln s job was to deal with a country that was divided by war. At times, your problems may seem as monumental as Lincoln s struggles, mainly because you are the one who is c urrently enduring a particular problem. All of us have common and unique problem s. Can you imagine if you weren t so lucky and had limited access to treatments li ke Lincoln? Fortunately, we do have the luxury of modern medicine. 4. Lincoln was assassinated The North, The Union, defeated the South, The Confederacy. The South surrendered to the North on April 9th, 1865. Lincoln was assassinated five days after the C ivil War ended and died the morning after he was shot. Do you think you feel unappreciated by the work you ve done? Lincoln united his co untry as president, issued the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery, inspire d numerous people while suffering from depression, was one of the most kindest a nd good-hearted presidents our nation has ever had and what was the thanks that he got? He was killed. Numerous times, Lincoln was a leader. He kept America together so we could still be called The United States of America. He led by example. In his second inaugura l address, Lincoln said that he wanted malice toward none and he wanted to bind up the nation s wounds. Unfortunately, Lincoln never got to see any of his efforts and results implemented. The United States owes Lincoln a huge debt of gratitude. Like Lincoln, every one of us has overcome problems and has achieved greatness i n our own way. You may not remember some obstacles that you overcame, such as wh en you learned to walk or talk. There are challenges you overcame that you proba bly do remember very well, such as finishing a project, winning a race, graduati ng from school or establishing a career. Every one of you has a potential for gr eatness like Abe Lincoln. It is up to you to find the greatness within yourself.