Teachers

3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence
Over the years many people have had significant influence on me, but the one that has had the greatest influence on me is Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s influence on me does not come in the form of any corporeal matter but through his comprehension of responsibility. Responsibility, according to Lincoln meant being in control of our own choices and decisions. This means accepting full blame or acclaim for our actions. He knew that success is not easily obtained unless one learns to accept responsibility.

Abraham Lincoln’s life testifies of his idea of responsibility; he recognized his responsibility to preserve the union. Lincoln, who quickly established his priorities as president, accepted responsibility and embraced his duty.  On December 1, 1862, during his message to congress, Abraham Lincoln observed, "In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity”, clarifying the significance of responsibility.  Lincoln is often regarded as the most successful president in American history; this honor did not, come without a price.

The Civil War, that fueled the assault upon the nation soon after Lincoln’s rise to the presidency, would last for four years. The days (6 to be exact) immediately following General Robert E. Lee’s surrender and the end of the war, culminated in Lincoln’s assassination. The adversities that Lincoln overcame during his presidency indisputably deserve recognition. Before Lincoln, all the presidents ignored the issue of slavery; Lincoln fearlessly confronted the issue that had intimidated every other president and responsibly quelled all further debate about it. Lincoln knew as president that it was his responsibility to ensure that every man, black or white was entitled to enjoy their natural rights (rights of life, liberty and property). In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln...