Essay about Presidential Character

Submitted By emilyhutch102
Words: 1103
Pages: 5
Open Document
Presidential Character

Our country has had its fair share of great and not-so great presidents. Then again, one who I consider to be fantastic, someone else may think the opposite. But, I think there is a simple recipe of characteristics to make a great president. In order to be a great president, one must have courage, persistence, intelligence, and charisma. The ability to Identify these characteristics in candidates will not only bring us to have a greater respect for previous presidents but also, be able to help us decide who to vote for in future elections.

Most of our presidents were courageous in one way or another, but there are a few that truly stand out among the rest. Think of how difficult it is to stand by your beliefs when your friends disagree with your view. As a president, it is even more difficult. Abraham Lincoln constantly displayed courage during his presidency. Lincoln went against half of the country when he made clear that slavery was wrong and should be abolished. Even though his ideals were rejected by many, he stood by his beliefs and made a huge impact on our country. Even before Lincoln’s inauguration, many southern states including South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, began to secede from the nation. Rather than completely giving up, Lincoln led the north in the Civil War. This war split our country in half, and even literally split some of our states. It set brother against brother and caused a great uprising in our country. With his courage, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in rebellious areas were considered free.

Another president that showed great courage was Franklin Roosevelt. After being diagnosed with polio, he continued in his political ventures, and eventually gained presidency. His wife, Eleanor, said “I think probably the thing that took most courage in his life was his mastery and his meeting of polio. I never heard him complain.” This shows how truly courageous Roosevelt was, in the midst of such pain. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, rather than freaking out and making everyone panic, Roosevelt calmly decided what we should do next. In 1940, FDR decided that we needed to help England by supplying them with whatever weapons, ammunition and money we could. This strongly aggravated liberals, isolationists, and even some of his own generals.

Another characteristic that makes a great president is persistence. This characteristic goes hand-in-hand with courage. As a president, you have to be able to learn from your mistakes, and overcome them as well. Again, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt display such persistence. Abraham Lincoln grew up very poor and had to have many jobs when he was young. But he was determined to make something of himself, so he taught himself to be a lawyer, and eventually became president.

When FDR realized that the New Deal wasn’t working how he had anticipated, he came up with a new and improved plan and was able to admit his shortcomings. Roosevelt once said, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” That is exactly what Roosevelt did, even while battling polio.
One more trait that a great president, or even a leader in general, must have is intelligence. Roosevelt grew up in a very wealthy family and attended the most prestigious of schools, including Harvard. Not only did he have book smarts, but wisdom too. When elected, he inherited the problems of the Great Depression and had to decide how to handle many difficult situations while in office.

In contrast, Lincoln wasn’t from a wealthy family and had to work his way to the top on his own. He only had eighteen months of formal schooling, so he was self-taught. He loved to read and write and it was his perseverance that finally got him into the White House. Like Roosevelt, Lincoln was faced with many difficult issues while in office. He had to intelligence on when to
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Presidential Character

Essay on Perception and Election of Presidents

US Presidency Dr. Dalin Perception and Election of Presidents Throughout the history of the United States Presidential Elections there has been a change of how candidates for President are perceived. This is partly in response to the development and usage of the media. The media can be described as a group of mass communication that spread information from one party to another. While there are plenty benefits to this type of commute of information, it plays a serious role on how Americans perceive…

Words 5127 - Pages 21

What Makes a Great Presidential Candidate Essay

What makes a great presidential candidate? It takes a special kind of person, someone tough, smart, and driven, to run the job. It takes still more talent and character to hold up under the pressures of life in the White House. Americans want the president to take quick action on problems facing the nation, such as crime and drug abuse. The candidate must hold up to pressure situations. Peoples disagree about what character traits are most important in a president. But there are some commonly accepted…

Words 565 - Pages 3

Presidential Debate 2012 Essay

Presidential Debate Compare and Contrast The first presidential debate of the 2012 elections was an interesting event that showcased the type of character each person possesses. Both candidates, Obama and Romney, took a completely opposing approach in their style. One of the candidates was softer spoken, while the other seemed more aggressive. One was bolder, while the other appeared less courageous. However there is much more to this than meets the eye. In the end it was an interesting event viewed…

Words 370 - Pages 2

Presidential Announcement Speech Analysis

Presidential Announcement Speech by Donald Trump’s is a one-way communication from himself to the audience. In his persuasive speech, the strategy of convincing the audience to believe on what a speaker says is very influential. However, good strategies to persuade the audience in a speech are not enough to convince the audience without a good speech delivery. Therefore, balancing precise persuasive strategy and speech delivery can makes the speaker produce an effective persuasive speech. Trump,…

Words 541 - Pages 3

The Pros And Cons Of Hillary Clinton

Although Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid did set some historical precedents: she was the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate for a major political party (Harthorne) and she was the first woman to win the most popular votes in the US presidential election (Tongco). She was not the first woman to run for President of the United States. That title belongs to Victoria Woodhull. Woodhull ran as the candidate for the Equal Rights Party in 1872. This was 48 years before women were…

Words 914 - Pages 4

Presidential Elections Persuasive Essay

Should we expect a low turnout in the presidential election in November? About 4 months from the November ballot, there is almost no doubt that Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the nominees for their respective party in the presidential election. However, the question remains on whether the American people really want to elected either candidate. Based on the account that American people might not find themselves in either of these candidates, wouldn’t it be wise to expect them not to turn…

Words 440 - Pages 2

To Kill a Mocking Bird Essay

Harper Lee Original language: English Genre: Fiction Characters: Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, Mayella Violet Ewell, Maudie Atkinson, Jem Finch, Scout Finch Adaptations: To kill a mockingbird, To Kill a Mockingbird, To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family…

Words 444 - Pages 2

Lit Review Essay

across the disciplines. For more information on how to approach this task, see our handout on Writing Literature Reviews. For over three decades, scholarship on the American presidency has taken place beneath the shadow of Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power [1] , first published in 1960 and periodically updated since that time. Neustadt's book can be seen to also exist beneath a larger shadow cast by the developing notion of a modern presidency that dated from the administration of Franklin…

Words 7064 - Pages 29

Rhetorical Analysis On Big Bird

Metaphors are statements or ideas that can be projected and cause people to change their mindset of behavior. This political advertisement talks about the metaphor of Big Bird being dangerous to America in attempts to ridicule the presidential candidate Mitt Romney. James Geary an American born –writer, wrote an excerpt in I is another “ Metaphor and Politics,” where he asserts that although there are many aspects about metaphors that are apocryphal, the truth is that people give a lot…

Words 1418 - Pages 6

Abraham Lincoln Accomplishments

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a small log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Even though he lost the presidential election five times before actually becoming president, he was very successful in office Abraham Lincoln had a very successful law career, even though he did not get a college or law degree. He was a great president and a great lawyer, and won many cases, like the McLean County tax case for the railroad. Abraham Lincoln also had many famous speeches and letters like the…

Words 254 - Pages 2