Preview

Presidential Courage

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Presidential Courage
residential CourageColin Crawford
A.P. U.S History
12/3/12
Essay
Presidential Courage
Presidential Courage covers certain presidents of whom the Author (Beschloss) thinks displayed courage in the face of adversity and integrity when it was desperately needed. Beschloss covers the 200 years spanning from 1789-1989 in the history of the U.S. Many of the Presidents he covered are undoubtedly venerable and courageous. Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt are among these names. Sharply contrasted though are some of the other choices to be out in the book. Such as Andrew Jackson, he did manage to strengthen the power of the President, but at the unfortunate cost to the forced Indian removal such as the trial of Tears. The first issue Beschloss covered is the First major crisis our very First President, General Washington, experienced at the start of our nation, Jay’s treaty. The British had been harassing the now independent colonists for quite awhile now, they still occupied forts up North even after their surrender, and they encouraged Indian attacks and harassment on the colonists spreading westward. They even took captive colonial ships and impressed the young sailors into their service. President Washington then sent Supreme Court Justice John Jay to negotiate with the British to try to start the madness. When Jay returned however the “treaty” that called for the harassment to stop seemed hardly enough compensation for the malicious acts the British had committed. The public hated the Treaty; they even burned effigies of John Jay. Republicans pressured Washington to not sign the Treaty into effect. He eventually did however Jefferson’s Republicans help a very good number in the House and a majority vote was required to allow payment to actually put the newly signed treaty into action. The votes were in and it was tied 49-49 and they needed the vote of Frederick Muhlenberg who was a strong Republican and even attended the burning of the Treaty. He however showed

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Ordinary Courage

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ordinary courage is a book that tells the story of an ordinary man who is inlisted in the continental army in the revolutionary war. Joseph Plumb Martin is the young man fighting in this war, at the time he entered he was just a mere 16 year old kid but by the time his time in the continental army was up he became a man. This is a first person memoir of what it was like for a regular person living in a war zone, and dealing with the everyday fears of food shortage, low morale, and danger of attack. This is something that many people in todays world could not handle because even some of the old guys in the military now can handle it. How many sixteen year olds can you say have the maturity to handle this kind of pressure, this book did not glorify the war the way others usually do, the book showed the way the war really was it was brutal and ugly. The revolutionary war was the birth of the nation the same way that Joseph Martin grew up it was really the birth of a man. He grew up alongside the United States. The author wants to show how it was for an average soldier to fight in that particular war, and he is successful in doing so. He wants to strip away any illusions that the reader might have of the nature of war. He writes that he does not want to paint himself as anything like a hero, for he does not see himself as a hero. He sees the war as a terrible experience with suffering and not heroism as the main feature, and the way the story was written you can tell that the war was not glorified. Martin believes in the princibles and ideals that the war was based on, but he was determined to show that the war that was supposed to bring those ideals to reality was actually a very dirty and bloody war.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage discusses the presence of moral fiber, or courage, in the careers of 8 different Senators. Throughout the book, Kennedy tells accounts of how a select few Senators showed courage and displayed moral fiber by standing their ground on certain issues when their party and constituents were in great opposition to them. In Profiles of Courage, Kennedy dedicates one chapter to each Senator and his tale of courage. The following Senators were used: John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft.…

    • 1509 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Political courage is something that has been around. Kennedy (1955) said that "The founding fathers could not have envisioned service in the Senate as providing an opportunity for political courage." (p. 23.). This statement from hi defines that the creating of our government has given an opportunity for people brave enough to express political courage. Herbert Brownell was a Nebraskan born that went on to be the attorney general for the United States of America for four years, and he is an example of political courage.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author, Gordon Wood is trying to uphold all the characteristics of the American revolutionary characters and also how their individual role combined to make todays present United states. Washington is the only true typical hero we have ever had, who had a lifelong obsession with his reputation for impartiality. Hamilton argued for a society with wealthy classes, administrations in government, and strong banking. He wanted to be both the big-business man and big-government man, and while fighting for both, he became the man who made modern America. Aaron Burr, who was considered to have a bad personality with no principles other than self-interest, has become the model for the modern politician, who works for his friends and his own special interests. John Adams, a man of respectable character and high values, is shown as a man who lost his connection with the political world. The most interesting chapter was about Thomas Paine because he is rarely considered as one of the founders, though his writings were very important in the revolution. Paine was the first public scholar whose messages awakened not only the politicians but also the common people. Benjamin Franklin’s role as an example of hard work and self-reliance, as well as the selfless patriot, is a…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During the late 1800's America was starting to wear down. Our country was taking a nosedive. Corruption had seeped into most of the government. The ideas and equality that Lincoln had fought for were well nigh forgotten Large corporations would smash the “common” people and keep them from raising themselves back up. Our country was in ruins. Yet in spite of all this destruction, one person with a tremendous fighting will was able to turn it completely around. It turns out, all that was needed to bring this country back was a leader that cared for more than just himself. And this leader would present himself as Theodore Roosevelt, the great lion in the white house.…

    • 1715 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people have courage and can express courage in plenty of ways. courage can be developed in many different ways. Whether it's through your good actions or bad, if you're brave enough to do it, you have courage. Moral courage is a pretty important trait. You are able to face emotional pain. Without it, you have no guidance , fears take over. If things like coming off of drugs or killing wild stray animals is the case, you built the courage up to do these things. Whether it is moral or not is arguable. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930's during the great depression. Many characters such as Atticus, Boo Radley, Bob Ewell, Scout, Jem, and Mrs. Dubose face real world problems. In the novel, Harper Lee made the characters…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149).…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Honorable and infamous, courageous and alarmed, trustworthy and treasonous – one could claim that President Andrew Jackson fills the bill of each category. President Jackson’s legacy is one that is continuously being rewritten and reformed. Andrew Jackson, the man who set forth plans that would normally send men wallowing in fear, became a war hero during the War of 1812, destroyed the Second Bank of the United States, eliminated the national debt, and conquered and triumphed over the Supreme Court. In a sense a man larger than life, Jackson paved the way for the many liberties that we take for granted today. From nullification to Indian Removal, Andrew Jackson is a man who is cautiously studied. From his early childhood years to the deathbed,…

    • 2212 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cited: Black, Allida M. Courage in a Dangerous World. The Political Writings of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Coumbia University Press, 1999.…

    • 2136 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was characterized as a leader by many standards. Through his experiences he gained wisdom and strategy that would aid in his significant role towards the formation of the United States of America. Jackson lived a normal life of a colonial American citizen. He faced many hardships that would only increase his emotional stability and strength as a person. This man acquired a tough role in his lifetime and handled the cards he was dealt with diligently with a sense of strong determination and willpower. Andrew Jackson’s role as the strongest leader of the United States not only prevailed, but was derived from harsh childhood experiences, military involvement, and a career in the justice…

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is often called “The Rarest Virtue”, mostly because it is identifying things that frighten or challenge us and facing them with confidence and bravery. A small number of people fully accomplish this. Unfortunately, many do not choose to face tough situations, instead they walk away. Very few people actually choose to act with courage and confront the circumstances.…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “When stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.” (Unknown) Many people get scored to show their courage for the right thing. What gives you and your peers to do the right thing with courage? Your peers and yourself do have courage because people do have that someone in life, that helps encourage them. It's just buried inside and you need to show people you're courage to do the right thing. People just don’t want to disappoint anyone.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    what courage leads to

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There is this simple saying; be your own superhero. Throughout a persons life, he will face many obstacles and some he will overcome, while others he may not. A person creates many relationships with others, some people will love and accept him for who he is, others will not. Often, one will not know why his peers do not like him, or if they even have a motif to. At the end of the day, it is how a person carries himself, and what he does about it that makes him a stronger individual. In the poem, “There Will Be No Peace,” W.N. Auden advises an individual who has been singled out to act with courage and honesty. I have noticed myself, on occasion, without any support but my own, having to be my own hero and how my own validation has helped me grow. Acts of courage can often develop and nurture personal integrity because when an individual has been singled out by a group, and must rely solely on himself to figure out his morals, he builds confidence and with that honesty, enforcing what he will stand for.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Honesty, strength of character, and courage; also known as integrity is the most important leadership quality that a leader can have (Manning & Curtis, 2012). To gain respect, a leader must be trusted; therefore, they must possess integrity. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a respected leader. When stricken with polio at the age of 39, Roosevelt persevered to be able to walk again (Schnell, 2000). Instead of causing him to be bitter or lose hope, it seemed that his disability gave him strength of character and empathy and made him an even more poised and better leader and changed his leadership style for the better. Roosevelt didn’t hide his disability but he didn’t use it to get sympathy or to lighten his load.…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays