Abraham Lincoln

By in Leadership, Military Leaders, Political Leaders

Abraham Lincoln — Caralayah Brown “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new – North as well as South.” — June 16, 1858. Republican State Convention. Acceptance speech when chosen as candidate for U.S. Senate. This speech was a perfect example of Lincoln’s political outlook: if the country was divided on such a major issue as slavery, they...

Mother Teresa 1910-1997

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  Light and darkness in love-by Karla Acosta, Wagner College Class ’16 “Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go”.- Mother Teresa.  Mother Theresa advocated that each person give a little, with love, rather than just giving money to charity. As a community, we should support each other to grow and work together to make a bigger change by taking action on the issues they are facing as a whole. One of the things I admire most about Mother Teresa was the way she lived her life peacefully, spreading love, and how she made small changes to be able to see big changes.  When she won the Nobel Peace Prize, she said, “What can we do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family”. This last quote shows how she truly believed that to make big...

Diane Nash

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Daine Nash: Not The Average Beauty Queen  By Amanda Fugel, Wagner College ’16 “This will be a black baby born in Mississippi, and thus where ever he is born he will be in prison … If I go to jail now, it may help hasten that day when my child and all children will be free.” Jailed while pregnant for training Mississippi youth in non-violence, Diane Nash refused the offer to release her.  Her actions in Nashville, Birmingham, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi demonstrated her will to fight against the racist system of the American South that felt like prison for African-Americans.  She believed that if she stood up for her cause, she could prevent future generations from facing segregation.  A young, well-educated Chicago-born Beauty Queen, Diane Nash acted with bravery and determination to shape the destiny of the Civil Rights Movement and impacted our own lives.  Three...

Neil Armstrong

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“The “Nerdy” Engineer” By: Jessica Roberts, Wagner College ’16 During a 60 minutes interview in 2005, Neil Armstrong said “I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.” (Launius, 2012). The world knows Neil for when his left foot stepped down onto the lunar surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. (Bizony, 2012). This was a defining moment that changed the lives of people not only nationally but globally as well.  It proved that Americans could achieve the unimaginable and that nothing was impossible during a time of war. But what people tend to forget is that Neil Armstrong is much more than the first man to walk the moon and rather a brilliant engineer, pilot, and professor.  Passion: Neil developed an early childhood passion for aviation after his father took him to an air show in...

Are Leaders Born or Made?

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Leaders are indeed made, not born. My students have argued this issue while examining Nelson Mandela’s transformation from lawyer to “terrorist” to President of South Africa.  While we may remember Neil Armstrong or Wangari Matthai or Dwight D. Eisenhower for their most notable accomplishment, real leaders link their greatest success to a lifetime of struggle and teamwork. History is about interpreting the past, which gives us the tools to address controversial issues today.  It gives us the insight on how leaders have been successful and what lessons we can apply to our own lives.  Explore these pages to see how myself and my students navigate this complex questions and make them relevant to our own lives.