PRESIDENTIAL courage
Throughout American history, presidents have faced difficult choices--decisions that sometimes have had grave political and personal consequences. Will leadership prevail? Or will the office cede power to popular opinion? At these critical times, many of our presidents have chosen a path of genuine courage. They stood up for what they believed was right for the country and displayed tremendous character, which made them leaders of men.
George Washington
George Washington displayed both courage and personal bravery when he led the vastly depleted American Army, many shoeless; on the Christmas Eve, 1776, sortie across the ice-laden Delaware River to attack Prussian mercenaries fighting for the British.
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt, ostensibly an invalid, led us out of the "great depression," into and out of World War II and kept our nation focused on freedom. John Kennedy faced down the Soviets over Cuba. Despite the fact that FDR leaned towards socialism.
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich, in several speeches made while running for the presidency, gives a stirring account of this singular moment in American history. The American army, once boasting 30,000 men at arms overlooking Boston and New York during the summer of 1776, was reduced to approximately 2,500 by Christmas. That year, winter came early and was as harsh a winter as most, at that time, could recall. That devastating loss of soldiers brought a compelling reality to Thomas Paine's immortal words about "summer soldiers and sunshine patriots.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson displays presidential courage as he Beat his assassin with a cane after the two guns he had misfired, Led 400 soldiers to victory against thousands of British in the Battle of new Orleans, and tore down the central bank.
Warren Harding
Warren Harding displayed presidential courage as he remained true to his ethics. He stuck to his Laissez Faire principles and got the country out of the Depression of 1920, a depression that at the time was worse than the Great Depression.