Yet it's important to remember how vital the democratic process is, specifically because it can lead to the election of great leaders who can affect history in awe-inspiring ways.

Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill are two of these great leadersmen whose courage and conviction took their nations through challenging moments and forever altered the course of Western civilization.

Two Great Leaders, Two Great Challenges

Abraham Lincoln
For Abraham Lincoln, the challenge was that of slavery: an institution that went against the grain of American ideals yet was so vital to the economy of the American South. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854which would allow new territories to decide whether or not they would permit slaveryLincoln became an active opponent of the issue and fought to strike a blow against the power of this cruel institution.

Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of Britain during one of the darkest periods in his nation's history: World War II. Stung by the military defeat at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, the British people were beginning to lose hope in their struggle to defeat Nazi Germany. Yet on June 18, 1940, Churchill delivered a rousing speech before the House of Commons that rallied the country to persevere and achieve victorywhatever the cost.