Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by Julia

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by Julia - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

The citizens of our country are living in a time of increasing tensions. Racial divides seem more pronounced. Violence such as the events in Charlottesville and in Las Vegas is becoming a monthly occurrence. The Democrats and the Republicans not only can’t work together, but resort to finger pointing and name-calling at every turn. For these reasons, if it were possible, I would love to have dinner with Abraham Lincoln.
The conflicts that we face in our society are not new; we just think that they are because we are living through it. There have always been and there will always be groups or individuals seeking power. Likewise history shows us that there is always a group of people in society that are marginalized and oppressed. Our founding fathers understood this and understood the human condition. That is why the system of checks and balances is so important- it helps to keep the country working even when individuals in government may be acting in their own best interests, not that of the country’s best interests.
President Lincoln led this country through undoubtedly the most troubling times of our nation. Brother fought against brother. Many, many people did not believe that slaves should be free. There most certainly was a division of classes. Yet, with eloquence I believe unmatched by any other, President Lincoln led our country back to unity and prosperity.
I would love to hear his perspective of our country’s present situation. What would he do about global relations? How would he handle immigration? What would he say to the American people to lessen the expressions of hate that have become commonplace? How would he get Congress and the Senate to work together? What would he do with North Korea?
Given President Lincoln’s background, I think that I would feel very comfortable talking with him. It would be a night that would give me hope.