Defining Moments
When Barack Obama was elected, many people saw that in and of itself as a defining moment. Even though his promise as a leader is as yet unfulfilled, it was. There is a 145 year history that eventually allowed that to happen and many of the most significant events occurred within the last 60 years. During that time, some extraordinary leaders realized that it was a time for change. On these pages you will find portions of their stories largely based on their own words.
What separates great leaders from those who are not? Courage, vision, grace under pressure? I think those leaders realize that it is a time for change and they do something about it out of personal conviction, for a greater purpose and for the common good and not for the good of a few. They make decisions that are not always popular, but they make these decisions because it is the right decision for change.
In order to understand just how significant some of these decisions were and their courage in making them, their words and deeds must be viewed in the context of the times in which they lived. I have included some speeches and video of what I consider to be American men who understood the significance of defining moments in our history and who made decisions that it was a time for a change for the common good, even if those decisions put them on a course that might put them at great personal risk. It was men like these who founded this country and it will continue to be men and women like them who set America apart from the rest of the world in the defining moments of our time.
