President is a very honorable position. Being president is not easy. There are many requirements that must be had. However, it does not mean that people with disabilities are not able to occupy it.
Even a president has flaws, and a number of them are people with disabilities.
America is one of them, a country that was once led by a person with a disability. However, his leadership remains well-known throughout the world.
Here are 5 American presidents with disabilities, as quoted from inc.com.
1.George Washington
George Washington was a general and statesman known as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first president to serve from 1789 to 1797. He was born into a farming family. The father is a successful tobacco farmer in Virginia. His family is often called the landlord family. Before becoming the Number One Person in the US, Washington was a businessman and politician in Virginia. Despite all that, not many people know that George Washington had dyslexia, which is a disorder in the development of reading and writing or learning. But he tried to learn by himself to make up for his shortcomings. Washington has a motto “99% of failures come from those who make excuses”.
2. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is believed to have learning disabilities such as stuttering and dyslexia. Nevertheless, he did not give up and kept trying to study in his own library. While leading the US, he drafted a declaration of independence, known as the charter of human rights. He was listed as the third president of America and served two consecutive terms from 1801 to 1809. Prior to becoming president, Thomas Jefferson was a Member of the House of Representatives for the state of Virginia (1776-79), Governor of Virginia in 1779 successor to Patrick Henry, and was re-elected in 1780 but resigned in 1781 due to the British army’s attack on Virginia. During this time in office, he wrote a statute on religious freedom (The Statute of Religious Freedom). Even became the American Ambassador to France (1785-89) and Secretary of State under President George Washington in 1789.
3. James Madison
James Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution for his role in drafting and passing the United States constitution. During the war of 1812, he served as America’s fourth president. As President, James Madison was a strict interpreter, one who opposed the free interpretation of the Constitution. He succeeded in establishing excise taxes to protect US industry, building roads and canals throughout the country, and building a strong military organization. As an influential person in America, but Madison suffered from epilepsy during her lifetime.
4. Abraham Lincoln
Everyone knows that the 16th president of America was depressed so badly that it caused physical ailments to paralyze him. In fact, he is believed to have Marfan’s syndrome. Marfan’s syndrome is a disorder of the connective tissue of the body. However, these conditions did not stop him from being a lawyer, a member of the House of Representatives, and leading the country during the Civil War.
5. Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt suffered from nearsightedness and severe bronchial asthma, which stunted his physical growth. The illness he suffered was not a barrier to life. He lives a life as a boxer which eventually causes blindness in his eyes. Apart from being a hard life, he also loves nature and enjoys its beauty. Despite his illness, he was elected as the 26th president of the United States, who served twice from 1901 to 1909.