George Washington and Abraham Lincoln appear to be the most prominent personalities in the entire history of the United States. Their names are closely connected to the most significant changes in society, which had a considerable influence on the lifestyle of all Americans in the long run. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these historical figures and present specific similarities and differences between them.
Similarities
First of all, it is essential to start with the characteristics, which are common both for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They are the most well-known presidents of the United States of different historical periods. While George Washington was the first qualified person at this post from 1789 to 1797, Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president served from 1861 to 1865. As it is mentioned in Diffen, “they both served two terms in office during their own time and are memorialized in the present by statues, U.S. currency, and Mount Rushmore (“George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln” para. 1). The portrait of the first American president is depicted on the 1-dollar paper currency, and the image of Abraham Lincoln is used on 5-dollar paper currency.
Another feature, which could be common for both presidents, regards the topic of education. Although the ways they acquired essential and basic knowledge were different, it should be mentioned that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were interested in broadening their minds (“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington”). In addition, another part of their biographies is similar too. Both presidents completed military service and were leaders of the population during wars, which result in revolutions.
Differences
Considering the fact that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln lived in different historical periods, it is evident that the activity of the presidents has a great number of dissimilarities. For instance, as for their philosophies, which shaped their policy and slogans, the sixteenth president was convinced that it was essential to unite the entire country and prevent it from division (“George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln”). Furthermore, he was absolutely opposed to slavery and attempted to supply the population with freedom and basic rights (“George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln”). George Washington disapproved of partisanship and sectionalism, and he considered it unappropriated to participate in foreign wars. Moreover, Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Republican party, while George Washington did not refer to any political party.
The biography of these historical personalities contains a significant number of differences too. The first American president was born in a wealthy family and lived in abundance for the entire life (“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington”). In addition, he had an opportunity to be taught at home and received appropriate education for this period (“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington”). On the contrary, Abraham Lincoln was born in a low-income family and could attend school only occasionally (“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington”). Their initial professions were no similar as well – while Abraham Lincoln was a country lawyer and an “Illinois state legislator”, George Washington was a “tobacco farmer and plantation owner” (“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington” para. 7). Therefore, the life path of the presidents and their occupation before their post were different.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the contribution to the development of the country and establishment of freedom and basic human rights of both presidents cannot be underestimated. This appears to be the major similarity between them, which outweighs all the differences in their activity and biography. For this reason, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are still respected in the modern world, and their figures are presented in numerous statues and portraits.
Works Cited
“Difference Between Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.”DifferenceBetween.Net. Web.
“George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln.”Diffen. Web.