Washington vs. Lincoln
The presidencies of George Washington & Abraham Lincoln are considered to be the premier presidencies in American history.
Washington came to be president after being the heroic commander-in-chief of American forces in the Revolution. With Washington's inauguration on April 30, 1789, he continued his leadership role over the United States from military leader to executive leader. Washington entered office with the full support of the new nation, although he was apprehensive at first, after being the hero of the war that won the nation its independence. He would establish the executive and judicial branches of the federal government. His uncompromising leadership provided the framework for future presidents and ensure the establishment and survival of the United States of America.
President Washington established the government and the framework of the presidency through numerous workings turning his terms in office. One of the first things he did was established the federal judiciary along with the formation of the Supreme Court through the Judiciary Act of 1789. This was one of the first branches established in the nation as the Constitution had laid the framework for government but it had not yet been developed. Washington's leadership was instrumental in developing the branches of government especially the Executive branch which he focused on after the Judicial branch was setup. Washington surrounded himself with some of the brightest men in the country and these men would become the first to fill the Executive branch offices. The first Executive offices created under Washington were the Secretary of State which was filled with Tomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury which was carried out by Alexander Hamilton, & the Secretary of War delegated to Henry Knox as well as Postmaster General with Samuel Osgood and Attorney General run by Edmund Randolph. With Washington as President and Adams as his VP these men constituted the first United States Cabinet. Washington allowed the members of the Cabinet to fulfill the duties of their office and would only intervene with his supreme power when necessary. In addition to the first Cabinet, Washington also helped to shape and signed into effect the Bank Act and Coinage Act which set up American currency and the first bank of the United States. The credit for the successful development of the government proposed in the Constitution goes to Washington who established the framework for the government and the presidency itself.
Besides his establishment of government Washington also oversaw the location and planning of the District of Columbia and the ratification of the Bill of Rights. President Washington is also noted as only 1 of 2 presidents ever in history to personally command the military in the field when he put down the Whiskey Rebellion out in Western Pennsylvania. After 8 years in office Washington proved to be an excellent president but a third term was deemed too much by Washington who declined a third term and set up the precedent for two terms in office.
Washington came to be president after being the heroic commander-in-chief of American forces in the Revolution. With Washington's inauguration on April 30, 1789, he continued his leadership role over the United States from military leader to executive leader. Washington entered office with the full support of the new nation, although he was apprehensive at first, after being the hero of the war that won the nation its independence. He would establish the executive and judicial branches of the federal government. His uncompromising leadership provided the framework for future presidents and ensure the establishment and survival of the United States of America.
President Washington established the government and the framework of the presidency through numerous workings turning his terms in office. One of the first things he did was established the federal judiciary along with the formation of the Supreme Court through the Judiciary Act of 1789. This was one of the first branches established in the nation as the Constitution had laid the framework for government but it had not yet been developed. Washington's leadership was instrumental in developing the branches of government especially the Executive branch which he focused on after the Judicial branch was setup. Washington surrounded himself with some of the brightest men in the country and these men would become the first to fill the Executive branch offices. The first Executive offices created under Washington were the Secretary of State which was filled with Tomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury which was carried out by Alexander Hamilton, & the Secretary of War delegated to Henry Knox as well as Postmaster General with Samuel Osgood and Attorney General run by Edmund Randolph. With Washington as President and Adams as his VP these men constituted the first United States Cabinet. Washington allowed the members of the Cabinet to fulfill the duties of their office and would only intervene with his supreme power when necessary. In addition to the first Cabinet, Washington also helped to shape and signed into effect the Bank Act and Coinage Act which set up American currency and the first bank of the United States. The credit for the successful development of the government proposed in the Constitution goes to Washington who established the framework for the government and the presidency itself.
Besides his establishment of government Washington also oversaw the location and planning of the District of Columbia and the ratification of the Bill of Rights. President Washington is also noted as only 1 of 2 presidents ever in history to personally command the military in the field when he put down the Whiskey Rebellion out in Western Pennsylvania. After 8 years in office Washington proved to be an excellent president but a third term was deemed too much by Washington who declined a third term and set up the precedent for two terms in office.
The Lincoln presidency started in a much different fashion than Washington's. Lincoln did not serve as a heroic commander-in-chief in a defining war but instead rose from a prairie lawyer to national political prominence through a series of political debates with Stephen Douglas. He received the Republican Party nomination for the 1860 election in which he beat the other 3 candidates to become the 16th president. He won the election primarily on the support of the Northern states but with the election the southern states protested by starting the process of secession. The first state to secede was South Carolina and this state would also be where the war would start at Ft. Sumter. After the fall of Ft. Sumter, Lincoln saw that war was inevitable and took immediate executive control by calling for troops and enacting a strategy to put down the insurrection. Lincoln faced a political and military conflict like no other seen in American history. He enacted unprecedented powers as commander-in-chief to help in putting down the rebellious south that had not been seen from a president in the nation's history. These actions included expansion of his war powers, and imposed a blockade on all the Confederate shipping ports, disbursed funds before appropriation by Congress, and after suspending habeas corpus, arrested and imprisoned thousands of suspected Confederate sympathizers. The people of the North and Congress supported Lincoln's handling of war actions which helped to win the war for the Union.
President Lincoln established one of the most important pieces of legislation in the nation's history, the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation during the war freed all slaves and banned slavery on all federal territory. This Proclamation would lead to a major constitutional amendment, the 13th Amendment, in which slavery was outlawed throughout the nation. Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction after the war were moderate and he wanted to ensure an easy transition for the south back into the Union to quickly and peacefully reunite the nation. Lincoln would never seen these plans come to fruition because of his assassination by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater. This was a sudden and abrupt end to one of the greatest presidencies in America. Lincoln conducted himself as a superb leader who was calm under pressure, decisive in his actions, and handled the events of the Civil War as best as any man could have done. In his Gettysburg Address he assured the future of democracy in our nation by saying, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln concluded that the Civil War had a profound objective; a new birth of freedom in the nation.
President Lincoln established one of the most important pieces of legislation in the nation's history, the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation during the war freed all slaves and banned slavery on all federal territory. This Proclamation would lead to a major constitutional amendment, the 13th Amendment, in which slavery was outlawed throughout the nation. Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction after the war were moderate and he wanted to ensure an easy transition for the south back into the Union to quickly and peacefully reunite the nation. Lincoln would never seen these plans come to fruition because of his assassination by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater. This was a sudden and abrupt end to one of the greatest presidencies in America. Lincoln conducted himself as a superb leader who was calm under pressure, decisive in his actions, and handled the events of the Civil War as best as any man could have done. In his Gettysburg Address he assured the future of democracy in our nation by saying, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln concluded that the Civil War had a profound objective; a new birth of freedom in the nation.
President Washington was the first and one of the most influential president of the United States along with Lincoln. Washington helped to lay the framework of government which Lincoln fought to preserve and to keep united. Both presidents influenced American government and politics like no other presidents have done before or since. Washington established the executive and judicial branches of the federal government and Lincoln helped to set up three of the most important amendments to the Constitution with the addition of the 13,14, & 15th Amendments. Washington's contributions to the nation's politics will always be felt but without Lincoln's the nation would be drastically different today. Both presidents had massive impacts on American history and the development of the nation. They both provided military and political advances that only superior leaders bring to the table. Washington's military successes ensured a new independent nation but it was Lincoln's success in the Civil War that gave the nation a new birth of freedom. President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln are the two premier presidents in United States history and our nation is indebted to the contribution that both wonderful leaders gave to the nation.