Essay Question #2

I am going to compare George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s contributions and deciding who contributed more to the shaping of the nation. George Washington was the first president and Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president so the probably had different things going on during their presidency but they both did some great things. Also, George Washington was the first president and Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth so Lincoln was able to see what others were doing where Washington had to do whatever he thought was right.

First up is George Washington, first president of the United States. He was born February 22, 1732. He was the first son of his mother’s second marriage. His father died in 1743 when he was 11 years old. Instead of living with his mom he decided to live with his older half brother Lawrence. From Lawrence he learned trigonometry and surveying and developed a taste for ethics, novels, music, and theater. He also wanted to be like his brother and get into the military. Lawrence died in 1752. His military career started in 1753. He climbed to the top of the military ranks until he was elected the first President of The United States of America in 1789.

George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789 in New York at the age of 57. He was the only president to get all of the electoral votes. Also, he made the first United States Cabinet and the Executive branch. He played a big role in bringing amendments to the US Constitution through the Bill of Rights. On July 16, 1790 he signed the Residence Act of 1709. The Residence Act of 1709 is a federal law that established the site of the US capital. In 1791 he founded the first bank with the Bank Act of 1791. He created the US dollar in 1792 with the Coinage Act of 1792. He signed the Naval Act of 1794, founding the US navy. He always worked towards bringing reforms to his nation. Overall he did some good things for the US.

Next is Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States. He was born February 12, 1809, in a one room log cabin in Kentucky. His father, Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and farmer. His mother died in 1818. His family was always poor. Had little formal education so he taught himself how to read and write. At the age of 22 he was known by the town for his strength and love for storytelling, but most of all for his strength of character. His sincerity and capability won the respect that was strengthened by his ability to hold his own in the roughest society. He was also very honest and he got the nickname “Honest Abe”.

Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4, 1861 at the age of 52. In 1863 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that forever freed the slaves within the confederacy. And he led the union to victory in the war against the confederacy. Also, at the Gettysburg Address he talked about how freedom would come to all the states for all citizens, how they would work more towards unity and less towards states’ rights, tribute and honor to the soldiers that died in the war, what the country was founded upon, and how he would continue to strive to each of those principles. He also signed the homestead act of 1862, which allowed poor people to acquire land. On May 15, 1862, he established the Independent Department of Agriculture.

Now that I have told you about the two I have to choose whose contributions shaped the nation more. I would have to choose George Washington. I choose him because there was a lot more shaping to be done while he was president and he did a lot of fist time things and he kind of set the path for future presidents. So in conclusion i think that George Washington’s contributions were greater to the shaping of the US.