Leaders Comparison - Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis

Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, were two great leaders in the world of politics and military, that lived during the same time period. Abraham Lincoln became the president of the United States, while Jefferson Davis became president of the Confederacy. The impact of the accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln on much greater on the United States of America, and that is why he has left a greater legacy in the History of Western Civilization.

Abraham Lincoln was born south of Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809 and was assassinated on April 15, 1865 in Washington. Lincoln comes from a poor farming family but he had little interest in follower the footsteps of his father. Two years after his birth, his family moved to a farm on Knob Creek where he had to walk two miles to go to the schoolhouse to learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. He was only able to go to the schoolhouse when no immediate work had to be done on the farm. His family then moved to Illinois in 1830, Lincoln was 21 by this time and tried various jobs such as being a storekeeper, and a rail-splitter. At the end of the first summer in Illinois, a disease swept through the region and forced the Lincolns to move once again, but Abraham did not follow his family, he decided to move to the town of New Salem instead.

In New Salem, he joined the Salem Debating Society where he developed his skills as passionate and persuasive speaker. When the eruption of the Black Hawk War rose, the volunteers of Lincoln's region elected him to become their captain. After the war was over, Lincoln announced his candidature for the Illinois legislature, but failed to be elected. After his second attempt to be elected, he succeeded and became part of the Illinois legislature. John Todd Stuart, leader of the Whigs (a major political party in Illinois during this period) was very impressed by Lincoln's campaign skills and took Lincoln under his wing and influenced Abraham into studying in the field of law.

In 1846, Abraham Lincoln was elected in the U.S. congress to represent the state of Illinois. He received harsh criticism from his people for his disapproval of the Mexican War and his wish to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. The division of the United States soon slowly started after this while Lincoln thought his political career was soon at an end. In the summer of 1856, Lincoln joined the new Republicans party and quickly became an outstanding leader. The Douglas-Lincoln debates on slavery in new territories, enabled Lincoln to gain national attention, and he was soon mentioned for presidency.

In 1860, the Republican National Convention chose Lincoln as their candidate for becoming president of the United States of America. Lincoln won the elections and became the 16th president of the