Compare and Contrast Essay on Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln

Introduction

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln are considered among the great men who developed history judging by their leadership escapades on their respective countries. These two men ruled and commanded their people in trades and military missions. They indeed shared an enormous amount of power and authority in their nations. Lives of these two heroes portrayed some unique similarities as well as differences. Nonetheless, when comparing these two leaders, a critical vital aspect of their life history is their assassinations that discloses both similarities and differences.

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To start, both Caesar and Lincoln were in power of a country. Both ruled nations and they happened to possess vast amounts of energy. Julius Caesar led the people of Rome whereas Abraham Lincoln served as the president of the United States of America. These two are still considered icons in our today's society and people always even look up to them as prominent heroes. They were very influential during their time.

It is however surprising that the two great leaders were both assassinated in cold blood. Never can it be forgotten that the two changed and transformed the world based on their tactics.

Both Caesar and Lincoln participated in many wars, and they were the masterminds of these wars. They both gave necessary tactical skills to the military and to the governors of their time which greatly assisted them to outshine their enemies at large. Caesar served as one of the soldiers in numerous wars while Lincoln took part in the American civil war.

The birth and rise of Julius Caesar marked a new era in the history of the famous Roman history. He became a political leader(statesman) and also became a Roman general who viciously transformed the Roman Republic into a mighty Roman empire (Thomas J. Figuera, 2001). At 31, Caesar had fought in many wars in which he was victorious and vehemently participated in the Roman politics. Even after the death of Caesar, the Roman Empire had become stable with no worthwhile enemy. The empire was transformed forever.

Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th president of the United States of America. He saved his nation during the civil war and remarkably ensured complete abolishment of slavery (Steers, 2001). Lincoln is up-to-date still recognized as one of the greatest rulers of the United States. His contribution in the United States transformed the manner in which Americans view other people. His political career gave him the chance to exploit all avenues in a bid to save his people.

Caesar's life and assassination were entirely different from Lincoln's, although had a little comparison notable. The two great leaders lived in two different periods in time. Julius Caesar was auspiciously born on July 12, 100BC in Rome. During the time that Caesar was born, Rome was still a republic country, and the empire had just commenced developing itself. Caesar served as a leader in the republic nation where citizens were not involved in making decisions as the rule of power was only confined to leaders in the Senate (Jimenez, 2000).

As time passed, Caesar gained political fame and trust from his people; his power and authority mounted and thus were able to establish a vast army. With the army under his command, Caesar was able to conquer new territories thus expanding the empire's geographic reach and building the imperial system. Caesar continued to attain more power as the years elapsed and by 62BC, he had gained to praetor ship using his ways. Not every member of the Senate was happy with Caesar; several members of the Senate felt that he was a dangerous and ambitious person. They started tainting his name in secret claiming that he was a tyrant who would cause the downfall of the Roman Empire. Something had to be done, and this is when an assassination plot of the great Caesar was fabricated. Following Caesar's death, a power struggle ensued in Rome thus leading to the end of the Roman Republic.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky (U.S. A). Lincoln tried to run for the Illinois legislature in 1832 but was unsuccessful. Two years later he got elected for a position in the lower house in which he served for four successive terms as a Whig until the year 1841. As a Whig Lincoln participated in the development of roads, railroads, canals, harbors and protective tariffs with the help of the Illinois state bank. Through motivation from Whig legislator John Todd Stuart, Lincoln became a lawyer in 1836. He also went ahead and served for one term in the U.S House of Representatives where he opposed the Mexican war. Lincoln maintained his agility and was indifferent concerning the annexation of Texas which was already a slave territory. Lincoln was steadfast in opposing the expansion of the slave trade to any other new areas.

Abraham Lincoln's election to presidency meant a new era for the United States. As a commander in chief, he was noted for his vigorous measures, sometimes under the constitution and also often at odds with the ideas of his military commanders. Lincoln's politics vied with war. The war required the deployment of resources for administrative assistance; therefore Lincoln turned to the only organization available for his use, The Republican party. Democrats accused Lincoln of being a tyrant since he proscribed civil liberties. This, therefore, drove his fellow politicians into envy and angst hence the plot for his assassination which came as a shock to many American citizens.

References

Jimenez, R. T. (2000). Literacy and the identity development of Latina. Illinois.

Thomas J. Figuera, S. (2001). The wisdom of ancients. New York: Amazon.