The history of the United States of America is fairly brief compared to the history of other countries. Founded on July 4, 1776, this great country officially became the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it wasn’t always the thriving modern world it is today. Throughout the last few hundred years, America has faced its ups and downs but, ultimately, has become one of the most prosperous places in the entire world.
A lot of the hard work that made the U.S. what it is today is because of our leaders. From George Washington to Joe Biden, we’ve continued to elect leaders to represent our country through the process of democracy, a system where we choose representatives to fight for our beliefs and, ultimately, the hope is to create a better American for us all.
Whether you’re a history nerd in America or not, there’s something intriguing about learning about the U.S. presidents that came well before our time but shaped the nation we have today. Here are a few of those men and the things they accomplished.
George Washington
Prior to being president, Washington was a well-respected military leader who led our country in the Revolutionary War, a victory which meant our independence from Great Britain. When the war was over, we began building a new world with the values our forefathers held dear – equality, freedom, and self-government. Washington set the example for our future business leaders regarding how to act as a leader, and he established much of the basic rules of the presidency we still abide by today.
His greatest goal to achieve during his tenure was to ensure the president was seen as a leader of the people, not as a monarch, which is where the title “Mr. President” originated. Contrary to popular belief, George Washington never lived in Washington D.C. himself, but created much of the foundation that built our capital city. If you live in one of the many historical Washington D.C. apartments, you may just be living somewhere that existed during Washington’s lifetime.
Thomas Jefferson
The third president, Jefferson, is just as much of a household name as Washington because of his integral role in America. He and second president John Adams, who was a congressional leader at the time, worked together with a group to create the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson is credited with most of the work, and at only age 33 produced the document that secured our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Abraham Lincoln
A favorite to many historians, Lincoln accomplished a lot in his time in office, but the most important of all was his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. This executive order insisted that all slaves be set free. While this did not happen immediately, many black citizens finally had the right to fight for themselves during the war. Lincoln continued to fight for the legislation that eventually ended slavery forever, and for that, he will always be one of the most important presidents.
