Bruce Catton Analysis

“And the little room where they wrote out the terns was the scene of one of the poignant, dramatic contrasts in American History” (Catton). Bruce Catton described how America started from a new way of thinking. Catton’s purpose of comparing and contrasting Grant and Lee were to show how the men were both very alike because they were both American and different because of their ideologies. Catton’s purpose of comparing Grant and Lee was to show how close the Civil War was and how strong the leaders actually were. First, “From them the country would get its leadership; to them it could look for higher values - of thought, of conduct, or personal deportment - to give it strength and virtue” (Catton). This shows that both leaders dedicated time
First, Grant grew up in a society where each man had to fight for their privileges, they were not automatically given to them. Lee on the other hand, was given privileges (Catton). This proves that Grant and Lee were from totally different places (north and south), but were still in the same country. They were given separate lives that brought them to be more similar to each other. Also, Grant was born into a great age for machinery and being around in crowded cities. Lee was from the old age religion; he found himself having a lance in his hands, etc (Catton). As a result, Grant and Lee were ideal for their causes. They had different strengths and weaknesses that equalled to their unique capabilities of being leaders. Finally, “Lee was tidewater Virginia, and in his background were family, culture, and tradition” (Catton). Grant lived in the present and focused on the future; he did not look back at his past. This shows that Lee and Grant focused on similar things like culture, tradition, etc, but different time periods. Grant wanted to keep on going forward and Lee wanted to look back at his past experiences. Grant and Lee were two unique men who were had their differences. To conclude, Catton compared Grant and Lee by stating they both had strength, the ability to not give up, and they both were able to succeed. Catton contrasted Grant and Lee by stating that they grew up with different privileges, they had different strengths and weaknesses, and they focused on different times in their life. Catton’s purpose of comparing and contrasting Grant and Lee were to show how the men were both similar because the two were American and distinct because of their