Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln 1

Comparing Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln
Tisa Hardaway
English II

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln are undeniable two of the greatest men in history. When comparing the two, there are not a lot of things they have in common. However, there are some main things that they did have in common. Both of them were powerful leaders, they both lost parents at a young age, they were in the military and they both were assassinated.
Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln lived during different time periods. Caesar was born in 100 BC in Rome. Julius was considered to be a dictator and a manipulator. In Caesar home city he was a leader. When the people were not allowed to be in any decisions were made for the country. Caesar had the most power in his country and he was able to control a large army. As time went on Julius Caesar gained more power. Many in the Senate felt that he was a very dangerous, ambitious man. They didn’t like all the vicissitude that Caesar was endeavoring to make to their country.
They considered Caesar’s power as a disregard and disrespect to authority, tradition, and Roman rules. Caesar had many occasions to challenge Roman commanders and many of their opponents, which lead to many civil wars. But his decision to cross Rubicon was against the Roman law. Julius Caesar’s zeal and overconfidence that he became invincible in both Rome and battle, because his soldiers resected and doted him; he mentally conceived that he could pursue whatever he wanted. This led to his demise. Some members of the Senate got together to discussion a way to kill Caesar. They felt like they were defending the republic. There were many proposals and discussions on a way to kill him. They decide to summon Caesar to read a petition. The petition was a move to get him to surrender power and hand it back to the Senate. The assassination of Caesar occurred as he was reading the fake petition. He was stabbed 23 times.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky. In 1832, Lincoln enlisted in the Black Hawk War. Where he quickly moved up in the ranks and became a Captain. Abraham Lincoln fell into politics after he was elected to the Illinois legislature. Unlike Caesar, Lincoln had to debate for his position seven times before he won. That became known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. One of the main points they disagreed on in the debate was that they disagreed about the morality of slavery. Mr. Lincoln didn’t agree with slavery. He was admitted to the bar in 1837.
Then in 1846 Lincoln was elected to the U.S. Congress, where in that time he spoke out against the Mexican War and to abolish slavery. In 1854 and 1852 Lincoln run for the Senate were he lost. Lincoln gained national exposure due to his flair for oration. With some luck and talent Lincoln won the nomination for president in 1860. In his term the Civil War began. The Civil war was being fought to preserve the Union, the fate of slavery also played a role in the war.
Lincoln’s most noteworthy action was passing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and giving the Gettysburg Address. On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln went to a play there he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. The Civil War can be compared to Caesar’s War. Both of the Wars lasted for Five years and won by the two men. Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln wanted to make changes to their country for the better. When Caesar and Lincoln were assassinated it was carried out by people that disagreed with their authority and power. They also disagreed with how they used their power and authority.
Both men were killed in theatres. President Lincoln was assassinated for his support of black equal rights and the end of slavery. Caesar’s assassination came down to his abuse of his office and power. Julius Caesar was one of the Great leaders in Rome. Abraham Lincoln was considered one of the best Presidents in American History. In summary, Caesar and Lincoln were two of the most exceptional leaders recollected throughout history. Both leaders are still looked up to today.

REFERNCES
Alvin B. Kernan. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009.
Parissien, Steven. Assassinated!: Assassination That Shook the World, from Julius Caesar to Lincoln, London:Quercus, 2008. www.speakknotes.com