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gsmoove23
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Yeah, I voted for Lincoln. Might be cause I was born in Illinois though.
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Boris Godunov
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Portland, OR
Aug 2001 time: 00:28
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quote: Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
quote: Lincoln, inarguably. Without him, there would not be an America. |
The same thing can be said for Washington and it would be more accurate. Lincoln didn't save America; he kept the country unified. Without Lincoln, America would probably still exist; we would just be lacking some of our hotter states. |
Nonsense. What did Washington do that made America possible that others could not have done? His military "expertise" certainly wasn't won the revolution. Independence would have been achieved without him.
As for his presidency--it was most remarkable for what he didn't do rather than what he did. He set the tone for the future presidents and practised restraint in his power that has been a cornerstone of the presidency since (well, perhaps with some exceptions). I won't belittle this--it was very important.
But Lincoln, by almost the sheer force of his will, made sure the country that was ripping apart at its seams staid together. Had the South successfully seceeded, I believe that if America still existed (I have my doubts, considering the voracity of European imperial powers), it would be one so substantially different from modern America that it could scarcely be called the same country.
quote: Washington, OTOH, was the true father of this country and its almost impossible to think that the nation would've gained its independence and kept it without him.
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I think this belittles the other men who were around at the time: Jefferson, Adams, Franklin to name a few. I am very doubtful that Washington was the only man who could have successfully led America in the beginning. And, as mentioned above, his military leadership wasn't exactly the most inspiring on record. The British were doomed to lose the colonies sooner or later. Perhaps Washington was key in speeding their loss, but I don't think he ultimately made any difference in the outcome of the war.
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