Throughout the United States’s history, its leaders have been put into various different situations. For example, the country has gone through a number of periods of war, and the leaders during these times had to guide the American people. Two such leaders were Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson. Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky. He served as the sixteenth president from 1861 to 1865 during the Civil War. Wilson was born in 1857 in Virginia, and he was the twenty-eighth president. He served from 1913 to 1921 when World War I was going on in Europe. Although they served in different time periods and had different beliefs, both Lincoln and Wilson had to make logical decisions about which course of action to take at a given time. During major wars such as the Civil War and World War I, leaders must remain calm and make rational decisions.
Abraham Lincoln grew up on poverty, living in a small log cabin and working all day. Additionally, Lincoln’s stepmother helped foster his education, and in the little free time that he had, young Lincoln read books. “Poverty, farm chores, hard work, and reading by the light of the fireplace dominated young Abe's life until he was seventeen.” Despite the hardships that he experienced, Lincoln remained ambitious through his childhood. These difficulties, coupled with his early education, could have caused him to feel sympathetic for the slaves that he would eventually free. Additionally, he developed firm political beliefs. For example, “As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization.” Lincoln was the first Republican president, and he helped bolster the party into an important organization. Furthermore, his education helped him make logical decisions as president during the Civil War. Even though Abraham Lincoln grew up in poverty, his childhood environment helped set the ground for his extensive quest for knowledge and his strong, informed political beliefs.
Prior to the Civil War, Lincoln had no military experience, but he quickly learned military tactics and played an important role in the Union’s success in the war. To highlight his lack of military experience in a message to Congress, Lincoln jokingly said, “Did you know I am a military hero? I fought, bled and came away" after "charges upon the wild onions" and "a good many bloody struggles with the Musquetoes.” Rather than doing what others told him to do like people with extensive military experience, he was able to see different courses of action from an unbiased perspective. Consequently, Lincoln tended to use unconventional military tactics as president, such as selecting “political generals” for important positions. These people were experienced politicians with less military experience who Lincoln promoted to higher ranks over soldiers who were educated at West Point. In addition to his use of these strategies, Lincoln also adhered to some principles that he developed. For example, he believed that “the war could be won only by fighting the enemy rather than by endless maneuvers and sieges to occupy places.” Because of these strong beliefs, Lincoln was able to command the military through difficult times without getting overly stressed out. He was also able to quickly rule out certain choices when presented with a difficult decision because of his firm beliefs. Although Lincoln had no military experience before the Civil War, he was able to use unconventional tactics such as promoting political generals in addition to developing and following an important set of beliefs.
Like Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson experienced hardships as a child and grew up to be a scholar. Although he was not particularly poor when he grew up, he lived through the Civil War. “Young Wilson's earliest memories were of the Civil War, seeing Union soldiers march into town, watching his mother tend wounded Confederate soldiers in a local hospital, and witnessing Confederate President Jefferson Davis pass through town under Union guard.” Similarly to Lincoln, Wilson had to persevere through difficult times, making him into a stronger, more composed leader as an adult. Additionally, “Most of [Wilson’s] early education came from his father.” Although to a lesser extent, Wilson’s father helped foster his early education like Lincoln’s stepmother. When he got older, Wilson attended Princeton University and even became its president. Since he was so educated, Wilson was able to make rational decisions and remain calm as president during stressful situations in World War I. The difficulties that Woodrow Wilson experienced as a child coupled with his extensive education helped develop him into a strong, intelligent leader in World War I.
During World War I, Wilson primarily attempted to create peace as quickly and painlessly as possible. Before the United States entered the war, Wilson tried to maintain a policy of neutrality even after certain events such as the sinking of the Lusitania, an event that caused the deaths of over 1,100 people, including 128 Americans. When campaigning for his re-election in 1915, Wilson’s slogan was “He kept us out of war.” In this time, every move that he made had to help prevent the United States from entering the war, and he was able to quickly role out any courses of action that could lead to the U.S. entering into the war. However, after the Zimmermann Telegram was intercepted by the British, when Germany tried to get Mexico to join them in exchange for helping them regain lost territories, it was evident that the United States would join the war. Still, even after the U.S. entered the war, Wilson continued to promote “peace without victory,” now on a global scale. Although the U.S. was no longer neutral, Wilson continued to stick to his principles regarding peace. Because of Wilson’s approach to the war, regular American people also wanted peace and were willing to work with the Central Powers. To prove this, 87 U.S. firms were even blacklisted by Britain due to possible involvement with the Central Powers. Wilson’s leadership was affecting the general population’s decisions as well, a repercussion of his decision making abilities. Furthermore, once the war ended in 1918, Wilson attempted to prevent any future world wars from starting. He created the Fourteen Point Plan, which consisted of fourteen different changes to the global political system that would promote peace. One of these points, for example, was the creation of the League of Nations, an organization dedicated to keeping global peace. The Fourteen Point Plan and League of Nations exemplified how Wilson not only followed his beliefs during the war, but was also hoping that no more future conflicts would arise. Throughout his entire time in office, Woodrow Wilson calmly worked toward a goal of peace, first by keeping the United States neutral, then by trying to end World War I, and finally by trying to prevent any future conflicts.
Even though Lincoln and Wilson lived in completely different time periods and had different political beliefs, their early lives and leadership techniques were strikingly similar. Both presidents struggled through hardships as children with Lincoln living through poverty and Wilson growing up in the midst of the Civil War. Consequently, both presidents became stronger and more prepared to guide the nation during a major war. Additionally, both Lincoln’s stepmother and Wilson’s father helped jumpstart their children’s educations. However, as adults, Lincoln and Wilson developed different political beliefs. Lincoln helped strengthen the Republican Party while Wilson was a Democrat. During their presidencies, Lincoln and Wilson also faced varying circumstances. Lincoln was involved in a national conflict that required him to take “a more active, hands-on part in shaping military strategy than presidents have done in m
ost other wars.” On the other hand, Wilson was involved in a conflict over 3,000 miles away and contributed significantly to international diplomacy during World War I. Both presidents, however, had to make rational decisions regarding military strategy. Even though Lincoln and Wilson lived in different time periods and had different problems, they both needed to stay calm throughout the difficult times of war during their presidencies.
Despite the different circumstances that Lincoln and Wilson lived through as children and as presidents, they were both very educated and logical people who had to stay calm in stressful situations while president. Both presidents overcame difficulties as children and as presidents, and neither got overly panicked while in office. During major wars, this ability to maintain composure is essential. Additionally, all American leaders have to stay calm through difficult times regardless of whether the country is at war or not. Being a leader in the United States means that one has to stay composed and make logical decisions during stressful times.