Former US presidents Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama wrote their names in the American history books since significant events occurred during their presidency. The two are among the most influential American presidents whose conduct is remembered in many Americans’ hearts. Some of their actions became part of the education system.
Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama’s discussions quickly point to ‘slaves’ savior’ and the ‘first black president. Such descriptions will never leave the mouths of many US citizens. They both played a vital role in shaping the US as it is today.
The 16th US president Lincoln amassed a lot of fame for “the Gettysburg Address, abolishing slavery and being one of the four presidents who have been assassinated [Source]. As the 44th US president, Barack Hussein II Obama gunned the world’s spotlight for America’s first black president from 2009 to 2017 [Source].
Since Lincoln ended slavery, having Obama on the throne seems like a perfect ending to blacks’ turmoil on American soil. When the slaves were freed, African-Americans would have never dreamt of having an African descendant calling the shots while sitting on the presidential chair. Even the world was also surprised after Obama was victorious in the self-proclaimed greatest nation where racism is breeding and segregation is the order of the day while hate crimes are rampant. He proved to be fit for the position as he was re-elected to serve another term, something white presidents such as Donald Trump failed to do.
By freeing slaves, Lincoln ushered the country into a new era of removing inequality in the country in a bid to end racial segregation. This can be compared to Obama’s election, which also broke new ground of ignoring skin color when electing national leaders. Projections were tossed around after a black man was ruling America. It was believed that the blacks were placed on the same pedestal as white people. From this perspective, it is clear that these two iconic leaders exerted a lot of effort shaping America’s political history.
However, the fight to bring equality is miles away from being won in the US. After Lincoln freed slaves, the intense backlash was felt from other prominent politicians who thought he had betrayed their labor force which developed their economy. During Obama’s reign, hate crimes and injustices towards black people did not stop while migrants and minority groups still suffered under the ‘superiority’ complex trend. Thus, both leaders failed to eradicate racial tensions.
Barack drew inspiration from Lincoln, and he alluded to Lincoln during his address of announcing his candidacy [Source]. Obama said, “Abraham Lincoln…had his doubts. He had his defeats, and he had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free”. When he was elected as the country’s black president, his vision was to unite all races.
Both leaders wanted to heal the nation and call for racial reconciliation through such unification. To show his love for Lincoln, “When he was elected, Obama took a train to Washington, just as Lincoln did” [Source]. Similarities between the two are linked to prowess as skilled orators, enduring a divided America during their reign, knowledge of debating with civility, choosing rivals for their administration, and were Illinois Transplants, as argued by ThoughtCo.
The Tylt penned an article titled ‘Who was the greater president: Abraham Lincoln or Barack Obama’ [Source] concluded that Lincoln was the greater president because of his 51.8% attained in the ‘Real-Time Voting’ platform compared to Obama’s 48.2%. It was noted that Lincoln “overcame poverty, tragic deaths of family members and lifelong depression to become presidency.” Also, his reign as commander in chief faced many difficulties, and “he saw the country through the bloodiest war in US history” and managed to end slavery.
Obama served in a rather different timeline where his most significant challenges included the war in Afghanistan, influx of migrants from surrounding nations, hate crimes, racism, and inequality. During his reign, he was able to implement Obamacare, which has served a lot of Americans, appointed two female Supreme judges, which included the first-ever Latino in court, and appointed gay government officials who had come out. Obama’s leadership led to the killing of Osama bin Laden through his military department and security organizations.
The 51.8% and 48.2% real-time voting results show a slight margin between these two American leaders. It shows that they performed well in their respective period.
