Assignment 2: Comparative Research Paper. Julio Caesar and Abraham Lincoln

COMPARATIVE RESEARCH PAPER
Name:
Institution:
Date:
Julio Caesar and Abraham Lincoln
Both Julio Caesar and Abraham Lincoln have left an indelible mark in history. Though they ruled on different continents and nearly 17 centuries in between, they are still remembered as one of the most influential politicians of their time. One of the most striking similarities in their lives is their deaths. They were murdered by their political enemies who schemed their plans and robbed the world and the respective countries of their ingenuity. The murderers were settling political scores, and they hoped that assassinating these leaders would influence history to their will.
When Abraham Lincoln successfully defeated the Southern States’ efforts to secede, some people never gave up on the idea of leaving the union. Among them was John Wilkes Booth who was a theatrical actor. In one of the performances, Wilkes sneaked into where the 16th president of the united states was seated and shot him in the head. He would die nine hours later, and Wilkes would be arrested twelve days later in a barn. He was a secession sympathizer and either hoped that the death of Lincoln would spark the efforts to secede from the union or he would have avenged his patriotism to the secessionist camp. Had he succeeded in reigniting the secessionism war, history would be different, and probably he would be hailed as a hero by some who would see his actions as patriotic and brave. However, he killed Lincoln ‘in the hour of nations’ triumph’CITATION Dav04 \p 417 \l 1033 (Fischer, 2004, p. 417). He is one of the most influential leaders of the US who steered the country through the bloodiest civil war she ever had.
Caesar had an interesting political career too before he was murdered barely a year into the office after he had clinched the highest political position in Rome. He had also chosen a rather unconventional way to ensure he ruled for long by saving their lives even after defeating them in battles and awarding his political rivals with political posts to ensure he had his enemies closerCITATION Nap83 \p 52 \l 1033 (Lewis, 1983, p. 52). This style of leadership would eventually lead to his downfall. Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus who schemed his death in the Ides of MarchCITATION Nap83 \p 61 \l 1033 (Lewis, 1983, p. 61). His killers had dubbed themselves the ‘liberators’ of the Roman empire. They claimed that Caesar wanted to make roman empire a monarchy and they hadn’t had a monarchy for over five centuries. Thus, just like Lincoln, he was murdered by people who did not share his political vision.
These great leaders also had a shared philosophy of their enemies and liked to keep them close. They often rewarded their political rivals with political positions. Lincoln ensured his former political rivals William Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Edwin Stanton served in his cabinetCITATION Wil10 \p 215 \l 1033 (Pederson, Williams, & Watson, 2010, p. 215). They helped Lincoln to lead the country from one front despite their rivalry. They went to form a great team which is remembered to have unified their visions for their country and set their political interests aside for the g...