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1. George Washington: The Architect of Executive Power
Washington walked on untrodden ground, shaping the presidency with no historic models to follow while ensuring the office gained power without resembling monarchy or dictatorship. He returned his military commission to Congress after the Revolution, establishing that the military serves civilian government rather than seizing power. His voluntary decision to step down after two terms set a pattern followed for over a century until FDR.
2. Abraham Lincoln: The Union’s Preserver
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring slaves in rebellious states free and fundamentally transforming the war’s character. The Proclamation changed the legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved people, who became permanently free upon escaping their enslavers or as federal troops advanced. It paved the way for permanent abolition through the 13th Amendment, which both houses of Congress passed by January 1865.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Federal Government’s Expander
Roosevelt instituted programs during the Great Depression that aimed to restore prosperity, fundamentally and permanently changing the federal government by expanding its size and role in the…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-01-21 19:48:00
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