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Trials And Triumphs: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington And John Adams

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Trials and triumphs Every great leader knows that they must undergo trials and triumphs along the journey to a greater cause. One of the utmost famous documents, the Declaration of Independence published on July 8th, not only had an abundance of sacrifice, but additionally had great men supporting it. The three men who made the most contributions were Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and John Adams. Each individual came from a different place, with different upbringings; yet, they each came together to play a role in making America a free nation. In fact, they all shared the same belief that the goal of Britain's tyranny was to turn them into slaves and suck out all the happiness in their lives- none of which Jefferson, Washington or Adams …show more content…

At a young age, Jefferson was forced to go to boarding school, which would turn his attention to higher education and eventually become a lawyer. One of the reasons he was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence was his ability to write: “Adams was a better polemicist than most. Jefferson was even better” (100). However, even though his writing skills were superb, Jefferson's moment to shine did not arise until the actual document was to be written. Being the youngest of the three men meant that he has the least amount of experience and leverage; therefore, did not get selected to partake in the Continental Congress until much later: “The Convention ignored him because he was only moderately influential assemblyman” (92). In addition, it is said to be that Jefferson was chosen to be on the committee to write the declaration to spite Richard Henry Lee: “He [Adams] believed that Jefferson had been chosen as a blow against Lee, who was hated by some in the Virginia delegation…” (132). Although Jefferson was a magnificent writer, he lacked necessary prestige skills that Washington had, making it more difficult to make a difference until he was asked to write the Declaration of …show more content…

However, these leadership skills were a series of trial and error. When Washington was just a young boy, he often admired his half-brother Lawrence who was in the military. As a result, Washington followed his footstep to find a career in the military and become a hero, little did he know that his dream would come true. Despite his natural ability to lead, Washington most valuable lesson came not from success, but from failure. In 1754, Washington killed and captured French men who were delivering a message to governor Dinwiddie. Needless to say, this lead to the French targeting Washington and his men to get revenge, resulting in one-third of his men dying: QUOTE. Due to his earlier failure in the military, he confided to his brother-in-law that his “abilities… may not be equal to the extensive & important trust,” when elected to be the the Commander of the Continental Army (107). Luckily, Washington accomplished his goal by maintaining communication with Congress, teaching generals about how to lead men, and being tactful about the way he commanded. According to Setting the World Ablaze, he got along with Congress by not “becoming mired in disputes over his officers” (120). In other words he merely put an officer, he found incompetent in areas where they could do the least damage to the state of the army. In

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