There have been more than 40 presidents in the history of the United States. There have been 43 presidents to be exact. Of these 43 presidents of the United States, there are only about 15 that the average American might know. However, the most famous of these presidents are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. These two extraordinary leaders of our country have shown the world what it truly means to be a good example to those who follow them. They are men of honor and have made this great nation a beautiful and free place to live. Their love for their country and the steps they took to become great and passionate leaders are ideas that we as citizens of the United States should be aware of. The childhoods, the steps they took towards a political career and the efforts they made to make this nation better are stories that need to be told. The very first president of the United States was George Washington. Unlike Lincoln, Washington was a seasoned general who had fought many battles for America. His passion for this battlefield carried over into his passion to make the country he loved better. Washington's life began in Westmoreland County, Virginia on February 22, 1732. His father, Augustine Washington, was not actually his biological father. Augustine's first wife died in 1729. He married Mary Ball in 1731, making George the eldest of his six siblings. In 1735 the family moved to a place called Little Hunting Creek Plantation, which was later named Mount Vernon. Washington would return to this plantation later in his life to live and die there. They moved again in 1738 to a place called Ferry Farm, near Fredricksburgh, Virginia. This is where Washington spent most of his teenage years...in the middle of the newspaper...he was just starting out. He shot President Lincoln on April 14, just five days after the South surrendered. This great man was struck by evil. However, his life inspires those who seek to make a difference in any field they enter. Today, many people don't even know half of the presidents who have served the United States. This is a frightening idea, because if one forgets the history of one's own nation, then everyone forgets the evil that happened there. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln fought to prevent this evil from attacking the freedom that makes America great. Their lives should be an example for all and we should never forget their stories. Works Cited http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/george-washington/chapt1/ http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington http:// millercenter.org/president/lincoln/essays/biography/6