George Washington and Christopher Columbus

Americans view Christopher Columbus and George Washington as heroes because of their perseverance. Both of these men helped pave the way for the “American Dream” that has been worked towards throughout history. Christopher Columbus helped open the door to American exploration and essentially found the location of the future American civilization, and George Washington was the first official Commander and Chief of the newly independent nation that is known as the United States of America. These two men could have given up when times were tough or when someone told them they would not be successful, but they continued to prosper and overcame a multitude of obstacles to prove themselves to the world. Looking back at their failures and accomplishments are a major piece in understanding the history of America. There are many heroes that have emerged overtime, Washington and Columbus being two of them, that have had to overcome obstacles before they achieved the goals that we praise them for today. George Washington is known by most as “the first president of the United States” and is often referred to as “the Father of Our Country” (George Washington). Although Washington turned out to be a great, respected leader in his later years, he did not start out with a successful military career. In Washington’s first battle, “he and his men were ambushed and forced to surrender Fort Necessity on the Pennsylvania frontier” (What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader). In another battle, “Washington had two horses shot from under him”, but these failures did not stop Washington or cause him to give up (What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader). By the time the American Revolution came around in 1775, Washington was “a distinguished general”, which prepared him for his next job as “commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution” (George