American leaders

America, the world's foremost military and economic power and a prominent political and cultural force, has been led by several highly efficient and progressive leaders since the time of its emergence as an independent nation in 1776. One of the founding fathers of the United States Of America, George Washington, who led the American Revolution and later served as the country’s first president is without doubt one of the greatest leaders America has ever produced. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence who later served as the U.S. president is also considered to be one of the most successful U.S. Presidents. While Washington’s and Jefferson’s vision helped to lay the foundation for the nation’s rapid development and emergence as a global superpower, it was another leader Abraham Lincoln who led the country through the chaotic period of the U.S. Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. America has produced leaders not just in the political arena but also in the social justice movements. Social activist and abolitionist Elizabeth Cady Stanton became a leading figure of the early women's rights movement while activist Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as the leader in the civil rights movement in the U.S. Read on to discover about the life and works of famous American leaders.