Americans see Christopher Columbus and George Washington as heroes for 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 commander and official leader of the newly independent nation 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 succeed, but they continued to thrive and overcome a multitude of obstacles to prove themselves to the world. Looking back at their failures and successes is an important piece of understanding America's story. There are many heroes who have emerged over time, Washington and Columbus being two of them, who had to overcome obstacles before achieving the goals 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 proved to be a great and respected leader in his later years, he did not begin with a successful military career. In Washington's first battle, "he and his men were ambushed and forced to surrender at 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 surrender (What made George Washington a good military leader). When the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Washington was “a distinguished general,” which prepared him for his later work as “commander in chief of the colonial armies during the American Revolution” (George