Abraham Lincoln vs Thomas Jefferson

Abraham Lincoln
- 16th President of the United States
- U.S. Representative from Illinois
Illinois lawyer and first Republican president who opposed the expansion of slavery, led the Union through the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation and backed tariffs, homesteads and land-grant colleges.
Full profile of Abraham Lincoln
Thomas Jefferson
- 3rd President of the United States
- Principal author of the Declaration of Independence
Author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president who championed limited federal government, states' rights, an agrarian republic and the separation of church and state, while holding hundreds of people in slavery.
Full profile of Thomas JeffersonIn short
How they compare
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) are a 69% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on structure (Abraham Lincoln: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), security (Abraham Lincoln: order (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)) and religion (Abraham Lincoln: religious (mild); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)). They are closest on morality, ownership and welfare.
On the economy Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Abraham Lincoln sits further toward authority; on society their positions are close; on the world stage Abraham Lincoln sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Abraham Lincolnmarkets (mild)Thomas Jeffersonmarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Abraham Lincolnauthority (moderate)Thomas Jeffersonliberty (moderate)
- Society3 axes
- Abraham LincolnbalancedThomas Jeffersonbalanced
- World1 axis
- Abraham Lincolnnation (moderate)Thomas Jeffersonglobal (mild)
- Abraham Lincoln: petals and stars
- Thomas Jefferson: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Structure120 points apart
Abraham Lincoln: Central (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Local (moderate).
- Security85 points apart
Abraham Lincoln: Order (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Liberty (moderate).
- Religion75 points apart
Abraham Lincoln: Religious (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Secular (moderate).
- Authority60 points apart
Abraham Lincoln: Strong leader (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Democratic (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Morality · 15 apart
- Ownership · 20 apart
- Welfare · 30 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Jefferson
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipMild: Private35%65%PublicPrivate
- MarketsMild: Planned55%45%PlannedFree
- WelfareMild: Self-reliant43%57%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityMild: Strong leader45%55%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityModerate: Order28%72%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Central20%80%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityMild: Traditional40%60%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Religious40%60%SecularReligious
- TechnologyMild: Embrace63%37%EmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeModerate: Protected25%75%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyNo clear recordCooperationStrength
Not compared: Culture (no clear record for Abraham Lincoln), Foreign policy (no clear record for Abraham Lincoln). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Abraham Lincoln vs Thomas Jefferson
What is the difference between Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson?
They differ most on structure (Abraham Lincoln: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), security (Abraham Lincoln: order (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)) and religion (Abraham Lincoln: religious (mild); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)). On the economy Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Abraham Lincoln sits further toward authority; on society their positions are close; on the world stage Abraham Lincoln sits further toward nation.
What do Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson have in common?
They are closest on morality, ownership and welfare. Overall their profiles are a 69% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson?
On the economic axes they share, Thomas Jefferson sits further toward markets and Abraham Lincoln further toward equality. Abraham Lincoln reads as markets (mild) overall, Thomas Jefferson as markets (moderate).
Am I closer to Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.