Matt+-+GW+-+SP09

George Washington Born: Feb. 22, 1732 Death: Dec. 14, 1799 Political Party: Federalist Inauguration Dates: Apr. 30, 1789 Mar. 4 1793 End of Last Term: Sep. 17, 1796 Vice President: John Adams. Both Terms On a scale of A through F, A being the highest, I believe George Washington is a B+ president. I believe this because of his excellent foreign policy strategies and his many influences on future president. I don’t give him an A because he was not a very strong military leader during the Revolution. George Washington and his administration had many goals and ideas that they wanted to accomplish while in the office of the first presidency. First, Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury, had big plans to establish a national credit and to make a financially secure nation which would to the forming of the Federalist Party. Even though Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, opposed Hamilton’s views on the matter, George Washington followed Hamilton’s idea which is why George Washington was considered a believer of the Federalist Party ideals. Another important goal made by Washington and congress was when they decided to put an excise on alcoholic beverages that were distilled. The outcome of this was that many citizens of America rebelled against Washington which later led to the Whiskey Rebellion when Washington had to incorporate the Militia of Act to defend congress from the angry citizens. This proved to be a good decision by Washington and congress because it proved that the new-found government under Washington could defend itself because it was one of the only times in history that a president led his own military in the field to exert authority over the citizens and state. A goal made by Washington was to create a treaty that would be used to regulate trade with Britain, force them to leave their forts in the west, and to abolish some the Revolutionary debts with them. On the positive side, all of these terms were met by the British while on the negative side, this treaty angered the French and the Jeffersonian party even though this treaty would create a decade of peace with the British. These are a few goals and accomplishments made by George Washington, his cabinet members, and Congress. The relationship between Washington and congress was very good even though after his second election the Democratic - Republican Party was growing very strong. Washington was very well respected by most if not all of congress considering he was the only president in U.S history to receive a unanimous vote from all existing states and congressmen. Some acts that made congress respect him more would include the Whiskey Rebellion because he made the first step towards federal authority and when Washington held frequent meetings with his cabinet before he made any vital decisions because they respected him for consulting with others. But, all-in-all, the members of congress and Washington’s administration had great respect for him right from the get-go except for Thomas Jefferson and the Jeffersonians who had different views from Washington about national government and what not. One of the actions made by Washington that had a positive effect on the country was the previously stated Jay treaty given to the British. First, it had a positive effect on America because the British opened their West Indie trade company with them which helped America’s economy get through the war debt. Another thing the Jay treaty did to help America get through paying off their war debt was the fact that the British were willing to help liquidate the debt that needed to be paid off which would also help with the economy and the previously stated goal of creating a national credit. In addition, the Jay treaty made the British leave their forts around the Great Lakes and the Canadian Border which would help with American expansion westward. This treaty was also one of the most negative actions made during Washington’s two terms because the treaty said that any American ships that were suspected of contraband could be searched by the British. This meant that if the British saw one of their own among the crew, that person was sent back to England for the navy even if they were a U.S citizen. One of the major actions that made an impact on future administrations was when the Jay Treaty was being made and the House of Representatives asked Washington to release all papers associated with this treaty. Washington refused to do this because he stated that he had the constitutional right to keep these matters to himself and his administration. This thereby set the standard for future presidents that they had the right to resist petitions made by congress. In conclusion, the country was better off because of George Washington which is why he was given a high rating. The country was better off because George Washington made a lot of peace with previous enemies such as the British and the Native Americans and he was able to delay another war with Britain until America was ready to fight another war. These are the reasons why George Washington is a B+ president in my opinion. Bibliography “George Washington.” //Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.// 28 Jan. 2009. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 28 Jan. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington#External_links Degregorio William A. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents//. New Jersey: Barricade Books Inc. 2005.