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 George Washington  Theme: The American Identity Born: February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland, Virginia (Colony) Died: December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia (United States) Political Party: Independent Held office from: April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797 (in office for two terms) Vice President: John Adams (April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797; both terms) Rating: A

George Washington, aided by his Vice President, John Adams, deserves an A for his service as the United States’ first President. George Washington established many guidelines for America and all presidents who followed in his footsteps. George Washington deserves an A because of his respectable relationship with Congress, his modest choices in politics, and the impact he made on the American Identity. The initial step to creating a great country is to set a goal. George Washington said in his inaugural address that he wanted to attribute the Almighty Being with the good fortune and independence of their young country. With that fortune in mind, Washington’s goals specified how he also wished to instill a sense of safety and security in the American people. The President wished to have people trust him because a Mighty Hand guided him to make the right choices. These goals helped Washington connect with the American people as well as the new government. George Washington’s relationship with Congress was a unique relationship. Washington was a member of both the first and second Continental Congresses and he personally signed the Declaration of Independence. The American Congress knew Washington very well after spending much time with him and they offered him a salary of $25,000 to be the President. Washington primarily declined the offer due to his promise to connect with the American citizens, but Congress eventually coaxed him into accepting the salary. George Washington and Congress related well with each other and built off of the new power of American independence. In every Presidency, there were benefits and loss during George Washington’s terms as President. For example, during Washington’s time in office, the Bill of Rights was passed. The Bill of Rights helped to establish the democratic reign of a self-ruled government and create American identity through the amendments of the Constitution. The American identity grew stronger through Washington’s Presidency. Another positive outcome of Washington’s Presidency was that he established a permanent residence in which all of the Presidents would live. The decision to create a new territory allowed America to have a capitol and it diffused tension between states before any major territory conflicts occurred. With Washington D.C. (initially known as “The City of Washington and the Territory of Columbia”), there would not be any state in the new country that held the capitol of the country. With Washington’s guidance, America found many prosperous and beneficial routes to success. Unfortunately, humans are not perfect and George Washington’s presidency was not either. In opposition to positive points of Washington’s Presidency like the positive Bill of Rights and Washington D.C., negative occurrences began to emerge from the new government. The worst of the negative aspects was the feud during Washington’s Presidency. The feud sparked with the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton and the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. Both of the Secretaries took different stances on how the government should be run even though Washington wished to maintain an independent party system in the government. Jefferson went so far as to even undermine Hamilton’s opinions. Eventually, Hamilton became part of a Federalist Party and Jefferson created the Jefferson Republicans and the two parties almost forced Washington to decide which side he liked more. Thomas Jefferson’s sly tactics caused George Washington to side with Hamilton and it inevitably cost him his job as the Secretary of State. Through the feud, governmental parties were formed and Jefferson lost his job. However, not much was lost or ruined as America continued to grow strong as Washington promised in his Inaugural Speech. Throughout the years of George Washington’s Presidency, many standards were set. One of the many standards set by Washington was the Presidential salary. At first, Washington did not wish to accept a salary in order to seem relatable to American citizens, but Congress coaxed him into accepting the salary in order to remove the standard which would be set. Congress didn’t want the office of President to be limited to rich men who did not need a salary. Another standard established by Washington was the title of the “President.” Congress and other Americans suggested that Washington should be addressed as their monarch or king, but Washington denied the royal titles and decided that “Mr. President” would describe the position much more accurately. One of the most important standards set by Washington came after he left office. Washington did not want to be the President for more than two terms, so because of his resignation of the title, Congress decided that a President could only serve two terms instead of being the President for life. Ultimately, George Washington provided many influential standards for future Presidents from the second he began his terms until his resignation as America’s leader. If anyone argued that George Washington was not a great leader as the American President, it would be difficult for one to prove that theory correct. Through his Presidency, George Washington helped a country establish itself in the world after recovering from a war, found a respectable balance between government leadership and friendliness, and certainly did not cause any controversy. It is all of these attributes as well as his Presidential standards which defined the American identity that made George Washington a great leader for American and is why he deserves an A for his term as America’s first President.

Bibliography: "George Washington." America's Story from America's Library. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. . Paris, the Treaty of. "George Washington." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. . Peters, Gerhard. "George Washington: Inaugural Address." The American Presidency Project. The American Presidency Project, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. .