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// February 22, 1732- December 14, 1799 // // Political Party: Officially Independent, but reflected Federalist beliefs // // Terms of Office: April 1789 - March 1797 (two terms, but ran unopposed in 1792) // // Vice President: John Adams (both terms) // American Identity: Just removed from the Revolutionary War with the British, America’s identity, although having somewhat developed in its colonial years, still remained to be seen. Obviously, they had proved that they were an independent nation that would not stand for tyranny. One defining moment during Washington’s presidency that really shaped what America’s identity was and what it would become was his //election// in 1789. The fact that there was an election displayed exactly what America and its people had become. Americans wanted everyone to have a fair and equal say in the affairs of their country, and staging elections is a perfect example of that. The British oppressed the Americans and exercised complete control over its inhabitants, which is precisely what led to the American Revolution. Once the war was finally won, the citizens of the newly born country took many steps, some large, others small, towards becoming a democratic nation where everyone had a say, unlike their previous oppressors. Electing their first president was an especially large, important step towards this goal, and defining the identity of America. It showed they would not stand for one omnipotent ruler, but rather one that would understand and strive towards meeting the needs of the people he ruled over. Although George Washington may not have been the sole cause of this, he was certainly a big part. The job he did leading and commanding the American troops in the Revolutionary War and how he dealt with people and their problems allowed American citizens to put their faith in someone that would competently lead and represent the needs of the country. This was something they could express through an election. The American identity was shaping up to be one of fairness, equality, and individual rights and freedom.
 * __ George Washington __**

Further elaborating this was the addition to the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution in 1791. The Bill of Rights gave certain freedoms and rights, such as freedoms of speech and religion, to the citizens of America. They wanted to have their own individual opinions and be able to express them freely. The Bill of Rights was the desires of the people written in ink. It gave them what they wanted, which was freedoms the oppressive British would not give. George Washington was in office at this time and oversaw the ratification of this important document. The document is, in essence, the identity of these early American citizens. It gives freedom, equality, rights, and fairness to each and every citizen of the United States. It embodied the identity of the people, representing their feelings of the past and simultaneously shaping the identity of the people who would follow. George Washington and his administration, during their time in office, certainly played a huge role in shaping what would become “the American Identity”.

George Washington’s presidency is a difficult one to judge. Given that there was no precedent for him to follow, everything he did in office was a first, making his already difficult position running a newborn country even more difficult. However, that said, Washington still deserves an A grade for his two terms in office. He was put in the tough position of becoming the first leader of a new country still just learning how to survive with the aid of its colonizer, Britain. After successfully leading the revolution against Britain, Washington was looked to for leadership of the country, and it was assumed he would be just as successful as he was in the war. Even with these daunting expectations, he brilliantly managed the country and set countless precedents that would endure for centuries, as well as overseeing the ratification of the Bill of Rights, and planning the future capital city of Washington D.C. Though his resume as president was by all accounts a sparkling one, the lone dull spot was the minor disturbance of the Whiskey Rebellion.

The beginnings of many successful careers begin in childhood, and George Washington was no different. He was born into a family of middling rank in Virginia. His father died when he was 11, dashing his hopes to finish his education in England. This tragic event, however, would prove to a sort of blessing in disguise for Washington. George’s half-brother, Lawrence, 14 years older than he, introduced him to Lord Fairfax, who would set him on his way to a successful life. Lord Fairfax gave him a job as a surveyor at the age of 16, which George excelled at, becoming a respected young man. When Lawrence died tragically of disease, George replaced him in his post as commander of a local militia, giving him his start in military matters. He was groomed throughout his early life to always be polite and considerate by his strict mother. This childhood filled with hardship, but also success, would give him the tools he needed to become the first president of the United States of America.

George Washington was unlike nearly every president after himself, as he decidedly had no intent to use the presidency for his own personal gain, and therefore no selfish goals as president, but rather goals that would allow the country to succeed and remain a worldwide force. His main goals as president of a new country were to ensure that no outside, immoral forces would work their way into how the national government was run, and also to establish a government that would not resemble the monarchy they had fought to be free of in England, all while turning the country into a world power. He intended to set the standard for how the president should act and how the government should be run. Washington was a remarkably popular man from his achievements during the Revolution, and used this popularity to accomplish these goals. He managed to establish a government that would spread the power amongst its three branches and keep the president’s power, while still great, to a relative minimum. Washington strove to act the opposite of how a king might. For example, although the people originally called him things like “majesty” and other royal titles, he finally decided the president should be called “Mr. President”. He always made sure to communicate with members of his cabinet, which he created, and with Congress. Washington perfectly set up the presidency of the future, establishing precedents for naming members of his own cabinet, and selecting new Supreme Court Justices. He kept the government a government of the people, and never abused his power as president, enduring any criticisms of how he acted or what the government did, without interfering, to respect and keep the rights of the people. All of this was done while simultaneously taking on the immense task of taking a loosely associated group of colonies that had just broken free from the grasp of the most powerful country in the world and turning into a successful country, and one that was rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with. George Washington followed through on his noble, non-selfish goals aimed towards establishing the country as a world power and also a fair country liked by its people, and accomplished all of them.

Washington’s relationship with Congress was an interesting one, as it was the first Federal Congress in United States history, and everything he did or didn’t do with Congress, like everything else he did, would set the precedent for the decades and even centuries to come. He established a working relationship with them, and worked hard to not usurp their power by saying he would only veto bills because he deemed them unconstitutional, and for no other reason, even if he personally may have disagreed with them. Another interesting aspect of this relationship was that, during Washington’s presidency, there were no official political parties, only congressmen that were either Pro-Administration (supported the Washington administration), or Anti-Administration. The Pro-Administration “party” would eventually become the Federalists, and the Anti-Administration, who supported Thomas Jefferson, would become the Democratic-Republicans. Throughout Washington’s entire tenure as president, Congress was always in Washington’s favor, making his relationship with Congress that much better. While in office, Washington only used his power of veto twice, once on constitutional grounds and once on the advice of his Secretary of War. Washington generally kept peace between he, his cabinet, and Congress, signing many important Acts and other legislation. These including an act establishing the first bank of the US, and the Naval Act, which established the US Navy. Generally, Washington’s relationship with Congress was a healthy one, and he laid the groundwork for how the President and Congress should interact with one another.

Among all of George Washington’s remarkable successes as President, his most important contribution while he held that post was his oversight of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights gives the people of America the most basic rights and freedoms all people should be entitled to. It is, in essence, what makes America, America. The rights outlined in that document are what separated America from England, and George Washington oversaw their inception. He recognized the need for the people of his newly formed country to have certain rights and freedoms to truly make the government one of the people. Without the rights outlined in the Bill, American citizens would have once again been under tyrannical rule. It was imperative that the rights be given to the people and written in ink, forever to be observed and followed. Washington and his administration conceived and passed the Bill of Rights, which would prove to be their most important move. Of all the things Washington and his administration did while he served his two terms as President, from creating the Presidential Cabinet to quelling the first real domestic disturbance the country had seen in the Whiskey Rebellion, the Bill of Rights would have the biggest and longest lasting effect of all.

On the converse, there was one negative part of Washington’s presidency. The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising of Western America against the eastern-based government and its policies, the chief point of contention being the excise tax on whiskey. The protesters threatened and used violence to prevent tax collectors from collecting the taxes the disagreed with. The worst part of the rebellion came when a US Marshal was sent to Western Pennsylvania to serve punishment to distillers who had refused to pay the tax and, in response, the rebels attacked the home of a tax inspector. Washington sent peacekeepers and troops to resolve the issue, and the rebellion was quelled before any real damage was done. Washington’s show of force was exactly what was needed for the country. He showed that any sort of unlawful behavior //would// be punished, and put an end to armed resistance to any kind of disagreement with the federal government. This problem, as bad is it may sound, was actually inevitable. With such a diverse population, any laws that pleased one group of people would surely upset another. Washington did his best throughout his time in office to maintain peace in the nation, and the Whiskey Rebellion was the one time he failed at this. However, even in his “failure”, he showed that the federal government would not stand for armed rebellion, and that there were some limits to the rights and freedoms of the people. Washington expertly maneuvered his way through that sticky situation and ended any thoughts of further uprisings.

Almost all of George Washington’s decisions and actions impacted how future presidents and their administrations would act. The most important, however, was the creation of a Presidential Cabinet. Washington, in one of his wisest decisions as president, put trusted advisors into positions of power all around him, and delegated responsibilities to them. Among these positions were the Secretary of Treasury and the Secretary of State. Each appointed position, except for the Attorney General, would lead an executive department. The impact this had was far reaching; the President would not be required to be solely responsible for any one area, and would have a say in all of them. This allowed Washington to focus his attention on whatever needed it most, and also helped balance power and divert it away from any one individual. The lasting impact Washington’s creation of a cabinet has had is astounding. Every president since has had a cabinet to help him in his decision-making in the same fashion of the inaugural president, George Washington.

The two terms President George Washington served as President on the United States were the first in history, and he performed remarkably well given the circumstances. On the heels of successfully leading the Revolutionary War to break free from the tyranny of England, he was expected and pushed into leading and overseeing the first steps of a new country. He somewhat reluctantly accepted and did an astonishingly good job in his post. He set an almost infinite number of precedents that are still followed today, most notably his creation of the Presidential Cabinet. He guided the country through uncertain times such as the Whiskey Rebellion. He showed what America stood for, and why it was different from England. He also proved to the world that America would become a worldwide force that could not be taken advantage of. The firm hand of the first US President, George Washington, capably and successfully guided the rapidly growing and ever-changing social and political landscape of the newly birthed United States of America. For these reasons and countless others, Washington deserves an A for his two terms served as President, falling just short of an A+, because of the unfathomably few mistakes and mishaps, like the Whiskey Rebellion. George Washington possessed a rare mix of a strong military mind, a great aptitude for politics, and uncanny foresight, seemingly always making the right decision for the good of the future of his country, all of which made him the perfect leader of the new country of the United States of America.

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"The Whiskey Rebellion | Early America's Milestone Historic Documents." //Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century//

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