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February 22, 1732( Westmoreland County, VA) – December 14, 1799 Terms of Office: April 30, 1789 – March 3, 1797 (2 terms) Vice President: John Adams 1789-1797 (2 terms)Political Party: Federalist
 * George Washington **

Washington was the first President of the United States, despite only having the equivalent of an elementary school education. He was born February 22, 1732 and died on December 14, 1799. Washington served as a military general in the American Revolution along with being a member of the First and Second Continental Congress’. After helping pave the way to victory for American’s during the American Revolution, Washington then committed to what would be a groundbreaking act; being the first President of the United States. John Adams was elected Vice- President of the United States under Washington, who was also a Federalist. Because of Washington’s bravery and commitment displayed previous to the official formation of the American government along with his decisions made in office, Washington receives an A- as his grade for his two terms. Washington served his terms in office from 1789-1797 and had only one obstacle preventing him from receiving an A+. That obstacle was that he made few significant impacts in office or proposed no significant policies while in office, due to his passiveness to Congress.

The goals of George Washington, as with almost every following President, were announced during his Inaugural Address. Some off his goals addressed were to create a strong foundation of national policy, to exemplify the concept of free government at all times, and to run an efficient government. He also pushed for America to be neutral, in This was accomplished during his Presidency and many policies were created to build a strong foundation for the country during the terms. One of the policies was the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established a 6 member Supreme Court. There was also the Residence Act of 1790. This act settled all disputes of where the capital city would be located, along with government buildings. This began the creation of Washington D.C. There was also the Naval Act of 1794, which established a Navy to protect the country’s merchant ships. Most of these Acts were proposed by Congress and Washington signed them.

George Washington had a “parent-offspring” with the Congress at the time of his Presidency. Congress often engaged in the policymaking, while Washington signed off on the bills. It often seemed as if Congress was “creating the rules” and Washington would simply comply with them and provide his signature. But, there were some policies he initiated himself. Since the majority party in Congress was the Federalist party, Washington’s ideas were heavily instilled in the policies. He also displayed that he saw few unconstitutional policies being formed during his term. This caused him only to veto twice during both of his terms in office. This showed that Washington had a very passive relationship with Congress and he rarely took initiative of his own. He would often have cabinet members get involved with the policymaking, instead of himself. This may have been due to the fact that Congress was efficient at the time or that his lack of education caused him to stay distant in this area of his Presidency.

The action of the President’s administration that had the most positive outcome on America was created by Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury. He called for the nation to create a standard national bank. This was very beneficial, because previously many states had their own form of currency that they used. This also caused disputes over whose currency was worth more and how to convert it. The creation of the national bank formed a standard national currency that would be accepted by all states. Therefore, the former issues were eliminated. Hamilton often pushed for economic policies such as these, opposed to Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. The action that had the most negative outcome was the lack of alliances America had. A strong alliance with France was what Jefferson pushed for, but he was skeptical about England. But the two alliances were both declined by Washington, who believed that there should be no strong long-term alliances being formed. Strong alliances could have been very beneficial to America, especially during the War of 1812. Although this was a major problem during Washington’s Presidency, the positive outcomes of decisions made by his administration outweighed the negative.

Washington and his administration had an impact on everyone’s life and every administration that followed his term. The foundation for the country’s government was built either shortly before or during Washington’s term. This had a great impact on society, because things such as America’s standard currency and the nation’s capital are used every day. There are also many lessons that politicians of this era had learned from Washington and his administration. That is why they are often referred to in speeches and their actions served as inspiration for many politicians that followed them.

With all of the information previously stated, the country was much better off at the end of Washington’s term, than the beginning. It created order in the country and officially established the government. It was also a test to see if the country had the possibility of continuing and whether the Constitution would last throughout multiple terms without disagreement. The terms were overall very effect, which reflected the A- grade it received. This term set the foundation for America, so that it could be the thriving nation it is today. Bolt, William K. "North Carolina History Project : Federalist Party." //North Carolina History Project : Encyclopedia//. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. .
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