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February 22, 1732- December 14, 1799 No political party previously established Terms of office: April 30, 1789-March 3, 1797 (2 terms) Vice President: John Adams (2 terms) George Washington is the first, and perhaps the most well known president of the United States. His time spent as president most certainly deserves an A due to his achievements under his circumstances. Because of being the first president, he is commonly known as “the father of our country,” and had to establish our country and government from nothing. I think that many people to not realize the difficulty and pressure of being the set example without anyone to compare to. Washington’s accomplishments and conflicts include the first United States Census, establishment of District Columbia, ratification of the Bill of Rights, Proclamation of Neutrality, Whiskey Rebellion, Jay’s Treaty, Pinckney’s Treaty, and the Farewell Address. His ability to overcome the challenges made his presidency an overall success and it is easy to understand why he was unanimously voted the first president. Being the first in line to create our government, the main goals for Washington were simply to create a successful base and government for the United States. He set up the first administration by choosing a cabinet of advisors including Secretaries of State, Secretaries of the Treasury, Secretaries of War, and Attorney Generals. Among his cabinet, members included Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton and Washington went to them for advice. Throughout his presidency he also had a strong belief in remaining impartial. This was demonstrated when foreign issues began to arise in 1793 with the Proclamation of Neutrality. The document states that the United States would remain neutral towards other countries in war. He reiterated this belief in 1794 with Jay’s Treaty, and again in 1795 with Pinckney’s Treaty. Jay’s Treaty made the seas neutral which granted Britain to search and seize American Ships commuting to British enemies. In exchange, Britain withdrew from settlements in the Northwest Territory. Pinckney’s Treaty solved conflict with Spain by creating barriers between the United States and the Spanish Territory, Florida. These decisions were made with the help of his cabinet members. Washington realized he could not run this country on his own. His Vice President, John Adams, earned his position by being second in line for president. However, Washington was able to choose his cabinet of advisors. While Washington was content with his cabinet, he was less than thrilled with John Adams. They had a very passive relationship and nearly never spoke; therefore, Washington almost always consulted his cabinet instead. He also felt that because he was President, every verdict he made had to be for the greater good of everyone. When Congress was considering a bill, he did not interfere and would only veto a bill if it contradicted the Constitution. Several conflicts arose among Congress while Washington was President, the most severe possibly being Hamilton’s financial plan. Many northern colonists approved of the plan; however, the plan had an opposite reaction in the south. Washington being farmer himself approved of the plan but did not give his input. The issue was settled when Jefferson, a member of the cabinet, negotiated a compromise: Hamilton had to persuade northerners to encourage the United States capital moving down south. In exchange, Jefferson would influence other congressmen to approve of Hamilton’s financial plan. Washington ended up selecting Washington, D.C as the new national capital. While he was in office a dispute about whether or not there should be a federal bank yielded two parties being established: Federalist and Republican. Washington tried to stay above the rifts between the two parties until they were separating the country. After much persuasion the conflicts between the Federalists and Republicans ultimately were the reason Washington served another term. When considering the positive and negative attributes of Washington, it is important not to judge a 17th century man based on the morals of the 21st century. While some of his morals may seem questionable today, such as the ownership of slaves, they were in fact very acceptable for that time. The best affair Washington could have done was the Whiskey Rebellion. It was his first local challenge and he handled it very well. In Pennsylvania farmers were refusing to pay taxes on, obviously, whiskey. Washington sent soldiers to find the rebels and had all convicted show up in court. While this may sound negative, it bolstered the confidence of the government. It showed the seriousness of laws and government and established a sense of superiority. On the other side of things, a negative to Washington’s presidency was that while he did a good job as president, he did not enjoy it and felt it was a burden. He was guilted into serving as president twice even though he was less than thrilled. Washington would “lie back” a lot of the time and let others think for him. While it is true that every President has left an impact on America today, some have left larger and essentially better impacts. Washington will forever be remembered as our first president and his ideas for our government are still used today. He formed the ideas of having a chief justice, secretary of the treasury, secretary of state, secretary of war, attorney general, and also forming a cabinet of advisors. The first census of the United States also took place under his command. During his time in office the idea of passing laws, otherwise known as bills, came into retrospect, and along with that came vetoing bills too. Perhaps his biggest attribution though is the formation of the National Bank. It was Hamilton’s idea, but Washington agreed to sign the bill for the first ever First Bank of the United States. When local issues arose, such as the Whiskey Rebellion, Washington was also the first to use Federal power to enforce laws. Washington wrapped it up on September 17, 1976 with the farewell address. At the end of his terms, the country was certainly better off. He established the base of our government today, including a two year limit on terms, a presidential cabinet, and a bill of rights among others. His attributions to our country make him deserve a solid A as president because he had to establish a government without anyone before him to look up to. Works Cited "George Washington: American Hero." // Social Studies for Kids //. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. . "George Washington." Web. 25 Jan. 2010. . Kelly, Martin. "George Washington Fast Facts." //American History//. The New York Times Publisher, 2010. Web. 25 Jan. 2010. .
 * George Washington **