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=__George Washington__= Birthdate: Febuary 22, 1732 Deathdate: December 14, 1799 Political party: None Terms in Office: April 4, 1789 - March 4, 1793 (First term). March 4, 1793 - 1797 (Second term). Vice President: John Adams (both terms)

George Washington, a familar name and face was the first President of the United States, a founding father,and a general. He deeply respected and loved America, he would only do what he thought was best for it. From the Fugitive slave act of 1793 to the Whisky Rebellion and all of his other work gives him an A as president. The things he did for our country changed it for years to come and set the standard for future presidents.

With slavery deeply rooted in the south, where his home Mount Vernon was located, it would be hard to ignore the things he established toward slavery. In the year 1793 the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It required that all escaped slaves be captured and returned to the rightful owner. If any person was found helping a slave they were charged five hundred dollars. The law was passed because before this people were unsure of what to do about the escaped slaves. Some turned them in, but didn't know how the government would take care of the slave. Others just let them go. The law made it clear about what to do with them, and what they would do about it. A year later in 1794 the Slave Trade Act was passed. The made it that U.S. ports and shipyards could not make ships that would be used for the retrevial of slaves in Africa. It also prohibited the trafficking of slaves from to other countries. The fines for this ranged from two hundred to two thousand dollars. This law was made to help the regulation of slaves, since they already outnumbered the Americans.

In Washington's inagural speech he doesn't make any really specific goals. He is brand new to this and has no one to follow. He actually doesn't want to be the President at all. He was at his home, but ran for the positon anways. He truly had no idea what to do. He put his faith in God and in congress. The only goal that he really states is that he only wants to do good for the country.

Luckily to help Washington he had a great cabinet. With members like Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, John Jay, and Edmund Randolf he was set. He was generally happy with the group and got along with them well. He aslo had good working relations with the congress, which was made of Federalists and Anti-Federalits. He would wait for congress to give him bills, and only vetoed a bill if he belived it did not agree with the Constitution. The Fugitive Slave Act, Slave Trade Act, Neutrility Proclamation, Pickneys Treaty, Jay's Treaty, and Hamilton's financial plan were some of the items that was passed by congress and the President.

One of the positive things out of Washintons presidency was the Whisky Rebellion. Not the rebellion itself, but his actions towards it and the way he handeled it. The rebellion started becuase of the tax on whisky, which angred poor farmers that rellied on whisky. Now not being able to afford it they rebeled. Washington acts well under the pressure. He sends out thirteen thousand milita to end the rebellion. The miltia have not been called out since 1781, back in the Revolutionary war. By the time the troops got there the rebellion had ended with no bloodshed. Washington knew what he had to do to get the rebellion to end. He acted with great leadership. Unfortunatly with every postive there is a negitive, the Fugitive Slave Act. This law gave people the right have slaves retuned. The idea of slavery itself is bad enough and the treatment of them is worse. Now people have the right to get them back. Washington should of sopke up against this. It was agreed at the Constitutional Convention that the issue of slavery would not be brought up for fifty years. This law was made within those fifty years,which goes aginst what they had previously agreed. This also caused disagreement between the north and south. This law was a link in the chain that led up to the Civil War.

The decision that had the most influence on the future was definatly the Bill of Rights. Washingtion was not directly involved, the idea was not his and the states had to ratify it. It still happened during his administration and he supported it. The Bill of Rights was added in 1791 to the Constitution and gave us the first ten admenments. This had the biggest influence on future because they are admendments they can not be easily changed or removed. They are rules that we still follow in today's society. The BIll of Rights has given the people rights, rights that many countries didn't have.

The United States was definatly better off after his administration. Washington gave the people laws to follow and rights to have. Without them the country would have been a mess. He was a great first president because he made a good example of what a president should be. Future presidents could follow in his footsteps. Washington only wanted what was best for the country, and he did. That is why George Washington deserves an A.

Works Cited "The American Experience | The Duel | People & Events | The Whiskey Rebellion." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . "The American Experience | The Duel | People & Events | The Whiskey Rebellion." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . American Presidents: Life Portraits. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . "The Avalon Project." Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . "Fugitive Slave Act of 1793." Ushistory.org. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . "Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States." The American Presidency Project. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. . United States History. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. <http://www.u-s-history.com/>.