Olivia+R.+-+GW+-+SP10

=  George Washington February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799  =

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George Washington is the most significant leader in the founding of the United States known as the “Father of Our Country.” This is due to his many accomplishments before and during his presidency. As the first President he was aware that what he did would set standards for the future and therefore he carefully made each of his decisions. Without much help he created a strong new government, forming its foundations, offices, and political objectives that have survived to this day. With everything considered George Washington’s presidency and administration deserve an A+ for the strong foundation and framework they provided for our nation during his first two terms.======

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President George Washington was a man of many goals, whether short-term or long, he always had a vision for the future. Some of his goals and ideas included: the establishment of a government that the people would trust, loyalty and obedience to the Constitution, the establishment of a Bill of Rights, independence from all types of foreign dominance, commerce, and to set a strong framework for the Presidents who followed. Washington with the help of his administration was successful in the accomplishment of many of his goals. The people of the United States had gained much confidence and trust towards Washington during the war and even more so during his presidency. He was a very willing and persistent man, not one to give up easily. He was very devoted to the citizens and thought of them and the country when making careful decisions. Washington and his administration created the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which gave the citizens the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press and other important principles. The first Bank of America was made aiding with commerce, and he also led the people by the decision to be neutral during the war between France and England until the United States could grow stronger.======

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As a president, George Washington organized the first cabinet, which grew to become his administration. It consisted of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Henry Knox. The administration was able to work well together but as the term went on they began to see many arguments between Jefferson and Hamilton. They viewed things differently and disagreed upon several issues. Washington viewed political parties as “fractions harmful to the good of the public”. Despite the fact that Washington was against the development of these parties they did however begin to emerge during his first term. This included the Federalists (Hamilton) and the Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson). These two being Washington’s closest advisers he did not let this come between them. He spent a lot of time asking people for advice before he came to any conclusion. The majority party in this house may have been the Federalists however Washington did not believe in taking sides. Together Washington and his administration passed the Bill of Rights, established the first Bank of the United States, stopped the Whiskey Rebellion, and instated the Neutrality Proclamation lasting for both Washington’s terms. In 1792 they vetoed the Apportionment Bill, viewing it unconstitutional.======

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Considering all of the decisions and laws made by the president and his administration the one that has had the most positive outcome is the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793. This proclamation was designed to keep American’s out of further wars. At the time a war had broken out between Britain and France dividing the American’s in their loyalties. George Washington trying to hold this new nation together believed that the war must be avoided. The nation at the time had a weak military, an unstable economy, and they were not yet united politically. Washington decided upon a position of neutrality instating this new proclamation. He believed that if the United States could avoid wars for long enough they could grow stronger as a country and be more prepared for future situations and have more success. This was a very smart decision because the American’s were not ready to face such a war so early in their development. If they would have done so it could have destroyed the United States. It also did not favor one side, warning the American citizens to be impartial to both Britain and France. The future presidents regarded this warning against foreign involvement also.======

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Washington always thought through his decisions and made each one carefully by first seeking advice from others. He made many great decisions and rarely made any that turned out badly. However, one that turned out rather negatively was the decision of the government to impose an excise tax on whiskey in 1791. Many people abided by this tax but others were outraged. They thought of it as “a burden on an economic necessity”. Some rebel farmers continued their attacks; they caused riots in towns and troubled the tax collectors. They tar and feathered some of the officers bringing the collections to a stand still. The government knew of this rebellion when in 1974 a federal marshal was attacked, and when a regional inspectors home was burnt down. So all in all the tax on whiskey led to the negative effect of the Whiskey Rebellion, causing several issues in the states. Although Washington eventually resolved this issue it still posed a challenge on the government, and involved use of the militia to put it to a stop.======

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One of the decisions made by the President and his administration was the Bill of Rights. When making the Constitution it was agreed upon that they would soon add this as a list of rights that the citizens had. As this was at the top of their priorities they wasted no time. James Madison drafted the amendments himself and took them through Congress where they decided among the most important rights to be included, and came to the conclusion of the first ten amendments. Consisting of principles such as the protection from freedom of religion, speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, the right to trial by jury and etc. This was a very important addition to the new government because it specified the protections that the United States citizens had. It influenced the lives of future generations because it still affects us to this day, with no changes, but only the addition of new amendments. It provided our Country with a sense of structure and set a framework for future Presidents and other administrations to add to and abide by.======

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By the end of Washington’s term numerous things had been accomplished. The most innovative of these being the new government he had created for the United States. He started a strong federal government by instating the Judiciary Act and by setting other precedents for the future such as the standard two-term limit for presidents. He held the growing country together while it was still young and gave it the help it needed to prosper into what exists today. He accomplished all of his goals, and while doing so he held the citizens high respect, earning him an A+ for his presidency. The country needed Washington as their first president because he was an extraordinary leader with clear visions of the future. The country was definitely better off at the end of his terms because without him the government may not have grown let alone began without his decisions and contributions.======

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Kelly, Martin. "George Washington Biography - First President of the United States ." American History From About. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .=====

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"The Whiskey Rebellion | Early America's Milestone Historic Documents." Archiving Early America: Primary Source Material from 18th Century America. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. =====