Hannah+S.+-+GW+-+FA11

__**Theme: Slavery and its influence**__

__**George Washington**__ Birth: February 22, 1733 Bridges Creek, Viginia Death: December 14, 1799 Mount Vernon, Virgina Years President: 1789-1797 (2 terms) Vice President: John Adams (2 terms) Political Party: Leaning toward Federalist views, but wasn't officially apart of the party

After researching about President George Washington, I have come to the decision that as a president, George Washington deserves an A for his grade. All around America, George Washington is generally referred to being the "father of his country" and not just because he was our first president. President Washington was the first to have an inaugural address and have a cabinet system; both of these are still conducted by presidents today. He also had great leadership skills that came from his military life and signed his vote for the Bill of Rights. He never made any decisions that ruined the country for years to come.

In his inaugural speech George Washington presented his goals that he created for his presidency. These goals included creating an independent nation and a respected free government. His goals were accomplished through the Bill of Rights and the decisions that Congress made which influenced America in a positive way. The Bill of Rights allowed Americans more freedom, and consequently lead to a more independent nation as a whole. This was a major step that changed the nation forever more. Congress was in charge of the legislations that were either passed or vetoed. This was the government that had lots of issues to review because the country just got out of a war and had to find a way to be a free nation.

George Washington didn't have a stance on political parties. He didn't like the idea of there being a separation in the government based on what party one was involved with. He was still involved with Congress and the decisions that they made for the country. Some of acts that were passed by Congress was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 and the Naturalization Act. These acts were both approved by George Washington, and were able to go into effect. The Fugitive Slave Law mostly dealt with slaves and their owners. The law was passed on February 12, 1793 and it stated that all states must return escaped slaves to their owners, even if the state didn't approve of slavery. George Washington passed this law even though after the revolution, he was against slavery. The reason for passing the law was that if he voiced his opinions, the southern states wouldn't approve and fight back. Another act that was passed was the Naturalization Act of 1790, which allowed people to become citizens of the nation if they weren't born in the country; this act though was only for white people though.

George Washington made many actions that had positive outcomes. Some of these actions were the Naturalization Act of 1790 and the Bill of Rights. The Naturalization Act of 1790 had a positive outcome become because it somewhat established the immigration process that we have today. Today, people from around the world come to the USA in hopes of becoming an American citizen, and this happened through the Naturalization Act when George Washington was president. The only difference was that only whites could become citizens, no other minorities were allowed the option. The Bill of Rights had a positive outcomes because it gave all of the Americans the freedom of religion, speech, and many other rights. This was how the country went to go on being a more independent nation. There were also actions that President George Washington did that had some negative outcomes. One of these actions was the Fugitive Slave Law. This law had a negative outcome because it demonstrated that slavery will still be allowed for the states that practice it. Another negative outcome was that the states that were against slavery still had to participate in it in some way, because the law stated that all states had to return escaped slaves.

One of his decisions that influenced the future was the Fugitive Slave Law. This law influenced the future because it influenced people's thoughts on slavery. The southern colonies of the new nation liked slavery and approved with the new law while the northern colonies didn't think much of slavery. As time went on, slavery became more popular in the South, until the Civil War. After this war, slavery was abolished, but southern individuals still thought lowly of the Africans, and this thought process lasted until the 20th century. The Fugitive Slave Law started a train reaction of different events and ideas of minorities.

After evaluating this president, I have come to the decision that George Washington was a good president. During his presidency, the Bill of Rights was created, the Naturalization Act was established, the war debt was paid off, and two traditions for the president were created. When I think of all of his accomplishments, I realize that he had more positive than negative outcomes. Because of this, I rated George Washington's presidency as an A because he truly is the father of our country.

__Works Cited__ "Congress enacts first fugitive slave act." //This day in history//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. . "George Washington | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.  "George Washington Biography - life, family, childhood, children, story, death, mother, young, old, information, born."//Encyclopedia of World Biography//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. . "Major Acts of Congress."//Enotes//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. .