Matt+B.

 George Washington

February 22, 1732 in Pope's Creek, Virginia – December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia

Political Party: Federalist

Terms: April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797 (Two terms)

Vice President: John Adams  Since George Washington was the first official president of the United States, there were many questions on what direction the country would go under his leadership. Washington attempted to establish an American Identity that people could live under by respecting the will of the people, being honest and fair, and by establishing a government that is respected by the world. One instance where this showed was during the French Revolution. The revolution had pitted France and England against each other, and two of his Cabinet members had urged him to support different sides. Instead of going to war and weakening the country, Washington decided to stay a neutral party which would continue to be America's stance on many other wars to come. Another development that shows Washington's attempt to establish an American Identity was in his Farewell Address when he warned against the two party system that had begun to form. The reason he was against this system was that it could alienate the nation and not create a sense of unity and common identity. Although Washington failed in his attempt to stop the two-party system, he had influenced the way in which presidents handled foreign policy for years to come. When attempting to rate Washington as a president, one reaches an impasse. While Washington did nothing extraordinary during his two terms as President, he made many good changes and helped to further the progress of the nation. So one would ascertain that he would deserve a B- for not making any great leadership decisions but instead making the safe ones.  One of Washington's main goals was to get America to prosper and to hold the country together. To fulfill this goal he had to make the difficult decision of staying neutral in the war between France and England and also having to sign a treaty with France. Another goal he made was to form an American Identity that was shared among its citizens. He attempted this by putting down the Whiskey Rebellion and also try to stop the spread of the party system. Washington did succeed in holding the country together and forming an American Identity, but he did not stop the rise of the party system which eventually would form the two party system that has plagued our politics to this very day.  Washington took a literal view on the Constitution's rules relating to Congress. He would only veto bills that he felt were in direct violation of the Federal Constitution. This was a very neutral stance and made it so there was little friction between him and Congress. He did however frown upon the arguing that took place during its sessions and wondered why intelligent men could not agree upon or even compromise with each other.  During Washington's Presidency, there were no big wars of any kind and the US stayed out of the business of other nations. The first National Bank was also created as a byproduct of Washington's two terms. As was mentioned previously, Washington created the standards of how presidents should act during their terms and also tried to create an American Identity that would be adopted by the citizens of the United States.
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 Washington was facing harsh criticism about some of his actions and was accused of trying to be a monarch by shutting himself off from the public. He also had to make treaties with France that some considered to be unnecessary. During his presidency, the relations between the farmers and the merchants became stressed and it was hard for Washington to stay neutral without dividing the country. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Some of Washington's policies/actions during his presidency have had an impact on events throughout history. One could argue that the tensions between the North and the South during Washington's presidency eventually led to the Civil War. Another influence that Washington had was on the way that future presidents would act. Washington set the guidelines for how presidents should handle Congress and how they should interpret the duties given to them in the Constitution. Although he did not make any drastic changes, the influences of Washington's presidency will be felt for generations to come. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> At the end of Washington's presidency, America was a stable nation. There were no changes instituted by Washington that really helped the nation flourished and he was met with resistance even when he attempted to make the neutral decisions. On the other hand, Washington helped keep the nation united and influenced the adopting of a common American Identity. So that is why he is deserving of a B- rating for keeping the nation together but no taking any risks to better the country.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"American President: George Washington." //Miller Center//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. <http://millercenter.org/president/washington>. "George Washington | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington>. "George Washington: Inaugural Address." //The American Presidency Project//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25800>. "SparkNotes: George Washington: The Presidency, Second Term." //SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/washington/section9.rhtml>. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">
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