George Washington- 1789-1797

"George Washington's integrity set a pattern for all other presidents to follow"

George Washington was a federalist from Virginia that served as the first president from 1789-1797. Washington had been the Embodiment of the revolution, and now he would become the embodiment of the new American people. He was widely known as the ‘action hero’ of the 18th century, he projected his image as being very strong, brave he was a Great War hero. You could question his intelligence and his political knowhow, but In terms of leadership the man was a marvel. This is why he was voted to the presidency twice, each unanimously. He quickly surrounded him self with a cabinet of high calibre that would do the job and make him look great. This cabinet is widely thought of as the best. One of the greatest achievements within his cabinet was getting Alexander Hamilton on board as the Secretary of the treasury. Hamilton set the course to the US economy by building the framework of a national banking system. He then assumed all war debt of the original 13 states, establishing a federal line of credit. This however did not please people such as Madison and Jefferson of Virginia, as their state had all but paid off its debt. This was Washington’s first real test as president. Behind closed doors Washington urged a compromise. He offered Virginia the state capital in return for allowing Hamilton’s proposal to go through. Washington chose swamp land known as Foggy Bottom to become the city of Washington. He had a major impact on the development of this land. Another event that defined his presidency was in 1793 when war broke out between Britain and France, Washington was called upon to take sides however he remained neutral. This decision would haunt his successors (war of 1812). Another event that defined his presidency was on the domestic front during his second term. In 1794 Pennsylvanian farmers were angered about federal excise tax on liquor and began a rebellion. Washington’s view was clear and decisive. He thought that during the American Revolution they were rebelling against taxes decided upon in London, now they were taxes decided upon in Philadelphia, it was just the law of the land. Washington mustered 12000 troops to march to Pennsylvania; this was all it took to stop rebellion. In 1797, with dignity and pride, Washington stood down after just two terms. He had begun to feel the effects of age and had realised this was simply his time. This was his finest moment.