George Washington’s presidency had a great effect on the future government, as well as on America’s actions at the time. He made some great decisions, whereas some others might not have been the best for our country at the time. The nation was just starting out at the time, and he had to choose which actions would be best for both the current time and the future. He had to set an example through wars, rebellions, and treaties, preserving our country along with his own opinions.
I think one of George Washington’s greater achievements was during the Whiskey Rebellion. He was the first man to send his own army after U.S. citizens at this time. The farmers were killing tax collectors in protest of the whiskey taxes, and George Washington believed it wasn’t an appropriate method of protest. A wig in the time capsules symbolized this action. I think this was a great achievement because Washington set an example by showing the citizens not to go against the government’s decisions.
Another achievement was George Washington’s agreement to move the nation’s capital to Washington D.C. Citizens from the South refused to pay bonds that should have been paid for by the North, so the nation’s capital was moved from New York City to a place that would be more convenient for both areas, and close to the Potomac River. In the time capsule this was represented by a picture of Washington D.C. as the new capital. This was a great achievement because it pleased both areas in the nation at the time, and provided a capital that seemed even more convenient overall.
One of George Washington’s final achievements was included in his farewell speech. Represented in the time capsule by a sign with names of the two current political parties, George Washington mentioned that he didn’t want there to be a division between the two political parties at the time. Today, members of the opposite leading political parties get into major disagreements about their views, and this is the opposite of what Washington wanted. If his words were taken into consideration today, the country would be able to find a happy medium between the Democrat and Republican parties today.
While George Washington had some great achievements, his presidency had some adversities as well. One adversity in particular was when he signed Jay’s Treaty. He didn’t agree with some of it, and thought the British deserved more punishment, but he signed it to get the situation out of the way. If he’d encouraged changes in it and refused to sign, the treaty would end up complying with the average citizen’s opinions, as well as his own. This was represented in the time capsule with a picture of Washington.
A significant event involving adversity was the Battle of Falling Timbers. This battle took place between the United States, Britain, and Indians. George Washington wanted more land to be a part of the country, but the British joined the battle and sided with the Indians. In the end, the United States won, and the British had to pay for the boats they’d taken and damaged. This was represented by a map of Ohio, where the battle took place, and a boat, which showed the damages the British had to pay for.
George Washington faced a lot of pressure when he was President, because he had to make decisions that would influence a great deal of the county in the future. He made some bad decisions, but some of them turned out to be reasonable. It was his job to solve certain problems that required him to carry through with things he didn’t necessarily believe in, and smooth over unfortunate events during his terms as President, but he successfully set a precedent for future traditions and ideas in the government.
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Here is a list of the most popular research paper topics on George Washington:
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