rubber soul

We'll get there. Right now I'm just getting started on Martin Van Buren (trying to stay ahead of the game ) . In the meantime...



1. GEORGE WASHINGTON (I cannot tell a lie- John Adams did it!)




Born: February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Term: April 30, 1789- March 4, 1797
Political Party: Federalist

Vice President(s): John Adams

First Lady: Martha Dandridge Washington

Before the Presidency: George Washington’s childhood is chock full of myths such as the legendary cherry tree story. Of course, in reality, his father died when he was eleven and he would be raised by his older brother thereafter. Though home schooled, Washington could have been considered fairly well educated for his day and it would come in handy with his military career.

And what a military career he had. He fought in the French and Indian War as a Lieutenant Colonel when he was only in his twenties. He embarked on a political career later as he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgess in 1759. It was while with the House that he took a stand against what was perceived as unfair tax practices by the British Government. He was subsequently appointed to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and the following year he returned to his military roots as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Though not always successful, he and his troops were able to outlast the British and, in the end, accepted a surrender from General Charles Cornwallis. The rebels had won the American Revolution.

Once the war was over, Washington surprised the world by giving up his commission and returned to a private life. This impressed people as he proved to be a man who was not hungry for power. This sparked Virginians to send Washington with a delegation to the Constitutional Convention in 1786. After the Constitution was ratified in 1788, Washington was drafted to be the first President of the new United States.

Summary: 1753: Major, Virginia Militia

1754-1755: Lieutenant Colonel, Virginia Militia, fought in Seven Years War

1755-1758: Commander of troops, Virginia Militia

1758-1775: Member, Virginia House of Burgesses

1774-1775: Delegate, Continental Congress.

1775-1783: Commander in Chief, Continental Army

1787: President of the United Sates Constitutional Convention

What was going on: The Bill of Rights, the Cotton Gin, The Whiskey Rebellion, Jay’s treaty,

Scandals within the administration: None that we know of

Why he was a good President: George Washington was the perfect choice for America’s first President. He was considered to be above reproach. Though officially a Federalist, he detested the idea of party politics as he would suffer from partisanship even in his day. He also signed bills such as the Bill of Rights that would keep the United States solvent, if not perfect, to this day.

Why he was a bad President: He failed at stemming the tide of partisanship between the Federalists and Democrat-Republicans. His Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, would resign under protest in 1793. It is questionable whether he handled the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania as well as he could have. Then there was the controversy over the Jay Treaty of 1795 in which the US would claim neutrality in the wars between England and France. It still didn’t solve the immediate problems with France and the US would inevitably go to war with Britain anyway.

What could have saved his Presidency: Irrelevant. Despite his actual flaws, Washington was a very successful and well respected President. He continues to go down in history as one of the Presidents with the most integrity, even when you put all the Father of our Country myths aside.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: A lot of things. But especially had the Jay Treaty exploded into war with France, something his successor, John Adams would have to contend with.

Election of 1788: This was a long drawn out election as the United States was just beginning to take form. There were also some odd voting rules in place. Technically, every man had the right to vote (Of course women had no rights at all in those days). But the catch was you had to be a landowner. Free blacks could also vote but they only counted as 3/5 of a vote. Progress goes slow, I guess. There was also the matter of the electoral college, seen as quite controversial now given that the winner of the electoral vote lost the popular vote in both 2000 and 2008 and in other elections won with just a plurality. The idea of the Electoral college (and slavery was a major player in all of this) would be that the less populous states, mostly in the South at the time, would have more clout in deciding who the President would be. Yes, New York would have more electoral votes than, say, Delaware for example, but the three electoral votes in Delaware would be just a little more equal than New York’s eight.

Not that it mattered much in 1788. Washington had been all but drafted and the vote, which Washington won easily despite some states not voting for their electors in time, was more or less a foregone conclusion.

At the time, the Presidential Candidate did not choose a running mate. Instead, the person who finished second automatically became the Vice-President. In 1788, that was Federalist John Adams. Other notables who received votes were John Jay, John Rutledge, and John Hancock.

First term: George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789. During this term, Congress enacted the first tariff and Washington signed the first Naturalization Bill into law. The Capital was temporarily moved from New York to Philadelphia though a permanent Capital would soon be established on the Potomac River, which divided Maryland and Virginia. All of the Thirteen colonies would ratify the Constitution. The Bill of Rights would also be ratified during this term. Vermont was admitted as the 14th state. And President Washington would appoint his first Minister as Thomas Pinckney was appointed the first minister for England. Washington also created a superstar administration that included Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury.

Election of 1792: The election again took a month to complete, but it was again a foregone conclusion that the popular Washington would be re-elected as he would be unopposed. The only real drama was if John Adams would be re-elected Vice-President. The Democratic- Republicans ran George Clinton against Adams. Adams would win 77 electoral votes to 50, while Washington’s election was unanimous, something that would never happen again.

Second Term: Washington’s second term was considerably less peaceful than the first as he would have to deal with International affairs for the first time. France was having its own revolution and their relations with Britain (never all that peachy to begin with) was getting quite warlike. Washington very much wanted to stay out of it despite pressure from France and the Democratic- Republicans. Partisanship over this issue in particular would take a toll on Washington, who clearly had no desire to fight another war on either side. He also had to send troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. They were upset over, surprise, higher taxes. Guess some things never change.

Despite the problems now besetting the administration, Washington remained quite popular and there was a draft for him to run for a third term. But Washington graciously turned them down, believing that no one should be able to be President for more than that. Like other veterans of the Revolution, there was a fear that someone would want to be king, thus ending the idealism of democracy.

So, Washington left with grace as he delivered his now famous farewell address. And he left believing the country would be in capable hands with fellow Revolutionary John Adams.

Post Presidency: George Washington retired to a quiet life at his plantation in Mount Vernon. He died, possibly from pneumonia, in December 1799, less than three years after leaving the Presidency. He did, however, state in his will that all slaves owned by him and Martha would be freed upon Martha’s death.

Odd notes: All the myths surrounding George Washington are of legend. Of course, he didn’t cut down a cherry tree and then fess up to it. He did have wooden teeth, however

He wouldn’t shake hands as he felt the gesture was beneath the Presidency (The Presidents- History Channel)

Final Summary: Even during his life, he was referred to as the Father of Our Country. I still have to think that was a little presumptuous. After all, George Washington was just a man like everyone else. He wasn’t anymore of a wise man than any of the other Founding Fathers. He made his fortune by living off the work of his slaves, certainly nothing unusual given the times and maybe not all that damning when you consider he would ensure their freedom later. I suspect Washington was conflicted when it came to slavery, something that I think would haunt Thomas Jefferson even more.

What can be noted is that, flawed or not, George Washington was a man of great integrity. He was clearly someone that put his country ahead of his own interests, something that will sadly be a rarity with our Presidents. Though he led the United States with a steady hand for the most part, he did not believe in dictatorships, and he certainly frowned at the idea of a monarchy. King George the American was not in his vocabulary.

Do I think he was a great President? I’m probably going to get flak for this, but I really don’t think so. I do think he was a good President who tried to do his best, and with some success, but I’m not one that would want to put him on a pedestal. Was he a good man? Of course, but I don’t think he was a political genius or even a military genius. He was just a guy who tried to be the best person he could be and, for the most part, succeeded. And you can’t argue with that, can you?

Overall rating: B+ (Well above average but not quite great)

https://millercenter.org/president/washington

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