Essay on Presidency of George Washington

Arguably one of the essential founding fathers of the United States, George Washington was great as the commander of the great army that won the battle of Yorktown against General Cornwallis’s army and as the first president of the United States. Washington achieved a lot as the first president, and some of the things that Americans presently enjoy are due to his efforts. George Washington played an essential part in defining the role and powers of the presidency in the future and setting both unofficial and official precedents for the yet to come presidents. For Washington, striking the right balance between giving the president enough power to carry out his duties in a national government and also preventing the appearance of a monarchy or dictatorship in the United States was vital (Pollard, 2014). In the process, President Washington had a considerable impact on the course of the presidency, defining norms in all administration elements, including political power, military conduct, and economic policy, among others.

One of the most outstanding achievements of George Washington was the establishment of cabinet and executive departments that were integral in running the government. Washington’s initial cabinet comprised of four individuals; treasury secretary alexander Hamilton, attorney general Edmund Randolph, secretary of war Henry Knox, and Thomas Jefferson, who was the secretary of state. By creating this cabinet, Washington made it easy to run government since the different secretaries advised on matters that related to their duties. The cabinet also helped Washington achieve regional balance and credibility since he chose talented individuals from other regions of the country. Presently, the cabinet is an essential wing to the presidency as they are the president’s top advisors and help him in running the government. Without Washington choosing the cabinet form of government that is based on talent and regional balance, then our country would be flooded with appointments based on family and friendship, as the case of a monarchy.

Washington was also fundamental in setting the precedent of the transfer of power. Even though a third term was available to him, Washington never contemplated running for president. In the end, he was exhausted by his four decades of public duty on all levels: physically, intellectually, and financially. He relinquished his position to his successor, John Adams, with pleasure. Washington maintained his typical silence on his feelings towards the men vying for his position as president. By stepping down after two terms in office, Washington contributed to a more orderly and regular transfer of presidential authority. His two-term limit established a precedent that would be followed for more than a century and a half until Franklin Roosevelt broke the tradition by seeking a third term in office in 1940 and a subsequent fourth term in 1944. I believe that we have a peaceful country because of the selfless efforts of Washington. He had the opportunity to adopt the monarchical system and become a president for life but instead chose to relinquish his position. If he hadn’t chosen this angle, then it is without a doubt that the country would have been driven into civil war. Throughout Washington’s presidency, he was keen to implement the economic policies of Alexander Hamilton, who was the secretary of the treasury, thereby creating economic reforms in the country. The economic policies were responsible for establishing many of the country’s most critical public institutions, including government finance, banking, federal taxation system, public debt, and the currency of the United States(Jordan & Pennebaker, 2017). This would lay the groundwork for a robust federal government at the center of all things economic in the future. It is, of course, attributed to Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, for his financial insight at the time. To Washington’s credit, he acknowledged Hamilton’s brilliance even though it was at odds with his financial circumstances. Like Hamilton’s political foe Thomas Jefferson, Washington was a product of the plantation system that dominated the southern United States. In contrast to such a foundation, Hamilton’s legacy of financial institutions and urban industrialization would appear to be incompatible. I believe that it is through these economic policies developed by Hamilton and adopted by Withington that set the pace for the United States to become one of the economic giants in the world.

Another critical success of George Washington was the judicial reforms that he adopted and how he transformed the judiciary. Washington signed into law the Judiciary Act of 1789. The Supreme Court of the United States was formed under Article III of the United States Constitution, but Congress was given the authority to establish inferior courts. The Judiciary Act of 1789 introduced the multi-tiered federal court system that we know today (Chervinsky, 2018). Additionally, it set the number of Supreme Court Justices at six. It established the Office of the Attorney General, responsible for representing the United States in issues before the Court. With such an excellent judicial precedent, I believe that Washington is responsible for setting the base for the sound judicial system enjoyed by Americans today.

In conclusion, it would be prudent to say that Washington is by far the greatest president that the United States has had. Washington handled the presidency well and made no mistake that would have haunted future administrations. He also set the foundation for vital economic reforms and domestic policies that have improved, thereby making America great.

References

Chervinsky, L. M. (2018). The Historical Presidency: George Washington and the First Presidential Cabinet. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 48(1), 139-152.

Jordan, K. N., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2017). The exception or the rule: Using words to assess analytic thinking, Donald Trump, and the American presidency. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 3(3), 312.

Pollard, F. (2014). The meanings of going first: George Washington and the presidency. In Perspectives on Presidential Leadership (pp. 28-42). Routledge.