George Washington had a tremendous weight on his shoulders when he assumed office in April 1789. Not only was this experiment in republican government on shaky ground, but history would record his every move as president. If America was to succeed, it would largely be because of his leadership. Fall apart and he gets the blame.
Historians tend to categorize Washington's presidency by using the term "precedent". You know, of course, that precedents are examples set by someone for those who will follow. Watch this video on GW's precedents. In the comments section make an argument for the one you consider most important. That is...if Washington had NOT done (whichever precedent you choose) our country would have been much worse off.
George Washington seemed to be a very humble man who showed that he wasn’t president because he wanted power, but because he was chosen too and he wanted to honor his country he fought so hard for. The precedent I have chosen is Washington’s humbleness or his choice in people calling him Mr. President instead of your highness or your majesty. He wasn’t president because he wanted to. He did it because he cared. If he had agreed to be called those names then it could have taken effect on what people think of him. I am not saying that what people think of him matters but he was our president and people are going to have opinions on him so I guess they should be good opinions. As I was saying, if he had agreed to be called those names then people could begin to think that he was wanting to gain a great amount of power like King George III and totally wipe out the government. This could start rebellions and it could bad to where those rebellions really could have taken over our government. This might not have been a precedent but it’s what I think. (199)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a president pretty much EVERYONE loved. Like it said in the video, he knew everyone was watching him, setting the bar for our country being the first president. I think him adding the "So help me God" part in the inauguration was important. It showed that he was looking to God for help during his time leading our country (if that's even what he meant?). I looked up the oath of office because I wasn't actually sure where the president says that part in the oath. I learned that former President Herbert Hoover didn't say "so help me God", at his inauguration and it shocked many. All he said was, "I do." Even though some presidents say that phrase, and probably don't mean it, at least God is still in our country somewhere. (137)
ReplyDeleteEveryone knew Washington was a good leader. He made great descisions and actions that helped our country move forward in its early years as a nation. He must have been under tons of pressure as everyone was looking to him and asking him, "What should we call you?" or, "How long should you serve in office?". All of George's precedents were important and would change our country drasticaly, but I believe one of the biggest is how long a president should serve. If Washington had chosen to run until he died, that example would show America that being the president meant you had that job for life. That choice would make people power hungry and want to become a cruel leader since they knew they would have that job for the rest of their life. I am glad the president only serves two terms. Just think what would have happened if some of our worst presidents got to serve for life.Yikes.
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George Washington set so many precedents while he was in office. All of them were very important and affected the United States. He seems very humble and I think the most important precedent was that he left after two terms. He could have stayed longer because almost everyone in the country loved him and thought he made a really good president. Washington decided to leave after a little while and he showed future Americans that one person doesn't need to be in power for too long. He showed that we need to have a new person with new ideas and thoughts about how to help our country after a while. And I think that this has really helped out country. (120)
ReplyDeleteEvery decision you make will always affect you. Or someone else. It can either be positively or negatively, but there are consequences to every action. I think that George Washington did a good job with his precedents, and actions. One precedent that stuck out to me was the same one that hairbrush mentioned, the "So help me God" part in the inauguration. That was very brave of them because every person in office now is afraid to say anything about God.George Washington was a very respected man and loved by many,so because he said this, people would have followed. I think he was a very brave man who wanted the best for his country. I know this is hard to understand, but imagine having the weight of our whole country on your shoulders. I think that he handled it very well. And i think that if George Washington had not done this, we would have no talk about God whatsoever. I know that now the government never talks about God, but we at least have some things about God. Even if they were taken away.(185)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a great man who knew whatever he did could make the country prosper or fall. I think he did an excellent job as the first president and made many good precedents. One of the ones that stood out to me when I watched the video was when he stepped down from being president after his second term. Since then the president has only been allowed to serve as president for two terms. I think that this is good, because if someone was in office for too long things could go bad. It’s also good for a change in power. Washington knew what was best for the country, and even though he could have done a third term and possibly a fourth he didn’t. George Washington is an inspiration to many people back then and today.(138)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was an excellent first president. I’m not aware of anyone else that could have done a better job at being the first president than him. He had already played major roles in the wars, so many people adored and admired him and his leadership. The one precedent that I think would have changed our country if it hadn’t been set by George Washington was the “2 term precedent.” George could have served MUCH longer because he seemed to be an incredible leader, but he wasn’t greedy for power so he stepped down. The maximum 2 terms, I think, is a very sufficient amount of time to serve as president. Like Liam said, if some of the really bad presidents served for a lifetime, that would be chaos. Take for example England…You serve as King/Queen until you die. Then your sons/ daughters/ grandkids take over. And isn’t the English way of government what the Americans were fleeing from in the first place? George was a very smart man and knew to steer clear of this. {176}
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George Washington was an amazing first president. He had a good influence that other people should follow. He was humble and cared for his people. I do not think anyone could have done a better job than he did. So many people had admired him and looked up to him. When he was president, he made many good precedents. The one precedent that was the most important to me was the 2 term precedent. If it was not for George Washington, presidents could serve for forever and that is not always a good thing. Even though George Washington could have served another term, he did not. I think it was a good precedent because two terms is enough time to be president and because it is a good thing to change every once in a while. So just say if we had a bad president, he could only serve up to eight years, so that is good.:) (159)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington made many good precedents, but the one that stood out the most to me would be the second term precedent. Without this a president could be president for a very long time. And sometimes that would be nice (if it was a good president), but on the other hand we need “new blood”; people with new ideas, and presidents that can dedicate themselves to the role of president. Washington was a great first president because he set many good precedents that some people may have thought different at the time, but are natural to us now. (100)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was probably the best first president America could've asked for. His most important precedent to me was the "So help me God". It showed America that even their greatest leader needed God's help everyday. He was America's greatest military leader and nation leader and he asked God for help. He was also very humble throughout his leadership. He didn't want to be the king. He only was the president because they elected him to be. He also set the two term standard for the rest of the presidents. This kept one president from having too much power over America. (101)
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good video about Washington. George Washington said "So help me God" and meant that he puts God before himself. Then the video talked about how he cared about the country more than himself. He then stepped down from office because he wanted to add a new authority or like Naathan said, “new blood". He also said to someone that he didn't want people to call him king or overlord or anything like that. Just to call him Mr. President. George Washington was an amazing President. He is also awesome because we share the same birthday. He is one of my favorite presidents ever. He played a major role in starting America.(115)
ReplyDeleteI think the main precedent that George Washington set up was leaving after two terms. He didn’t want the president to be like a king and rule for his whole life. It is a precedent that is still honored today. If Washington had not left after two terms there might have been presidents that would have presided in office longer than two years. He didn’t want our government to be like England’s and have the Presidency run through the family. George Washington was very smart to set the Presidency to two terms of four years. The President is not a dumb guy whatever we might think. (106)
ReplyDeleteThe most important precedent was the two-year term. If he hadn't have left than presidents could have been president until death. To me that would be more like a dictatorship than a democracy. That wouldn't be good for the country. The leader would probably become thirsty for more power and want to take over other countries, which would be a big risk. It was a very smart move by George Washington to end his carrier after two terms. I think one term might be better so no one that is president would have power for longer than other men. He could have quit because of his age but it helped our country no matter why he quit.(117)
ReplyDeleteWhat. A. Topic. I think, first of all, President Washington was a great example for the rest of the presidents after him. Although all his precedents were groundbraking wonderful, the most important one was his idea of being called Mr. President. One reason is because otherwise, like Hairbrush said, people would call him your majesty or your highness. I think Washington did a good job doing this because it makes me feel like he was trying to say he was on the same level as the people and not a million times higher. This made him know as the humble president we now know today not the awful tyrant some back then would have thought of. PEACE OUT!!
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was by far the best man for the job as first president. The first president was to be an example of how the rest of the nation’s leaders to come should act. Washington fit this description to a “T”. He was revered not just as a political leader but also a military leader. People respected him and understood him, and therefore they had a deep trust in him. The most important precedent that he left us in my opinion was “God so help me”. This showed that he relied on God, and set the example that we should rely on him as well. Washington led the nation to God with this phrase, and if all of our leaders had lived by it I think it was be accurate to say that our country would be much closer to God and his will would be done more often. Instead of the government trying to take God out of the schools, they would be helping to reassure everyone’s faith. As we learned in Bible recently Congress used to print Bibles for the education of children. It just amazes me to see how far our nation has come away from God. Perhaps in the future our leaders would consider Washington’s greatest precedent “God so help me” and let God use them to bring our nation back to him.
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I mean "So help me God" ..same thing..
DeleteJust as I said in my unnecessary paragraph last week, George Washington was a great guy. And being the first president under the Constitution, he had HUGE gaps in the government to fill. There was much work for him to do in terms of creating the government and fixing and changing parts of the Constitution and nation. He was really brave to take up such an honorable spot with such a wise and humble attitude. He was nervous, no doubt, but the people of America had great faith in him. I think one of the best things he could have done was really make sure that the government was a government that really pleased God. With God’s help, he knew the country would be in good hands. It’s amazing how much faith the Americans put in George Washington. But, I guess they thought if he could lead them to victory against the British, he could lead them through ANYTHING. (160)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington set many precedents. In my opinion the most important one was how he would be addressed. If was addressed as majesty, or your highness It would have ruined the democratic society America strived to be. Without the title being set as Mr. President who knows what would have happened. The power might have gone to his head, shaping him into another fascist dictator. With this new power he could order that all British solders in America should be executed. Further presidents could order the execution of all British boy bands particularly ones involving directions. This precedent shaped America to the country it is today. (107)
ReplyDeleteIt is very clear that Washington knew that what he did in the office would be followed by for generations to come. I think his most important precedent was when he made the oath of "So help me God". This isn't only an oath that the president has to say, every time it is heard throughout the country, people are reminded of what this country was built on. When the video showed different presidents saying the oath from the different times, it shows that it is not something new, but is soothing that this country wants to hear. Without this, our country would forget what this country was built on and would be clueless where to find where their liberty came from. (122)
ReplyDeleteI think that the main thing that stood out was that good 'ol Georgey didn't want to be called " His Mightiness, His Excellency, His High-Mightiness, The President of The United States and Defender Of Our Liberties". This stood out to me because it showed that he was humble and really I think that that is the best precedant that he could have left us, the thought that the president should be a humble figure who should be not the main "star" of the country but instead a leader. I think that this is something that we have fallen away from and have looked at the president as the most powerful man in the United States, but lets face it, it takes more than a political star to rule a nation. Look at what happened with the Mafia! They almost took over the country themselves had we not stopped them! The president needs to look back in history to the first president and remember that a leader must be humble and not willing to rule, but to serve his country and people. (182)
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