George Washington

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the legacy of leadership, compromise, vision and obstacles that created the Washington Presidency and the lasting impact George Washington has had on every succeeding American presidency since his term.

From the Paper:

"Who was George Washington? We all know about his generalship. It was his fairness in straddling the various arguments about the Constitution and not really taking sides that "it was assumed that Washington would be the first President, but the Convention, not anticipating the rise of a two-party system, expected a free-for-all after the General." George Washington was, in effect a sort of buffer between the known of the past, and the unknown of the new nation in the future. As James Madison put it: "We are in a wilderness without a single footstep to guide us." Washington was a known quantity and quality, Benjamin Franklin, who might have seemed a more logical choice, was too old, and the rebellious Madison and Jefferson were too young, and too liberal in many ways. Washington became the obvious consensus President."

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