| There have been
several presidents that have led the United States
through its long history. One of them who is particularly
remembered for his governing skills and maintenance
of strict policies is George Washington.
Washington is remembered for his steadfast approach;
he knew what line of action to take even though
he had the best of men with him to control political
situations. Having Thomas Jefferson (secretary
of state), Alexander Hamilton (secretary of treasury),
Henry Knox (secretary of war), and Edmund Randolph,
there was not much he had to worry about. However,
this was not what Washington was; he knew when
he had to take a stance on an issue, and indeed
during the conflict between France and England
(1793) during his tenure, Washington took a neutral
foreign policy against those at logger heads.
It was during this period when Washington had
emphasized the need to maintain America’s
position politically as well as morally. This
is because it would help America to be recognized
as a nation that stood out in times of conflict
between other nations.
He emphasized on the core elements of ‘identity’,
‘strength’, and ‘dignity’.
In addition to this Washington wrote that his
aim was to keep America: “free from political
connections with every other country, to see them
independent of all, and under the influence of
none. In a word, I want an American character
that the powers of Europe may be convinced that
we act for ourselves, and not for others”
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 2004).
It is because of decisive actions such as these
that Washington came to be recognized by. However,
this is not only action that he is remembered
by. This may be said because of the fact that
he had taken the initiative to be a devoted from
day one of him being in office.
It is known that long before any serious political
crisis could arise during Washington’s tenure,
he was keen to evaluate and re-evaluate the affairs
of the country. This is the reason why he began
touring the country when he was first in office;
apparently his idea was not to enjoy his position
through site-seeing , but it was indeed a political
move to view the affairs of the state more closely
and oversee the way that processes were handled.
Though this was a necessary process as far as
governance is concerned, there were views of Washington
that were quite negative. These include views
of him being too sophisticated and giving himself
too much dignity that a king would be more deserving
of. However, it must be asserted that though as
a president Washington should have been more down-to-earth,
he had an approach to state leadership that was
different to conventional non-monarchal state
leaders.
He believed in principles such as ‘dignity’,
which he exemplified not only by his political
moves but also in every deed and action. It is
all these characteristics together that make George
Washington recognized as one of the republic's
greatest presidents.
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