George Washington's Influence On Government

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George Washington’s presidency had a great effect on the future government, as well as America’s actions at the time. Washington made some brilliant decisions, whereas others may not have made the decision that was in the best interest of the United States of America. The nation was just starting out, and Washington had to choose which actions would be best for both the current and future fates of the nation. Washington had to set an example through wars, rebellions, and treaties, while preserving our country along with his own opinions. Washington set standards for military personnel and military leaders. To be a good leader, military personnel must be smart and resourceful. To be a great leader like George Washington, military personnel …show more content…
Many see him as a war general who led the United States to victory during the revolutionary war. However, Washington played a rather large role in creating the Constitution. Although he rarely spoke at Constitutional Conventions, and never went to public debates, his support was widely known; and he privately argued for the ratification of the Constitution. Everyone knew Washington was predicted to win the election, leading to a majority of the Constitution being based off of him. The convention voted on whether to have a board of three ruling or one, singular, executive. It was decided to have one president because the first one was going to be George Washington (Kladky). They proposed a strong wide-ranging power go to the executive (president) of the United States. Despite the public’s disapproval of one singular executive, the decision was still made, as lawmakers had learned from the mistakes from the Articles of Confederation. A journalist reported "the powers to be given to a president [were shaped] by the opinions of Washington's virtues.". Washington is also known to have said "it is the best constitution that can be obtained.” While waiting and trying to persuade people to ratify the constitution, Washington believed we needed a ruling party to account for people’s failures. Although Washington did not want to attend these meetings because he did not want to seem to be grasping for power, he was the obvious winner due to the trust he had gained being in charge of the military during the revolutionary war. As a result, the presidency was written with Washington's honor and nationalistic ways in mind, allowing him to more clearly define the office once he was elected. After the Convention, Washington's strong support of this new system of government convinced many to vote in favor of ratification. The Constitution was signed in September of