This food ledger details the food ordered and the associated costs for one week in the Presidential household. Douglas Bradburn discusses Washington's views on the State of the Union and his perceived role as…. Learn More The Material Culture of the Presidency Eight objects from the Mount Vernon collection highlight how President George Washington used clothing and household furnishing to convey not only his own style and character, but the views of the young nation as well.
Additional Primary Sources Related to the Presidency. View the Collection. How did Regional Differences and State identities challenge the formation of the nation? He has also been criticized, along with other members of the founding generation, for his ownership of slaves.
At one point, he expressed the sincere desire to see "a plan adopted for the abolition" of slavery, but he backed away from initiating such a plan by looking to legislative authority for its conception and execution. While he provided generously for his slaves in his will, he did not free them in his lifetime.
Nevertheless, a year before his death he remarked to an acquaintance, "I can foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union. Except for these caveats, it is the substantial consensus among historians that Washington's tenure in office set the nation on a path that has endured now for over years, longer than any other republic in history. He established precedents that would last for generations and did more to flesh out the skeleton of the presidential office than anyone could have expected or predicted.
As one scholar has said, he "invented tradition as he went along. Moreover, because Congress did not challenge his appointments or his removal of appointees, principally out of respect for him, the tradition was planted to allow the President to choose his or her own cabinet. By his actions and words, Washington also set the standard for two presidential terms, a practice that lasted until When John Jay resigned as chief justice of the Supreme Court, Washington selected his successor from outside the bench, disregarding seniority and thus allowing future Presidents to draw from a diverse pool of talent beyond the Court's aging incumbents.
When the House of Representatives sought records related to negotiations surrounding the Jay Treaty of , Washington refused to deliver all the documents. In doing so, he set the precedent for invoking what became known as executive privilege. In leading federal troops against the Whiskey Rebellion, Washington presented a clear show of federal authority, established the principle that federal law is the supreme law of the land, and demonstrated that the federal government is empowered to levy and collect taxes.
Although he sponsored and supported legislative proposals submitted to Congress for enactment, he carefully avoided trying to dictate or unduly influence the judicial and legislative branches of the government. In not vetoing bills with which he disagreed unless there were constitutional questions, he set a precedent of executive restraint that would be followed by the next five Presidents. Moreover, by keeping Vice President Adams at arm's length—not even inviting him to attend cabinet meetings—Washington set the tradition by which the vice president's role is largely ceremonial.
Rising above conflicts between individual states, Washington created an atmosphere that allowed convention members to reach the compromises necessary to create a bold, new government. He stayed relatively quiet, allowing the delegates to debate the foundation of the Constitution amongst themselves.
While Washington held the belief that America should have a strong central government and a single executive leader, he did not allow his bias to sway the other delegates. Washington mainly participated to keep order and provide a deciding vote on a variety of proposals. After four months of intense debate, the delegates finally came to an agreement, and on September 17, , the Constitution as we know it was born.
Years before the convention, Washington expressed concern that the bold experiment he risked his life for would not succeed for want of lack of unity. In a letter to James Madison on November 30th, , Washington wrote that:.
While Washington feared disunion, his leadership during the convention ultimately succeeded in uniting the delegates, and the new nation, behind the idea of a new federal government. There was no blueprint for this monumental undertaking, but it ultimately produced one of the world's greatest political documents, the United States Constitution.
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