George Washington: Problems and Solutions



George Washington: Problems and Solutions

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Defining the office of President

Washington's election and reelection were so clearly favored by the American populace that he faced no opposition. Among the precedents set by the first administration were an inaugural address, the stoic acceptance of criticism from Congress and the popular press, and the appropriation of authority in the matter of foreign affairs. Washington did not mean to establish a precedent, however, by stepping down after two terms; his reasons for doing so were personal. Washington never understood the necessity of the political parties that developed during his presidency and warned against partisanship. In filling the many offices created by the new government, Washington avoided making appointments on the basis of social standing, heritage, or friendship. His appointments advanced the idea that the best-qualified people should be tapped for office. He proved a good judge of talent, selfless in advancing such promising younger men as Hamilton and Jefferson. Washington appointed the first cabinet and persuaded Congress to give him authority to fire executive branch employees.

Paying off the Revolutionary War Debt

Washington supported Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton's Federalist financial plans. These plans included creating a national bank, consolidating [combining] the States’ Revolutionary War debts into one national debt, establish America’s credit by borrowing money from other countries, and raising taxes like the tax on whiskey. The whiskey tax led to a minor revolt in Pennsylvania, the Whiskey Rebellion, and Washington mobilized troops from neighboring states to quell the uprising. Washington’s support for Hamilton led to a bitter political fight between the Federalists and the growing Republican Party led by Jefferson. This fight grew more intense as America, under Washington, looked to gain favor with England through increased trade. This trade, however, would be conducted according to England’s policies, not America’s.

Foreign Relations

When France and England began fighting again, the president chose to remain neutral even as fellow patriots pointedly reminded him of France's important contribution to the American War of Independence. Elsewhere, harassment by Barbary pirates forced Washington to consider building an American navy. Within North America, agreements were made with Spain allowing American ships to navigate the Mississippi freely, allowing agricultural products grown around the Ohio River to reach the Atlantic port of New Orleans. England, however, caused Washington more problems as they refused to abide by the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783. England continued to station troops in America’s western territories, harassed American fishermen in the North Atlantic, refused free and equal trade agreements with America, and instituted a policy of impressment with American sailors.

The Slavery Issue

George Washington was a leader of a revolution that was one of history's greatest advances for individual liberty. Yet throughout his life, he denied liberty to others as a slaveholder and gained wealth from their labor. Washington accepted the legality of slavery and the property rights of slaveholders. He took steps to prevent some of his own slaves from running away to freedom when traveling to northern states. Realizing that the issue of abolition could well divide the young republic, he never made a public statement in opposition to slavery. Nevertheless, Washington's private correspondence shows that he had come to reject slavery, both for the human suffering it caused and on principle. He wrote, "I am principled against this kind of traffic in the human species." He came to see slavery itself as an immoral, if not illegal, institution. In the will he drafted in 1799, he provided for his slaves to be freed after his and Martha's death, and set up a fund to care for those who were elderly or infirm.

Presidential Report Card

Now that you know some of the problems that Washington faced as president, and how he addressed them, it is your job to grade Washington. You will create a report card for Washington grading him in the following “subjects”: Defining the office of President, paying the war debt, foreign relations, and the slavery issue.

For each issue, you will provide a grade (A, B, C, D, or F) based on your evaluation of Washington’s response to the problem. You will also write three comments that explain the grade that you gave (reasons why you gave Washington that grade?).

Your report card will include the following:

1. A cover with a title, your name, and some color (5 points)

2. Page One will focus on Defining the Office of President (1/2 point). You need:

A. The letter grade (1 point)

B. Three substantive comments that explain the grade that you gave Washington. Include both good and bad points in your explanation (6 points)

3. Page Two will focus on paying the war debt (1/2 point). You need:

A. The letter grade (1 point)

B. Three substantive comments that explain the grade that you gave Washington. Include both good and bad points in your explanation (6 points)

3. Page Three will focus on foreign relations (1/2 point). You need:

A. The letter grade (1 point)

B. Three substantive comments that explain the grade that you gave Washington. Include both good and bad points in your explanation (6 points)

4. Page Four will focus on the topic of slavery (1/2 point). You need:

A. The letter grade (1 point)

B. Three substantive comments that explain the grade that you gave Washington. Include both good and bad points in your explanation (6 points)

Grade:

See Rubric

George Washington Report Card Rubric

| | | |

|Requirement |Points Available |Points Earned |

| | | |

|Cover Page: |5 | |

|-Title | | |

|-Your name | | |

|-Color | | |

|Defining the Office of President |7 | |

|-Letter grade present | | |

|-Three comments in complete sentences | | |

|present | | |

|-Comments are substantive and clearly | | |

|explain the grade given | | |

| | | |

|Paying off the War Debt |7 | |

|-Letter grade present | | |

|-Three comments in complete sentences | | |

|present | | |

|-Comments are substantive and clearly | | |

|explain the grade given | | |

| | | |

|Foreign Relations |7 | |

|-Letter grade present | | |

|-Three comments in complete sentences | | |

|present | | |

|-Comments are substantive and clearly | | |

|explain the grade given | | |

| | | |

|Slavery Issue |7 | |

|-Letter grade present | | |

|-Three comments in complete sentences | | |

|present | | |

|-Comments are substantive and clearly | | |

|explain the grade given | | |

| | | |

|Neatness of writing/coloring, mechanics |5 | |

| | | |

|Report card is ordered according to the |2 | |

|directions. | | |

Total = ____________/40

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