Washington proved to be a better general than military strategist. His strength lay not in his genius on the battlefield but in his ability to keep the struggling colonial army together. His troops were poorly trained and lacked food, ammunition and other supplies soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter.
However, Washington was able to give them the direction and motivation. His leadership during the winter of at Valley Forge was a testament to his power to inspire his men to keep going. Over the course of the grueling eight-year war, the colonial forces won few battles but consistently held their own against the British. In October , with the aid of the French who allied themselves with the colonists over their rivals the British , the Continental forces were able to capture British troops under General Charles Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown.
This action effectively ended the Revolutionary War and Washington was declared a national hero. However, in , he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and head the committee to draft the new constitution. At first Washington balked. He wanted to, at last, return to a quiet life at home and leave governing the new nation to others. But public opinion was so strong that eventually he gave in.
The first presidential election was held on January 7, , and Washington won handily. Because Washington, D. While in office, he signed a bill establishing a future, permanent U. The United States was a small nation when Washington took office, consisting of 11 states and approximately 4 million people, and there was no precedent for how the new president should conduct domestic or foreign business.
Mindful that his actions would likely determine how future presidents were expected to govern, Washington worked hard to set an example of fairness, prudence and integrity.
In foreign matters, he supported cordial relations with other countries but also favored a position of neutrality in foreign conflicts. Domestically, he nominated the first chief justice of the U. Supreme Court , John Jay , signed a bill establishing the first national bank, the Bank of the United States , and set up his own presidential cabinet.
His two most prominent cabinet appointees were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton , two men who disagreed strongly on the role of the federal government. Washington believed that divergent views were critical for the health of the new government, but he was distressed at what he saw as an emerging partisanship. He signed the first United States copyright law, protecting the copyrights of authors.
He also signed the first Thanksgiving proclamation, making November 26 a national day of Thanksgiving for the end of the war for American independence and the successful ratification of the Constitution. In his second term, Washington issued the proclamation of neutrality to avoid entering the war between Great Britain and France.
His meddling caused a stir between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, widening the rift between parties and making consensus-building more difficult. It helped the U. Internationally, it caused a stir among the French, who believed it violated previous treaties between the United States and France. The Treaty of Tripoli, signed the following year, gave American ships access to Mediterranean shipping lanes in exchange for a yearly tribute to the Pasha of Tripoli.
In , after two terms as president and declining to serve a third term, Washington finally retired. The address is still read each February in the U.
The Constitution still serves as the foundation for the United States government today. Washington won the vote, making him the first-ever president of the United States. John Adams received the second most votes and became vice president. He worked out how the nation would negotiate treaties with other countries. He decided how the president would select and get advice from cabinet members.
He also established the practice of giving a regular State of the Union speech, a yearly update on how the country is doing. He appointed federal judges and established basic government services such as banks.
As president, he also worked hard to keep the new country out of wars with Native Americans and European nations. Although Washington helped plan a permanent national capital, his presidency ended before the federal government moved to the city later named in his honor: Washington, D. After serving two back-to-back terms as president, Washington retired to Mount Vernon in He died two years later on December 14, After his death, he was praised as being "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.
Just in case. Presidents by Brianna Dumont, revised for digital by Avery Hurt. All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Learn about the vital role that Washington played during our founding. You can explore historic Mount Vernon from your home or classroom. Our new Virtual Tour includes degree panoramic images and clickable points of interest. Naturalization Act of Established rules to be followed in granting national citizenship Learn more. Learn more. This highly unpopular tax led to the Whiskey Rebellion.
Militia Acts of Two acts that allowed the President to call out the militia when threatened by foreign or domestic threats and created a more uniform and regulated militia structure.
Fugitive Slave Act of Made it a federal crime to assist an escaping slave and created a system that would return escaped slaves to their masters. Naval Act of Ordered that six frigates be built ex. Slave Trade Act of This law restricted American ships from participating in the Atlantic slave trade.
Jay Treaty Normalized trade relations with Great Britain, removed British forts along the western frontier of the United States, and resolved various debt related issues with Great Britain. Pinckney's Treaty This treaty of friendship with Spain also helped to clarify the borders between US and Spanish held territories in North America and opened the Mississippi River to American commerce.
Treaty of Tripoli Agreement to pay a yearly tribute to the Pasha of Tripoli in exchange for free, unmolested access to Mediterranean shipping lanes. President Washington never lived in Washington, D. Building the new nation's capitol 2. George Washington established the tradition of a cabinet of advisors While the Constitution calls for the creation of executive departments, it only explained that the heads of executive departments were unelected officials who had to answer to the president.
Washington signed into law the first copyright law On May 31, , President Washington signed the Copyright Act of into law. Learn More: Patents 4. Washington set precedents for the social life of the president Washington was concerned that the presidents of the Confederation Congress had been overwhelmed by visitors in the past.
Learn More: Presidential Entertaining 5. The first Thanksgiving Proclamation was issued by President Washington Days of thanksgiving were celebrated since the beginning of European settlement in North America. Learn More: Thanksgiving 6. Learn More: The Whiskey Rebellion 7. Washington vetoed only two bills while President Washington rejected both pieces of legislation based on ideological concerns and in each instance Congress was unable to overturn the veto. President Washington delivered an important address on religious tolerance at a Rhode Island synagogue On August 18, , congregants of the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island, warmly welcomed George Washington to both their place of worship and their city.
Teacher Resources. Watch the Video. Cabinet Members.
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