Abraham Lincoln

Abe Lincoln

History Essay The United Sates declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Great Britain did not recognize its independence until, the Treaty of Paris, two years after the American forces defeated the Britain army at the siege of Yorktown. Since the Articles of Confederation were replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789, the United States has had forty-two different presidents. Among these presidents, two of the best have were George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. This essay will prove that George Washington was the greatest U.S. president of all time. There are certain attributes that good presidents have. It is said that "good presidents are always stubborn and disagreeable." 1 Along with those two qualities good presidents are intelligent, selfless, hard working, good communicators, good listeners, good problem solving tactics, determination, and they are able to recognize problems. George Washingtons rise to power started in 1732 when he was born, in Westmoreland, Virginia on his father's farm. He lived until 1799, when he died at the age of sixty-seven. He served as president from 1789 threw until 1797. When growing up, George received most of his education from his father and older brother. "When he was 17 he was named the surveyor of Culpeper County, this was the first public office position he held."2 When Washington was finished surveying, "in November of 1752, he was appointed the adjutant in the colonial militia. His first mission did not come until the following summer, when he volunteered to take a message from Governor, to the French commander. Following this mission he was brought to the kings attention, and he was given a lieutenant colonels commission."3 Washington showed his opposition to Britain started in 1759 when he became a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses. "He was known to be shy and reserved"4 but he opposed the British rules and regulations that they placed on the Americans and protested the Stamp Act and the Townshend act which in both cases placed taxes on people without consulting them. This was known as taxation without representation. After serving in the House of Burgesses for 15 years he was elected to the Continental congress. "On June 15, 1775 the Continental Congress unanimously elected him general and commander in chief of its army. They chose George because he was respected for his military abilities, his selflessness, and his strong commitment towards colonial freedom."5 General George Washington led his men and his country too freedom in the American war of independence. After 8 years of war, all George wanted to do was go back home too Mount Vernon and spend the rest of his life with his beloved wife Martha. Instead he ended up presiding over the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia. This is where he and delegates from the 13 colonies wrote the Constitution of the United Sates. This shows Washingtons desire to put what is best for the country before his on personal desires. This is a quality of a good president. Washingtons days as president began in 1789, along with the ratification of the Constitution. George was unanimously voted president along with Vice-president John Adams. What makes George Washington different from a lot of U.S. presidents is that he as careful not to overstep the limits of his branch of government. He respected the independence of the legislative and judicial branches of government. "Also, because he was the first president he was especially anxious not to set any dangerous trends that following presidents might abuse. In fact, Washington rejected a movement by his fellow officers to make him King of the United States."6 Washington had a conservative outlook. "He made his cabinet with a balance of Liberals and Conservatives."7 George was determined to be a strong and fair leader of his country. This is another quality of a good president. In Washington's first term as president, "he added the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. This was an amendment that Washington knew the people desired. This specified the unalienable rights of American citizens."8 This showed that he was able to recognize problems and respond in a way favorable to everybody. Like every other new government Washington and his colleagues had trouble raising revenues. Congress gave Washington a bill that called for Tariffs on imports and exports, which Washington signed. With the money that was being raised from tariffs a new bill was brought too Washington for a signature. This was the bank bill. This bill was supported by Alexander Hamilton but was not supported by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson stated that the bill was unconstitutional because the constitution did not give the government the power to establish a national bank. Hamilton said that the National bank was needed to help the government