George Washington the \"Indespensable Man\"?

¶ … George Washington the "Indespensable Man"?

It is clear as daylight that the American Revolutionary War was one of the most important events in the entire history of the United States. Millstone of the official birth of the American people, it is also the sheer proof that the Americans can successfully deal with any historical challenge. And such a significant event could not have evolved and thrive without the guiding hand of a strong character, a charismatic leader, a man of vision. For that was the indispensable George Washington.

Washington has devoted almost his entire life to the patriotic cause, even before the America nation was born. His goal was to become a British officer; at just 22 years of age he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia Regiment and fought against the French, in the French and Indian War that took place in 1754. A year later he was commissioned commander in chief of all Virginia forces by General Dinwiddie. His early experience as a surveyor of rural lands gave him the opportunity of acquiring vital information regarding the geography of the Virginian terrain; this and the command experience attained during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) represented a rock-solid foundation for the victories scored during the American Revolutionary War between 1775 and 1783: the Boston Tea Party, Saratoga and Yorktown were, perhaps, Washington's greatest military conquests.

Although he proved himself brave and worthy of becoming an officer, British officers were not thrilled with the idea of an American to secure such a commission and thus never gave him such title; so he left the army to become a politician.

After marrying the rich widow Martha Dundridge Custis, with the help of her fortune and his own struggles to increase the size of their lands Washington was elected to the Virginia provincial legislature, the House of Burgesses, in 1758.

He first took a leading role in the American's resistance against the British in 1769, when he proposed to the people of Virginia to boycott the imported British goods until the Parliament revoked the Townsend Acts.

His military experience, field knowledge and leadership skills left him with no real rival to the commission of Commander of the American forces. His era had begun.

He reorganized the army and managed to make the British surrender at Yorktown on October 17, 1781. Although not by far a brilliant Tactician, often planning and organizing field operations that his unskilled and untrained soldiers could not accomplish, he managed nevertheless to succeed in his overall strategy that consisted in regular army ideas and visions.

As president he proved himself to be a good administrator. His clear-cut vision of the responsibility of the first executive government office of the United States helped organize the country in a very short interval of time. He was unanimously elected president in 1789 by the Electoral College, the only president in the history of the United States to have been elected with unanimity.

His great prestige convinced all 13 states to ratify the United States' new Constitution, although Washington himself did not take part in the debates that took place at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, regarding the Constitution's articles. He attended the debates but only indulged himself in voting for and against various articles.

In 1789 the judiciary Act was ratified. It was a revolutionary statute that established the U.S. federal judiciary, and by that lead to a lot of debate and controversy - it created the Supreme Court and gave the Congress authority to establish inferior courts. Its 4th to 8th amendments were largely criticized by Anti-Federalists, who regarded what would alter become the Bill of Rights as too strong of a judiciary and tyranny-supporting.

Although influential and wise, Washington was not by far blinded by his own success and remained faithful to the American cause until the end. When appointed commander of the American forces he reluctantly accepted, declaring to John Adams that he did not feel worthy of the honor of commanding the American troops.

Washington was precisely aware of the burden that lay on his shoulders along with his new assignment. Any decision the new government took, it had to take with innumerable cautions. Its effects would have impact on the political decisions of all future generations; any mistake could have had disastrous consequences for the ones to come. Regarding the matter, the president at some point wrote to James Madison that given the historical circumstances and precedents his presidency constituted, he preferred that all decisions be made on a moral basis.. Washington couldn't have been more right; for instance, his refusal to serve a third term, in 1797 became common practice until today. The norm states that no other president could seek power for more than two terms.

His huge burden derived not only from the great amount of social changes that were to take place and not only from the laborious political measures and laws that had to be adopted; as first president of the newly-born nation, he was also to become the symbol of the ones he presided over.

People have always felt the need to use symbols as a means to reinforce their belief in being an integrated part of a community. As Edmund Morgan explains in his book "The Meaning of Independence," "the creation, manipulation and recognition of symbols has been central to human history and seems somehow essential to the formation of human community. Coats of arms have helped kin recognize each other as part of a unity transcending their families and themselves." George Washington later gained the name of Father of the Nation, immortal symbol of the people and nation that were then born. He is also one of the three most influential and acknowledged presidents that the United States have had.

Systematic and brisk, the president held regular cabinet meetings and made decisions only after having thoroughly analyzed and discussed every aspect and issue of a matter.

Although he has never been a member of any political party and neither did he support the idea of the creation of such political gash, Washington has always somehow embraced the Federalist principles. Secretary of Treasury James Madison was one of Washington's most trusted acquaintances.

The Treaty of Paris in 1783 stated the independence of the United States of America and from then on things would take on a different turn.

Although largely criticized by Jeffersonians for the Jay Treaty with the British, Washington stayed true to his beliefs. Given the freshly-won freedom of his people, he was wise enough to avoid a new military confrontation with the Empire. He thus chose to set the foundation of a strong new nation, one capable of standing on its own feet. The stake was huge: having just come out victorious from the Revolutionary War, the newly-acquired freedom was something most did not know how to handle or manage.