George Washington - Father of our Country

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This installment of our Leaving a Leadership Legacy focuses on George Washington as Founding Father and first President of the United States.

"George Washington: First American President" Video Highlights:

• Washington set precedence for those who came after him followed.
• Appointed four well-known men (economic expert Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, Edmund Randolph as Attorney General), to help lead the new nation, establising the first Presidential Cabinet.
• Supported plans to set up a National bank to help pay off federal and states debts incurred during the war. Compromised with Southern states who had already paid off their debts by agreeing to build the federal Capitol (Washington D.C.) in the South.
• Rode into Pennsylvania with his army during the Whiskey Rebellion to show that armed rebellion in the new democracy would not be tolerated.
• Washington was a man of peace. When France went to war with Britian, Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality.
• Reluctantly served two terms and denied serving a third.

Another video "Fractured Union" (a 60-minute Windows Media Player video created with the generous support of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum & Gardens and the Fairfax Network) provides an excellent view of George Washington's relationships with fellow Founding Fathers and why he was selected as the first President of the United States.

Additional Resources:

• George Washington. Michael P. Riccards presentation for the Miller Center. (approximately 1 hour)
• George Washington's Farwell Address. MillerCenter.org.
• George Washington: The Reluctant President. Smithsonian.com. February 2011.