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George Washington as America's Greatest Leader Essay

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George Washington as America's Greatest Leader

An independent country requires a strong, wise and dignified administration to guide a highly emotional population through a tough phase while establishing a stable relationship with other nations. At the same time, the first president, guided by his administration, must create a charter to govern the nation. Being the first president of the United States of America and a new face on the world stage, George Washington along with his administration created an excellent blueprint for the recently formed nation. Washington was successful as the first president because his administration maintained peace and neutrality in European affairs, consisted of men …show more content…

He simply declared neutrality by saying that he believed "that France had actually started the war." [3]

Following Washington's decision to avoid France's war, Washington found himself in a situation with the French minister to the United States, Edmond Charles Genet. The new minister arrived in the United States in April 1793 and at once began to hire recruiting agents and to commission privateers for war on English shipping. Again, President Washington declared his neutrality, but this time he clearly said to both England and France that he would not aid either, and he even asserted America's right to trade freely with both.[4]

Peace and neutrality between the United States and Europecontinued throughout Washington's presidency and beyond. Washington realized that through his decision it was finalized that Europeans did not interfere in American affairs and vice versa. The Europeans would no longer be an immediate threat, but Washington did not overlook them. In his Farewell Address in 1796, Washington stated:

"While then every part of our country thus feels an immediate and particular interest in union, all the parts combined cannot fail to find in the united mass of means and efforts greater strength, greater resource, proportionally greater security from external danger, a less frequent interruption of their

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