George Washington Essay free essay sample

As a soldier George Washington demonstrated enough courage to become the commander of the Virginia troops that defended the states western frontier during the French and Indian War. He was also a successful tobacco planter at his family plantation. In 1787 Washingtons concerns about the crumbling of the nation prompted him to serve as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He presided over the convention and his support was very important to the ratification of the newly proposed Constitution. In 1789, Washington became the first president of the United States. He served two terms guiding the new government through the organization of the executive branch, founding the nations capital, and opening the west for settlement. George Washingtons stance toward slavery changed as he grew older. George Washington was a slave owner himself since the age of 11. Like a Virginia plant owner he lived off of slavery and his views were very conventional. We will write a custom essay sample on George Washington Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In letters he is shown to be humane and caring towards his slaves but in others shown as a Virginia Slave owner. By the time of his presidency, he mostly believed that slavery was wrong and against the principles of the new nation. As President, Washington did not lead a public fight against slavery because he believed it would tear the new nation apart. Abolition had many opponents especially in the South. George Washington feared that if he took such a public stand, the southern states would withdraw from the Union. He thought he had worked too hard to build the country and then risk tearing it apart. In his private life, Washington could and did lead by example. In his will, he arranged for all of the slaves he owned to be freed after the death of his wife, Martha. He also left instructions for the continued care and education of some of his former slaves, support and training for all of the children until they came of age and continuing support for the elderly. In 1792, George Washington exercised the first presidential veto of a Congressional bill. The bill introduced a new plan for dividing seats in the House of Representatives that would have increased the amount of seats for northern states. In the end, after consulting with his cabinet, Washington, who came from the southern state of Virginia, decided that the plan was unconstitutional because, in providing for additional representatives for some states, it would have introduced a number of representatives higher than that in the Constitution. George Washington believed that all human beings possess natural rights. He believed the purpose of the government was to protect the rights of individuals. The challenge of human government is that the government must be able to control the governed, but at the same time it must control itself. In order to ensure that government protects, but does not threaten, individual rights, the government must be limited by a constitution or written law. As a private citizen, Commander in Chief, and President of the United States, George Washington repeatedly demonstrated his respect for the principle of the rule of law.