George Washington Setting the Standard (1789-92)

     George Washington was America’s first president, and he is fondly remembered by many. But that doesn’t necessarily make him the best president, many don’t know how to define that. Here let’s defer to the Constitution. According to the Constitution he was a great president; until his second term.

    Washington was definitely a war hero and was arguably a good guy, there’s a reason he became the first president. During Washington’s first term he was determined to uphold the Constitution whether that meant following his personal beliefs on the matter or not. He attempted to maintain this standard all throughout his presidency. In doing so he created presidents and traditions that many presidents followed such as stepping down after only two terms, creating a standard that was clearly opposing monarchical practices and upholding Constitutional values.

     In his second term Washington made a few big mistakes according to the Constitution. The first was the Neutrality Proclamation. Although the act itself may have been the right call, according to the Constitution it was not Washington’s call to make. A president has authority over a declaration after it has been made, such as in times of war, but he was never meant to have a say in the declaration. That has always been meant for Congress, but they were left out of this decision setting a bad standard for future leaders.

     Handling the Whiskey Rebellion was also not under the president’s jurisdiction. It is unconstitutional to send in law enforcement to fix a State problem unless the State governor requests that help. The Whiskey Rebellion wasn’t a big deal, but Washington sent in law enforcement to make the government look stronger. This also made them look sillier because there wasn’t anybody there to arrest when they got there, the governor didn’t ask for assistance because it was hardly an issue. Now presidents do this all the time and point to Washington.

     Lastly, the Bank. According to the Constitution if it doesn’t explicitly say it is under his authority, then it isn’t. The bank was supposed to be an option for individual States to instate. This way if the bank or economy fell or wasn’t working in one State, people could move or the State could ask for help from State neighbors who made better economic decisions. Washington messed this up when he listened to his Presidential Cabinet rather than looking at the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson disliked this idea, however, since this was a matter of money, Washington ultimately agreed with his secretary of treasury Alexander Hamilton.

     Now, banks have become so bad we have done away with the penny, presidents often send in their law enforcement as they please, and feel they have more sway in declarations. Looking at modern governance these mistakes are minor, but back then they weren’t because Washington was setting the stage, he made a few errors and got away with them and it caused a snowball effect most people don’t blink twice at anymore. Ultimately he was a good guy, and a good president, but he certainly wasn’t the best or most Constitutional.