George Washington (1732-99), held a distinct and unquestionable place in history for being the first ever president of the U.S.. He also played a pivotal role when he became the commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution. But perhaps, Washington's greatest influence is not in his position but in his characteristic as a person.
Washington is known to possessed valuable virtues needed to run a vast country. Washington is believed to have represent discipline, nobility, military convention, and persistence amidst obstacles. His contemporaries considered these traits as hallmarks of a great leader and mature political leadership. His very character defined the presidency, giving the critical position a face and a model it so desperately needed.
Washington, born on Feb. 22, 1732, in Westmoreland Co., Va., was the eldest son of Augustine Washington (1694?-1743), a Virginia planter, and Mary Ball Washington (1708-89).
Despite his lack of formal schooling, he managed to educate himself and expand his horizons by reading books in geography, military history, agriculture, deportment, and composition, surveying and simple mathematics. Later in life, his style of speech and writing was always praised for its distinct clarity and strength.
Washington had a place in shaping the intellectual life of the American nation. By his very traits and examples, he offered a very tangible proof of the importance of the citizen soldier, the broad-minded gentleman farmer, and the pragmatic nationalist who helped stabilized the culture and politics of the young republic.
After Washington's death, Mason Locke Weems, an Episcopal clergyman, extolled the president's virtues in a book he wrote about the life of Washington. He wrote, Washington had a soft spot for children. He was a great man blessed with the virtues such as honesty, piety, hard work, patriotism, and wisdom. This book narrated the story on how Washington as a boy refused to tell a lie to be able to avoid the punishment for cutting down his father's cherry tree.
Washington's influence went beyond the position. He is considered as the ultimate symbol of American identity the same way as the flag, the Constitution, and the Fourth of July.
In the 1920s we see a lot of biographies that served as expose of American personalities such as those written by American author Rupert Hughes (1872-1956). His books depicted a negative image of Washington, which served to confuse the Americans' on their understanding of national origins.
The excessive praise and the unfair criticisms on Washington failed to grasp the true meaning or the importance of the person. Washington's capacity to lead coupled with his personal principles was what the men and women of his generation truly required. Historians, who examined the ideas of the Founding Fathers and the warfare in the Revolution, have concluded that Washington's specific contributions to the New Nation were not given the prominence he truly deserved in the earlier scholarship.
The core of George Washington's noble beliefs is summed up in the following texts:
“. . . the foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable [unchangeable] principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens and command the respect of the world. . . . there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity. . .
George Washington's First Inaugural Address, 1790
John adams (1735-1826), is better known for his political accomplishments. He served as the second president (1797-1801) and first vice president (1789-1797) of the U.S.,. He also led the movement for independence. In his presidency, an obvious rivalry with fellow-Federalist Alexander Hamilton existed. There were also controversial issues involving government measures adopted to control political opposition. A crisis in U.S. relations with France also occurred during his term due to the divisive XYZ Affair.
Adams, born on Oct. 30, 1735, in Braintree (now Quincy), Mass., was born to a privileged family. The Adamses had lived in Braintree since 1638. His mother belonged to a wealthy Boston family, the Boylstons. Because of the family's wealth, John Adams was able to attend Harvard College. He graduated in 1755. He embarked into a law profession. His profession enabled him to overcome timidity and he developed into a powerful speaker and a competent advocate. When he was 29, Adams married Abigail Smith, a woman he considered his best friend and an equal.
Adam's contributions to the New Nation though were not considered prominent. He is often cast in a supporting role in the major events of his day that led to the birth of the New Nation. But, if considered wholly, John Adam's contributions to the formation and growth of the independent United States may be even more than that of his counterparts, more than the other Founding Fathers of his day. He was fiercely independent. He fought his own party and the opposing party to preserve his independence or ability to choose. Adam, despite political pressures never used, the much-disputed Alien and Sedition Acts that further alienated him from his political affiliations.
His political philosophy, firm stand and unwavering dedication to the pursuit of liberty, he influenced events during his days. His multitudes of writings, where he expressed a clear, personal view and chronicling the birth and infancy of America, served as rich legacy for future Americans.
It is not enough to extend gratitude to John Adam's accomplishments and limit it within the boundaries of one presidential term. John Adam's voice resonated all across the two centuries of history that he influenced because of his genius and undeniable patriotism.
