[USA] - 1st President of the USA George Washington

George Washington	Birth: 22 February 1732
	Died: 14 December 1799
	Party: Federalist
	Presidency: 1789 ~ 1797
	Vice President: John Adams
	Nickname: Father of the USA

● The Constitutional Convention

After the Declaration of independence on 1776 on Great Britain, there were arguments over how to form the government structure for the colonial states of America. There was immense debate as each state should legislate their own law without intervention from the central government nor other states while keeping the central government strong enough to maintain the United States of America under the presidency.

 

 

On 25 May 1787, delegates gathered to sign the constitution. This is known as The Constitutional Convention. The new Federal Government was formed with 3 distinctive branches. The legislative branch consists of the House of Representatives and the senate. The Supreme Court led the judicial branch.

 

● George Washington’s military career

George Washington served in the French and Indian war, which was a major clash between France and Great Britain. Both countries had their own allied native American affiliates and colonial forces during this war. Due to his military experience, George Washington was designated to command the new Continental Army in 1775.

 

 

 Due to the unique and somewhat fragile structure of the Continental Army, George Washington’s main task was to keep the army rather than winning battles against Great Britain. George Washington may have faced more losses than victories, however his efforts to keep the Continental Army together eventually led to the victory against Great Britain.

 

● Cotton Gin & Slave Trade

Slave trades between Africa and North America started from the 1600's as the European powers colonized North America. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 increased the demand for slave labor in the South.

 

 

The cotton gin was about 30 ~ 50 times more productive compared with bare human labor without the cotton gin. Thus, plantations aggressively expanded from household production level to industrial levels thanks to the invention of cotton gin in the south. The demand of labor forces also increased along with the expansion of plantations. Most part of the Southern economy relied on this aggressive expansion of plantations and the slave labor that supported it.

 

● Hamilton and Jefferson

George Washington was part of the federalist party. The federalist party favored the power of a central government. Alexander Hamilton, who became the first secretary of the Treasury, was a radical federalist fearing that if the government lacked power, it would not achieve any goals of the government.

Alexander Hamilton

 

Thomas Jefferson was a part of the democratic-republican party that favored the power of states and limiting authority of the federal government to not oppress the people. Thomas Jefferson became the first secretary of State. Arguments over Hamilton’s ‘Doctrine of Implied Powers’ between Hamilton and Jefferson have long been a debate in the history of the United States of America even until present days.

Thomas Jefferson

 

● America’s foreign policy: Stay neutral

The French monarchy was almost bankrupt by 1789. Despite the emergency meeting of the Estates-General by a special parliament from the 3 classes, clergy, aristocracy and the common, conflicts among the classes were not resolved. Eventually Parisians stormed the Bastille Prison which became the start of the French Revolution.

 

 

The French monarchy collapsed and king Louis XVI was executed. Many European monarchs including Great Britain feared the idea of liberalism which started to spread throughout Europe. European countries including Great Britain formed the ‘first coalition against France’ and the French Revolutionary War (Great French War) began. While politicians like Alexander Hamilton supported France, others like Thomas Jefferson disagreed in joining the war in Europe and insisted on remaining neutral. 

 

 

George Washington decided to remain neutral during the war. Even though the United States of America remained neutral, the relations with the European countries were inconvenient. The United States of America already signed a treaty between France to defend the French West Indies if France was to engage in war with Great Britain. However, the US government claimed the treaty was obsolete because the treaty was between the France monarchy and king Louis XVI who was executed during the revolution. The British also boarded and inspected numerous American ships during the French Revolutionary War, provoking the U.S. government.