Phillips,+Brooke

Presidency Essay

 What makes a successful presidency? To make a successful presidency, you would need to be a good leader and a great problem solver. Someone who has a good attitude and somebody who can take the big responsibility should be president. I think that George Washington was the most successful president.  I believe this because he helped organize the Constitutional Convention in 1787. This then helped create the Constitution in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. He also joined the states together and helped establish the federal government. This was a big thing because we have been using this since Washington was alive. When the French Revolution led to major war between France and England, He insisted that the US would stay neutral. Just because he didn’t want us to die. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t necessarily a bad president, but he did make some bad mistakes. He had stopped all foreign trades which later damaged the economy. Jefferson also kept slaves which gave him a bad image to everyone. John Adams also wasn’t a very successful president. During his term, There was many issues; XYZ affair, Alien and Sedition Act, taxes were raised while he was in office. He also tended to have a nasty temper and mood swings. Both Adams and Jefferson was okay, but I think Washington was a much better president.  Differences existed between these 3 presidents on how they handled the complicated issues. Thomas Jefferson served in various capacities of the states government. He also had a lot of respect to the government. He was very comfortable of taking the presidency role, toward irrelevancy (a kind of ceremonial office that followed the general path taken by the British monarchy). Washington’s administration was the setting up of the new government under the Constitution. Washington used most of his time to work out the details of his office. He waited for Congress to present him with bills to make a law. He felt it was his duty as a president, to make a decision for the good of everybody. He never tried to influence congress when its considered a bill. Adams, however, most Americans can’t name a single accomplishment of him. But he kept the young nation from declaring war in France, which would have probably ended badly, and could of made Jefferson’s Louisiana purchase impossible.  American foreign policy shifts during these president terms. This included Federal assumption of State debts occurred during the Revolution. They established a national bank and an imposition of taxes. Jefferson resigned from Washington’s cabinet in 1793. Politics distracted Jefferson in Congress secured passage of the Alien Sedition Acts. Jefferson forcibly expressed the Alien Sedition Acts where he believed we were a first step in creating a monarchy were all the powers of the self government and transfers them to a general government. This was not for the peace, happiness or prosperity of these states.  From 1789 until 1809, the United States grew. After the Treaty of Paris, the US expanded west. The borders expanded seven times, with two major border adjustments. The original 13 states grew into 50 states which began incorporated territories. The regular pattern seen in the territorial expansion was from newly acquired land, modification of the borders and eventual statehood. Only Nevada and Missouri grew after statehood, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, lost land in each case to form new states.  In conclusion, during this time, the most successful president was George Washington. This was because of the ways he handled political issues, and the way he lead our country. During Adams, Jefferson, and Washington's  presidency, the US grew and changed a lot. So did the foreign policy. They all were not necessarily bad presidents, they just weren't as good as Washington.