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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

George Washington - Part 5 of 5


Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

Before I get to the last part of my George Washington paper, I wanted to remind everyone that we will be at Sturbridge Village this weekend. It should be a lot of fun, and a great family activity. If you come out, be sure to come visit the First New Hampshire, we would love to see you! If you want more information click on my topic "Upcoming Events" and you will see a previous post I made regarding the event. Hope to see you there!


Ability to Lead Change
George Washington, as a disturbance handler, did what he could to keep peace among his people. There was an instance in 1794, which they called the Whisky Rebellion. The farmers on the west side of the Appalachian Mountains found it difficult to transport their wheat to the east. So they distilled their wheat into whiskey, and they found it much more profitable and easier to transport. The New Government proposed a tax on the whiskey, once the farmers heard about the tax, they revolted in protest. Washington gathered militia from a few different states, raising an army of 12,000 volunteers. He then brought his troops into the rebellious areas and calmed them with no actual fighting.

The Whiskey Rebellion was just one incident that showed how far Washington had taken the country. They had created a culture where when someone felt that they were being wronged, they spoke up and acted out. But Washington had also garnered the respect of the people and by doing so, they would follow him anywhere. When he called upon them to help him with this issue, they came by the thousands. They were able to quiet the situation without further fighting. Eventually the taxes were lifted and the government was able to get by on the taxes they levied on imports. But the American culture was proven that day. If you don’t like something change it with your actions, but don’t expect to get it by force. By being such a powerful leader, Washington was able to keep his newly formed country in line without compromising the ideals it was founded on.

Conclusion
The leadership skills of George Washington can be seen reflected in our own government today. Without his ability to rally his troops to make sure that his soldiers kept pressing on, if he didn’t have the charisma to get people to go past their breaking points, would we be who we are today? Washington was an effective leader who would not be walked all over. He had a shared vision for the country and he took pride in getting us there. He was humble; he did not even want to get paid for being president, since he was already independently wealthy. He did eventually accept payment for the position at the urging of congress since they did not want a precedent to be set of only the wealthy bring in charge. Washington also preferred to be called “Mr. President” to any other name, because he wanted the country to get as far away from the royal courts in Europe. Washington brought results; he helped to create a whole new nation, one that still exists in the same format 225 years later.


I hope you enjoyed my paper. I really enjoyed writing it. I believe I got an A on the paper, and I am glad of that. It was a lot of work trying to find information on the Leadership of George Washington. Here are some of the sources I used for this paper:

Works Cited
“George Washington.” The White House. February 1, 2008 [www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html].

Pheonix Masonry. February 1, 2008 [www.phoenixmasonry.org/washington_as_a_freemason].

Stazesky, Richard. The Papers of George Washington. February 1, 2008 [http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/articles/stazesky.html].

“General George Washington and his staff.” Netopia. February 1, 2008 [http://ebiz.netopia.com/learntolead/generalgeorgewashingtonandhisstaff/].

“The French and Indian War” Infoplease. February 1, 2008. [http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0861865.html].

“George Washington Speeches” History.com. February 1, 2008 [http://www.history.com/presidents/washington/speeches].

“The American Presidency” Encyclopedia Americana. February 1, 2008 [http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0410800-00].

“George Washington: The Soldier through the French and Indian War.” Historic Valley Forge. February 1, 2008 [http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/george1.html].

“The Whiskey Rebellion” US Department of the Treasury. February 1, 2008 [http://www.ttb.gov/public_info/whisky_rebellion.shtml].

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