From Washington to Trump

Rachel Munro

Early America: U.S. History

22 April 2018
Rachel Munro

Professor Zuccarini

Early America: U.S. History

22 April 2018

From Washington to Trump

One of the most unique characteristics of the United States is the politics of our

presidents. Throughout the years each president has been making America a better, stronger

nation. George Washington began the presidency line to begin our country’s journey; today, our

current president, Donald Trump plans to make America great again. Although from the

beginning of a president’s role to today have seldom changed, the way of the president’s journey

has been an exciting ride! It is interesting to discover how the United States began the presidency

and to observe how the early presidency effected our presidency today.

Washington was a young man with exemplary leadership qualities and boundless

potential. It began with the French and Indian War, which earned him a well-respected,

reputation as a leader to the colonies. It was no question who the leader of the Continental Army

would be (Module 6, 6-7). President Washington was the definition of a person who was elected

by the people and for the people. Our nation had an overwhelming love for this strong, yet

humble, ruler. He turned down the crown of America for the provision of democracy. Many of

Washington’s decisions and the early presidencies affect the political world today.

The reason the president’s role is so effective and respected is because of the early

presidents carving a path to have a government system better than any other nation in the world.
Once Washington became president, he chose his department heads. He selected Thomas

Jefferson as secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton of treasury, and Henry Knox of war. The

legislature was required to approve of his choices; this is similar to the procedure of today. The

president will chose his cabinet, then the Senate will either accept or reject his decision.

Washington’s cabinet had their share of differences and split apart during his second term, which

is common in today’s world of politics too (Module 11, 2). Presidents are only allowed to serve

two terms; this originated when Washington resigned after his second term (Module 11, 3). The

first election that allowed candidates to run on the local, state, and national level was in 1796.

The election of 1796 was the root of divided parties. In politics today, registered voters vote

based on their adherence to the political party of their preference (Module 12, 3).

“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the

purpose of profiting by dearly brought expiriences.” –George Washington. Our nation benefits

daily from every presidential experience from Washington to Trump; it is beneficial to ascertain

how the United States began the presidency and to perceive how the early presidency effected

our presidency today in order to bring us a better tomorrow. Washington was a born leader who

was destined to lead our country to greatness. He proved his skill as a general and a commander

in some of our nation’s wars. He set an excellent example of how a president should be, which

we still strive for and achieve in modern times. Some examples are resigning the presidency to

prioritize democracy and carefully appointing a cabinet that is approved by the senate. The

political parties was a significant element that began with the election of 1796 and is still

substantial today.

Why does George Washington matter to people today? The politics of the presidency has

influenced my sense of responsibility and contributing role towards the betterment of society
because now that I am of age to vote I will compare the good and bad qualities of previous

presidents as I will be making a decision on the president during the next election. Our

knowledge of history enables citizen to make the wisest and most effective choices in the future

(Mcneill, 1). This part of our nation’s history teaches us to push onward, distinguish past

inaccuracies and learn from them, and form a better tomorrow (Postma, 1). Hodge states (1),

“We look to the past to understand the present, and so they did, we construct appeals regarding

how things should be based on how they have been.” Washington matters to people today

because history affects what politics should be now.

Works Cited