THE FIRST PRESIDENT'S BIG JOB
George Washington had a big job to do. His job was to help the individual states work together to become one nation. While Washington was president, he visited states in New England and in the South so that many people could meet and see him. People in many different places knew he was working for them.
Washington organized the government into departments so it would run smoothly. He let Congress make laws, but he made decisions about working with other countries. In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned the United States against involvement overseas.
Washington helped plan a capital city for the new country. It would be named after him -- Washington, D.C. He never lived there because both the city and the President's home were still being built when he died.
The next year, after a triumphal journey from Mount Vernon to New York City, Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall. During his two precedent-setting terms, he governed with dignity as well as restraint. He also provided the stability and authority the emergent nation so sorely needed, gave substance to the Constitution, and reconciled competing factions and divergent policies within the government and his administration. Although not averse to exercising presidential power, he respected the role of Congress and did not infringe upon its prerogatives. He also tried to maintain harmony between his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, whose differences typified evolving party divisions from which Washington kept aloof.
Yet, usually leaning upon Hamilton for advice, Washington supported his plan for the assumption of state debts, concurred in the constitutionality of the bill establishing the Bank of the United States, and favored enactment of tariffs by Congress to provide federal revenue and protect domestic manufacturers.
http://www.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/gw1/about/washingt.htm
2006-12-31 03:01:09
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answer #1
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answered by ????? 7
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Organized the first United States Cabinet and the Executive Branch
The United States Cabinet (usually simplified as "the Cabinet") is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first American President (George Washington), who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his duties. Cabinet officers are nominated by the President and then presented to the United States Senate for confirmation or rejection by a two-thirds majority.
2006-12-31 02:53:55
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answer #2
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answered by Honey!! 5
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I would suggest you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_washington#Presidency:_1789.E2.80.931797 to give you some of the basic information on his two terms as President.
Good Luck!!!
2006-12-31 02:59:47
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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