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Exhibit Guide
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 Founding Generation > George Washington George Washington led the Continental Army while the Declaration of Independence was being drafted. Washington was elected president of the Constitutional Convention, and was unanimously elected the nation’s first President. A federalist, he served two terms trying to hold warring political factions together. Thoughts on the Constitution Washington knew that revising the Articles of Confederation was crucial to the nation’s future, but cautioned that "the honor, power, and true interest of this country must be measured by a continental scale; and that every departure therefore weakens the union, and may ultimately break the band which holds us together.” He reluctantly accepted the invitation to attend the Constitutional Convention, lacking confidence in its prospects. Washington advocated for a strong national government out of fear that individual states may become entangled with monarchial European powers in correspondence with Thomas Jefferson. Although he presided over the Convention, he did not publicly push for the document’s ratification. Privately, he advocated for its adoption without changes. Washington said that: “…The Constitution…is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable… We hope and believe…that it may promote the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all, and secure her freedom and happiness, is our most ardent wish.” The role and all of the powers of the president were not clearly defined in the Constitution. As the nation’s first president, Washington set the tone and many precedents for how the executive branch would function with the other branches of government. Thoughts on the Bill of Rights and personal liberties Washington recognized that many states agreed to ratify the Constitution with the inclusion of a bill of rights, so as president he pushed action on this quickly. Washington believed strongly in freedom of religion. At heart, Washington was against slavery but never made it one of his major causes during his lifetime. He freed his slaves in his will, an act which became official upon his wife’s death years later. Friends and Foes Thomas Jefferson, in recalling Washington’s commitment to the success of the republican government established by the Constitution, said “…he considered our new constitution as an experiment on the practicability of republican government, and with what dose of liberty man could be trusted for his own good; that he was determined the experiment should have a fair trial, and would lose the last drop of his blood in support of it.” George Mason was a friend of Washington’s up until the Constitutional Convention. Mason, an Anti-Federalist, refused to sign the Constitution because he wanted a bill of rights included. Washington never forgave him for that. Toward the end of his presidency, two political parties began to emerge, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republican parties. Washington thought that political parties were divisive and didn’t think the president should be involved in them. back to Founding Generation |
George Washington biography White House George Washington and the Constitution article George Washington Papers, University of Virginia The Papers of George Washington digital edition University of Virginia Rediscovering George Washington PBS.org General George Washington in Massachusetts 1775-1776: A Thematic Unit Using Primary Sources for Middle and High School Classrooms Massachusetts Secretary of State |
