YhCzCmz9

1George Washington
2	George washington was a normal mortal man with normal human struggles. He isn't a cherry tree chopping saint that we think he is. He had his own personality, his own opinions, His own falters. He was a normal person before becoming a prominent leader in America. 
3	There wasn't much family to speak of for George Washington. There wasn't much interaction between him and his father, and while his mother lived to see him become a president, she never really cared. She didn't care what he achieved. In his later years, their relationship was nonexistent. His half brother, Lawrence, became his father figure. When his half-brother died, he inherited Mount Vernan. His other major influence was the Fairfax family. They gave George his first job. The Fairfax family were a big family in the area, so it was a big influence on George. There isn't much known about teenage George, but he was known to be “at least six feet two inches . . . [h]e had an athletic body.”(11) It's what let him get assigned to a post on the western frontier. A teenager with no military training is now learning how to be a soldier. It can be assumed that he was a fearless man even at a young age. Only a brave man could want to become a soldier in the wake of his brother's death. He could rest easy at his twenty five hundred acre estate, but he decided to have military experience. It's what shaped him for the future. It's grim, but his brother's death may have helped him become a president. His mother ignoring him may have also pushed him into the path of becoming a soldier. She was against him joining the navy, and she would probably be against this as well. George barely had a father, lost his brother, disapproving mother. It makes sense that his personality is shaped to fit the military. 
4	When he was in the military. He was simply an officer on the western frontier. In 1754, he is assigned to the task of protecting the Ohio country from a french threat. He didn't think he'd be overseeing the start of the French-Indian war, nor did he think he'd see a massacre at his hands. In may, He had been an aid to the the start of the war. Whether he shot first was irrelevant. This experience would shape Washington. In his time as an British officer, he learned how to fight like a native American. Hiding until the right time to strike. Even against large forces, a weaker army can win. They would attack at night when the enemy didn't expect it. This learning experience in George's officer days would shape how he fights in the revolution. Today, people view George like a saint, but he made mistakes. Arguably he may have started the french-Indian war, and he awkwardly placed his soldiers at fort necessity. It's why his force suffered a hundred casualties. He would claim that “the defenders of Fort Necessity were inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy . . . and the french commander . . . decided to call for a truce.”(16) This was basically a lie. The french only had 5 deaths. After this, the french considering Washington to be a dishonorable character. William Fairfax back home tried to argue for Washington, but George's regiment would be disbanded. George decided to resign that year. In the next year he would return to the army in their next effort to deal with the french in the occupied forts. Washington goes with General Braddock. Braddock fights like a classic European and its how he loses a majority of his men and his life. Washington considered it a blunder. He was used to the native way of fighting, so Braddock's strategy was a mistake in the Americas. Despite the loss, People considered George higher because he helped the survivors escape. His experience so far would almost give him the trait of never dying. 
5	With the victory of the revolution, Washington saw himself in a peculiar situation. He could have used his army to disperse the continental congress, but he doesn't do that. As a Virginian, he may have seen the congress as another dictatorship, but he believes in the republic. He however does say “if the powers of congress are not enlarged, and made competent to all general purposes. . . the band. . . which holds us together, will soon be broken.” (140) He may be virginian, but he definitely believed in expanding government. He really believed America would fall apart unless there was strong central government.  He was also incredibly loyal to his soldiers, and when congress would continue to make empty promises about paying soldiers, it would almost cement his almost sainthood to Americans. He was viewed as the hero of the revolution. He viewed the revolution differently than a lot of Americans. It wasn't just freedom from Britain, but it was a nation building experience. He didn't just want to create a similar dictatorship. He wanted to create a republic for the American people that avoided the pitfalls of the british government, but he wanted a government strong enough so that it could govern effectively. Despite his views on what government should be, he was rather silent at the constitutional convention. His lofty nature actually helped his stature as a monarchical figure. People wanted him to be the president. A part of Washington didn't want to be president, but he knew he had to do it. All electors voted for him. He wasn't chosen for his views, but almost for his stature. The way he acted at the convention, and his hero status from the revolution almost made him a sure fire choice. It isn't something he wanted, but he accepts the mantle nonetheless. The american people didn't want his beliefs or his platform, they wanted who Washington was as president; an almost king, but with no heirs. Not much happened during his presidency. Hamilton really ran things in the background. George kept looking like a lofty king, because that’s what the people wanted, and that was his greatest asset. In his second term, he faced a lot of complications; health complications and partisan problems. When he decided to retire, it was a sombering time for him. He was emotionally and mentally exhausted. In a draft of the farewell address he wanted to “pass quietly to the grave, and that his errors. . . may be cosigned to the tomb of oblivion.” (233) He really didn't enjoy his time as president or his experience with politics. He considered both terms to be his sentence for good behavior. He was the American hero, and this was basically his punishment. He just wanted to retire after his 45 years in the military, and he wanted to die quietly. Now he'll die with a huge burden of grief on his shoulders. He endured so many insults in his later years, and the only thing he gained in his presidency was grey hair. He didn't mind aging, He almost viewed them as golden years. George would write about sitting under the vines and fig trees of Mount Vernon. But he had to endure years of politics. Retirement to him was supposed to be his reward for his many years in the military, now its the sweet release from his presidency. John Adams even thought he heard George say “I'm out, you're in. Let's see who's happier.” George Washington may have been viewed a god, saint, and king, but really he's still that young officer in Ohio county. He wanted to achieve something in the military. His family all had something and the military was his goal. He especially wanted to retire to his estate like all the men in his family eventually do. George definitely wouldn't want to die in office in the executive mansion. It's likely why he resigned in his second term. He wanted to spend whatever time he had left in retirement on his estate. 
6	Americans during George Washington’s time viewed him like a king, but he's still that Virginian boy. Americans now view him like a god, but he's still a normal man with normal aspirations towards life, retirement and death. He had no lofty goals despite his lofty nature. George in the end was a mortal like the rest of us.