...My topic matters to history because George Washington was an important historical figure that helped shape America today. My topic has made an impact on society because George Washington was the first president of the United States. But he learned most of his skills from his previous career as a war general. Few have investigated the assumption that Washington was a war general solely based on the fact that he had a military background and that he could help Virginia reunite the colonies. Many people assume that Washington did no greater good during his time as a war general. George Washington was the best war general in 18th century America. The significance of George Washington being a general cannot be overstated, particularly in the context...
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...documentaries, Pocahontas Revealed, was the closest to accurate historical thinking, followed by The Best George Washington, and coming in last was the Mystery Files: Joan of Arc. This was determined by how the information was presented and how much bias could be seen from the documentary. In Pocahontas Revealed, the documentary was about Jamestown during the 16-17th century when they first arrive. It mainly focused on the myth surrounding Pocahontas and John Smith during that time. The experts through the film debunked this myth with evidence that possible showed Pocahontas being taught how to be a chief once her father stepped down or died for the tribe. With the near-death-experience John Smith wrote about, the experts had assumed it was on Pocahontas to decide if John Smith lived or died, as a test in her training to become the chief. The documentary continued until when John Smith wrote about his time...
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...freedom. Our first president, George Washington, helped the thirteen colonies unite together to fight for those unalienable rights. He set the standard for all who would follow him, and showed great amounts of patriotism, leadership, selflessness, and so much more. George Washington was the best president the United States has ever seen and will ever see. Patriotism is one of the more obvious traits that make a good president a great one. This is one of the traits that Washington had in abundance. As Parry, Allison, and Skousen said, "He answered the call to return to the service of his country, sacrificing his own desires for the peace and safety of America" (605). Washington was a true patriot in and out; no one could deny it. It is because of that dedication and loyalty to our country that the United States started out so...
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...George Washington, also known as the first president of the United States was a well known and highly favored man. Although he didn’t have much interest, many individuals felt he made a perfect fit. When election day came Washington received unanimous votes, leaving him with an offer he simply could not refuse. After becoming president Washington endured many conflicts that divided Americans politically, drove a wedge between the northern and southern states, and challenged the authority of the new nation. Americans began to split politically for many reasons. One included the initiation of the National Bank suggested by Alexander Hamilton. Many disagreed with his proposal including a man by the name of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson felt the national bank would cause dangers and wrongs in the government. He then stated “ to [grant it] a power to make laws [superior] to the laws of states … [is wrong]. (Document...
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...country that was formed in the 1700s. This country has progressed massively over the past 150 years. We have developed the best country in the world. Imagine how good we are right now, we have the best Military, health care, technology, Athletes, and we have a huge, strong economy. Now take these facts and reverse then to what we would be if we were still under British rule. My my all we have is the 13 colonies and the United Kingdom. ⅙ of the Military we have now. Not as good health care, technology, or economy. We broke away, and I guarantee, that if we didn't have George Washington we want would still be under British rule. George Washington is the most important person in American History. One of the reasons that George Washington was the most influential American in History was his...
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...Britain. Tom Pain states that, “it is only common sense that an island can not rule a continent (pg.3).” Many assumed that it was only natural that the thirteen colonies govern themselves. They figured that it would be a peaceful break such as the gaining of independence for Ghana or Canada. It was not until later on that the colonies realized that Britain would not easily hand over the land. What I find interesting is that only the Founding Fathers seemed to realize the great events taking place during their time. John Adams even instructed his wife to file and keep all of his records. It is as if he knew that hundreds of years from then, we the future Americans would look back at his notes and recognize his greatness. This makes me wonder why they were so sure of themselves. The Americans were at a disadvantage during the beginning of the war. How was it that they seem so certain that the war would end up in their favor? Ellis backs up my point by stating, “Men make history…, but they can never know the history that they are making (pg.4).” Every event in life can go two ways: really good or really bad. If the British were to take the...
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...prominent lawyer for his time. He was born in Braintree, Massachusetts on October 30, 1735 oldest to john and Susanna Boylston. His father was a farmer and shoemaker who served as a Congregationalist deacon and an official in local government. John was a teacher for several years until he decided to further his education at Harvard law in 1758 then decided to practice law under James Putnam. In 1764 he married Abigail smith a minister’s daughter. They had 6 children together. In the mist of all that was going on in the colonies Adams began challenging Great Britain’s authority. “He came to view the British imposition of high taxes and tariffs as a tool of oppression, and he no longer believed that the government in England had the colonists’ best interests in mind” (network, 2014) Adams was one of few that spoke out against the stamp act and Townshend acts. He didn’t believe that the British were not thinking about the people he was just caring about the profit. Both of these acts against the colonies taxed all legal documents, newspapers and playing cards, glass and tea. All these were imported to America, these acts angered the colonists. Even though he was a prominent leader in revolutionary time he still believed that everyone deserved a fair and equal trial. This was the reason he was the lawyer to represent the British soldiers in the trial in March of 1770. The soldiers were accused of firing shots into an unruly crowd of civilians in Boston which ended up killing five...
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...nation's destiny. He did research in twenty-five different libraries, archives, and special collections. He even went to several historical sights in the United States and the United Kingdom to make sure that all of his facts were correct and to give the best depiction of what happened in the year 1776. Throughout the book, McCullough puts a huge emphasis on specific military figures, such as General Charles Lee, John Sullivan, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox,...
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...As the first president of the United States, George Washington had a lot of responsibilities, but when it came to the end of his presidency he still had many things to tell the citizens. Washington decided to write an address to warn the citizens of what dangers might threaten the nation and what to do to protect them from division and war. George Washington wrote about staying together as a nation, staying neutral, and following the rules in the constitution and why these three ideas will help our nation. The first thing Washington talked about was to stay together as a nation. Washington stated that it was important for the nation to stay together and he explained how they could accomplish this goal. He said that in order to stay...
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...1. Washington created the first Presidential Cabinet. Who was on the Cabinet, and what Departments did they represent? Who is on the Cabinet today, and what Departments do they represent? The first Presidential Cabinet members: April 30, 1789-March 3, 1793 (Term 1) Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Knox, Secretary of War Edmund Jennings Randolph, Attorney General Reference: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636381/George-Washington/24515/Retirement Cabinet members today: Joseph R. Biden, Vice President of the United States Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Department of State Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, Department of the Treasury Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Department of Defense Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Department of Justice Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar, Department of the Interior Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, Department of Agriculture Acting Secretary Rebecca Blank, Department of Commerce Secretary Hilda L. Solis, Department of Labor Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Shaun L.S. Donovan, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ray LaHood, Department of Transportation Secretary Steven Chu, Department of Energy Secretary Arne Duncan, Department of Education Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Janet A. Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security The following positions have...
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...George Washington was a great man of example. The legacy he left behind has yet to be matched. From his fear of God and self-control to his experiences as leader of an unlikely army and first president of the United States, He has emerged a great example to quote, admire and to learn from. No wonder why some have named him “The Father of His Country.” He was not always considered worthy of such a title. Biographies of his life show us that he was just a man like us. He still made mistakes and had errors. Despite this, he had the ability to learn, adapt and succeed. Leading the Continental Army, Washington was not the most experience general the Continental Congress had to choose from. Washington even admitted that in his opinion, he was not qualified to be the Commander and Chief of the Army. Nevertheless, he learned how to be a general by choosing more experienced generals to advise him. He retired thinking that he was done with public service for his lifetime. He retired an American hero. He retired defeating the World Power in their best game. His hair had even grown grey in the process and he was not in the same intimidating physical shape as he was when the war started, but he was not done. He was elected president unanimously. He was the first ever president this nation has had. He, just as in his unanimous Commander and Chief election, admitted that he was not qualified to be America’s first president. But he learned, adapted and succeeded. He knew that precedents...
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...integrity. At first, he pointed out the declining of academic quality. The tuition fee is raising, but the outcome is not. Then he tells us the biggest reason that causes the problem – it is academic dishonesty. Later, Chace highlights why students cheat and how college cheating damages academic integrity and harms collegiate institutions’ reputations. Finally, he strongly states “To do nothing is not an answer”; therefore, we must find some solutions. William Chase is both President and Professor of English Emeritus at Emory University as well as Honorary Professor of English Emeritus at Stanford University. The American Scholar, the publisher of this article is a very famous magazine in American, as they describes themselves in the website “The American Scholar is the venerable but lively quarterly magazine of public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society since 1932. In recent years the magazine has won five National Magazine Awards, the industry’s highest honor, and been nominated for awards sixteen times. Many of its essays and articles have been selected for the yearly Best American anthologies.” The author and publisher of the article is well-known and reliable. That is one the reason why I choose it. The other reason is the article has shown many alarming figure about the declining of academic quality and students morale, which I will use...
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...The United States of America has many founding fathers. Some of which are George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Hamilton is the best founding father, he was the most influential. Although, he does have his flaws, just like every other founding father. He founded the “Federalist Papers.” These are a collection of articles and essays written by Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. They “sealed the deal” on the new constitution. Hamilton also architected America’s economic system in just five years from 1789-1793. Another major contribution that Alexander Hamilton has done was that he was Lieutenant Colonel and a great military leader. Alexander Hamilton founded the “Federalist Papers” in 1787. They are a series of essays and articles written to promote ratification of the constitution. Hamilton wrote Federalist Paper number six, “Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States.” He argued that a disunited union would lead to domestic violence. The anti-federalists argued that the states would get along with one another even though they are disunited. Hamilton strongly disliked democracy's and republic’s. He also wrote number eleven, “The Utility of the Union in respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy.” He argued that a united union would...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Write one or two paragraphs in each section. Include citations for your sources. Documents | Summary | What was its influence on the Constitution? | Magna Carta | Issued by King John of England in 1215 when Englishmen went to the colonies they were given charters that guaranteed them and their heirs would “have and enjoy all liberties and immunities of free and natural subjects.” The document clearly stated that no free man could be prosecuted by any means other than the law of the land. ReferenceAll About History (unkn) The Magna Carta. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/ on June 6, 2011. | This was used as a template 575 years later in the Bill of Rights toward the fifth amendment. The fifth amendment guarantees “No person shall… be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” | Mayflower Compact | Drawn up by the 41 adult males from the Mayflower, the new settlers from Plymouth created a contract with fair and equal laws, for the “general good”. The Mayflower settlers knew from previous attempts without some type of government they would fail. It allowed them to practice Protestant instead of the Church of England and other liberties without command. ReferenceFeatured Documents (unkn) The Mayflower Compact. Retrieved from http://www.allabouthistory.org/mayflower-compact.htm on June 6, 2011. | The Constitution was created on...
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...He thought that putting a tax on any Whiskey made in the United States was the best idea (The Whiskey Rebellion). The United States citizens near western Pennsylvania were furious! Most of the farmers thought that the government was abusing their power (Kotowski), and they also were especially upset since they made most of their money off of making and selling whiskey (The Whiskey Rebellion). Shortly after the tax was put on the whiskey, small groups of whiskey rebels started forming and the United States started feeling threatened (Kotowski). An example of a rebellious act that took place during this time was a group of the whiskey rebels destroyed the home of a tax collector by setting it on fire, and even after that, groups of rebels started to expand and pose a bigger threat towards the new nation (The Whiskey Rebellion). Many tax collectors, like the one mentioned, were attacked during the rebellion. They were often tarred and feathered, but some had even worse fates (Whiskey Rebellion). Alexander Hamilton decided to call on some military to help control the whiskey rebels, even though President George Washington thought it would be a better idea to send negotiators to settle the rebels peacefully (The Whiskey Rebellion). The negotiators did not do any good, however, and that is when Alexander Hamilton got his way and called in Militia...
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