Washington attempted to lead the United States by trying to do what was best for the whole country. He avoided taking sides in political disputes. What made George Washington a great leader? Try to answer this question in one sentence. As a class, brainstorm characteristics of a good president and list them under Column A.
After a number have been listed, discuss each item by asking students to provide a reason for its inclusion. Remove those for which no reason is provided. As a class, by vote or consensus, decide which 10 of the items are most important. Rank them. Brainstorm a list of presidential responsibilities and list them under Column B. As a class decide how the characteristics in Column A could help a president with the responsibilities listed in Column B.
As you study each president in U. Discuss each in terms of characteristics and responsibilities. Add additional items to the lists as necessary. Compare recent presidential and vice-presidential candidates in terms of the listed leadership characteristics.
Which are best suited for office? Alumni Volunteers The Boardroom Alumni. Curriculum Materials. Add Event. Main Menu Home. I, No. A Class by Himself The fact that Washington became the first president of the United States does not automatically mean he was a great one.
Giving the Country Time Shortly before he was inaugurated, George Washington wrote: "My movement to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of execution. Roosevelt Washington Jefferson T. Roosevelt Wilson Jackson Truman J. Adams L. For Discussion and Writing 1. Do this activity and find out what your class thinks.
Step I Write the following column chart on a large piece of paper. Step IV As you study each president in U. Debriefing 1. Why have presidential responsibilities expanded throughout American history? Do American voters evaluate candidates on the basis of valid characteristics? Why or why not? Remember Me. Log in. Johnson Buchanan Nixon Grant Harding.
He negotiated treaties and then when the war ended, he voluntarily stepped down from power. He reluctantly agreed to take on the mantle of leadership again as president, but despite all of this, he remained humble to the end.
I believe he is the greatest simply because he had no initial intention of becoming such a great leader, because those who fight for power usually end up abusing that power, this is my opinion. George Washington won a war that, by all accounts, he should not have won. He was fighting against an enemy who had superior training, equipment, and numbers, and yet, he led 13 colonies who were not even united yet to their independence.
Even after this amazing feat, he became the first president, who set precedents that almost every president to this day has followed. He pulled a few small British colonies together into a nation that would one day become the greatest superpower in the world. And, throughout all of this, he never wanted to be the leader of this nation, and yet, he did so anyway, because he knew that he was the most qualified to be the leader who all future presidents would look to as the model leader.
He would inspire soldiers to fight for him for the sake liberty. There was no one at the present time that could fill his status at that time.
His wisdom and intelligence led him to say no to this, since he knew that to do so would be counter to all the Americans had just fought for. Whereas most leaders had a vast empire to lead, Washington had to make do with a makeshift army of farmers. George Washington was not only a great general who fought the most powerful nation of his time and succeeded, but he developed guerrilla warfare and as the first president of the United States he set forth a strong tradition for other presidents to follow.
After leading the underdog Americans to victory, he could have taken over the country, and could have ruled as King. Instead he step down, and stepped aside; which established the model for future US Presidents. Washington was a combination of a soldiers General, and a capable diplomat, with a drive to succeed and not let those beneath him down. He did not crave power or influence, but rather shied away from it.
Because he could have been King of America, but instead chose to make the U. This character trait gives Washington the edge in my book. George Washington is the greatest, because he alone knows that for an empire to be truly great, it cannot be confined to himself. George Washington, at his peak days, could have became president of America for many many terms, perhaps even for life, like many dictators would do.
Instead, he refused to run for third term, and starting the trend later to become law that presidents serve only two terms. George Washington was a brilliant military strategist who helped liberate his fellow peoples from THE world superpower of the day.
In addition, upon gaining independence, Washington could have ruled with absolute power. His virtuosity to abstain from that power makes him the greatest leader. Alexander would have been my choice for best military leader. George Washington was not the great military leader, like Augustus, Alexander, or many others on the list.
Photo caption. Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Evaluate qualities that made George Washington an effective military leader.
Analyze how Washington's military experiences influenced his military leadership. Analyze the difficulties Washington faced as Commander-in-Chief and evaluate his responses.
Curriculum Details Preparation Instructions. Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
Download the Master PDF. Shortly after their arrival, George contracted smallpox. He survived, although the illness left him with permanent facial scars. In December , Washington, who had no previous military experience, was made a commander of the Virginia militia. By , Washington had resigned his commission, returned to Mount Vernon and was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he served until In January , he married Martha Dandridge Custis , a wealthy widow with two children.
Washington became a devoted stepfather to her children; he and Martha Washington never had any offspring of their own. In the ensuing years, Washington expanded Mount Vernon from 2, acres into an 8,acre property with five farms. He grew a variety of crops, including wheat and corn, bred mules and maintained fruit orchards and a successful fishery.
He was deeply interested in farming and continually experimented with new crops and methods of land conservation. By the late s, Washington had experienced firsthand the effects of rising taxes imposed on American colonists by the British, and came to believe that it was in the best interests of the colonists to declare independence from England. Washington served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in in Philadelphia.
By the time the Second Continental Congress convened a year later, the American Revolution had begun in earnest, and Washington was named commander in chief of the Continental Army. Washington proved to be a better general than military strategist.
His strength lay not in his genius on the battlefield but in his ability to keep the struggling colonial army together. His troops were poorly trained and lacked food, ammunition and other supplies soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter. However, Washington was able to give them the direction and motivation. His leadership during the winter of at Valley Forge was a testament to his power to inspire his men to keep going.
Over the course of the grueling eight-year war, the colonial forces won few battles but consistently held their own against the British.
In October , with the aid of the French who allied themselves with the colonists over their rivals the British , the Continental forces were able to capture British troops under General Charles Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown. This action effectively ended the Revolutionary War and Washington was declared a national hero. However, in , he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and head the committee to draft the new constitution.
At first Washington balked. He wanted to, at last, return to a quiet life at home and leave governing the new nation to others.
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