George Washington And Thomas Jefferson Analysis

The early presidents acted in the best interest of America. From 1791 to 1813, American presidents put forth their best effort running the country to its greatest potential. Two president that clearly did this and acted in the interests of America were George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. George Washington acted in the best interests of America. He was revolutionary war hero who was elected unanimously for president (O.K.). As the president he needed to set precedents that first made the office respected. He took others’ advice, and as a result was well liked and trusted (Doc. 1). This advice took the form of his Cabinet, a group of trusted experts who helped him make decisions. This was in America's best interest so all the decisions were smart (Doc. 2) Other precedents set in order to make the office respected were, giving an inauguration speech and farewell address, and serving only two terms (Docs. 4,5,& 6). He managed to stop the whiskey rebellion peacefully (Doc. 3), unlike others, such as Shay’s rebellion (O.K.). George Washington's actions and the precedents he set, all served to make the presidency respected and prove that it is truly in the best interest of America.
Another president who acted in the best interest of America was Thomas Jefferson. He was the third president, elected after John Adams, and had
previously helped write the Declaration of Independence during the revolutionary war (O.K.). He first acted in the best interests of America when he gave his inauguration speech. In the speech, he pointed out how, although there are different political parties and states, all the American people are the same and not completely different (Doc. 8). This echoes the ideas of Patrick Henry’s statement, “I am not a Virginian but an American” (O.K.). Both of these motivated the people and showed how they both cared about America. Another thing Thomas Jefferson did for America was buying the Louisiana territory from France. This doubled the size of the nation, giving the U.S. access to fertile lands and the Mississippi river, while also eliminating the threat from the French (Doc. 9) Lewis and Clark were sent to map out the new land, where they discovered new plants and animals (Docs. 10&11). These were some actions that Thomas Jefferson made that were clearly in the best interest of America.
Although many presidents acted in the best interests of America, some did not. One example of this was James Madison and the war of 1812. His administration declared war against England over the issue of impressments. Impressments were when English naval officers would force American sailors to fight for them (Doc. 12). This did not benefit America in the traditional sense, as the US did not gain or lose any land. To dispute this point, one thing the US did gain, was respect from other countries and a stronger sense of nationalism. This is the first were ever declared with a president of the United States in office (O.K.). So, despite some presidents not doing what's best for America, many still did.
As expressed throughout this essay, from 1791 to 1813 many of the early presidents acted in the best interests of America.
Two examples of this are George Washington, a man who sent many precedents for the Executive Branch, and Thomas Jefferson, who united the country with his inauguration speech and nearly doubled the size of the nation by buying the Louisiana territory from France. Some did not, like James Madison, with declaring the war of 1812. His actions did bring a sense of nationalism to this country that is still here to this day. These events impacted the U.S. and had defined exactly what America stood for, early in its
history.