George Washington's Beliefs
Was Washington an extraordinary leader or has his service been distorted by myth?
At the time, when a new America was being born, the ideal citizen was something uncertain. The standard had not been set, the moral code was open. George Washington set an example for the people in America, and future presidents. He is a household name for the wrong reasons. He did amazing things for this country, but most of them are not talked about, and the ones that are, aren’t true. He wasn’t an extraordinary general, his leadership of the war was mainly luck, and the fault of Britain. The main reason we won the war was not by our military strength, it was because Britain didn’t take us as a real threat, they weren’t focused on it, just treated it as a small
rebellion, until they realized that we had the power to separate, by then it was too late.
Most people think of him as a founding father, a general, and the first president. While these are the obvious accomplishments of his life, one of the biggest contributions to America was really him retiring from office after two years. This was a standard that was followed by everyone but FDR. I believe that Washington was an extraordinary leader, just not in the ways generally thought of. His contributions to America was through being a role model, a way of leadership that is forgotten. He depressed rebellion, fended off Britain, twice, but he mainly showed what America could be, how it can be lead, how we can handle freedom. This is an undervalued force today that very few people have mastered.
SQ: Was it good for America to see Washington as a hero and extraordinary leader whether he really was one or not?
At the time, when a new America was being born, the ideal citizen was something uncertain. The standard had not been set, the moral code was open. George Washington set an example for the people in America, and future presidents. He is a household name for the wrong reasons. He did amazing things for this country, but most of them are not talked about, and the ones that are, aren’t true. He wasn’t an extraordinary general, his leadership of the war was mainly luck, and the fault of Britain. The main reason we won the war was not by our military strength, it was because Britain didn’t take us as a real threat, they weren’t focused on it, just treated it as a small
rebellion, until they realized that we had the power to separate, by then it was too late.
Most people think of him as a founding father, a general, and the first president. While these are the obvious accomplishments of his life, one of the biggest contributions to America was really him retiring from office after two years. This was a standard that was followed by everyone but FDR. I believe that Washington was an extraordinary leader, just not in the ways generally thought of. His contributions to America was through being a role model, a way of leadership that is forgotten. He depressed rebellion, fended off Britain, twice, but he mainly showed what America could be, how it can be lead, how we can handle freedom. This is an undervalued force today that very few people have mastered.
SQ: Was it good for America to see Washington as a hero and extraordinary leader whether he really was one or not?