The Responsibilities Of President George Washington

Responsibility Paper
Did you know that you don’t have to be special to be important? You can be a leader just by not misusing the responsibilities you have. For example George Washington was responsible for many things in his life and he was one of the greatest leaders in history. As a preteen he was responsible for his family plantation(George History). As a young adult he was responsible for the Virginia Militia and later on the Continental Army(George History). Later on in his life he was responsible for the young country of America(George Bio).
On February 22, 1732 George Washington was born on his family plantation in Popes Creek Westmoreland Virginia(George History). He was the oldest of six kids and he grew up on his family plantation
called Ferry Farm(George History).When Washington was eleven years old his father died leaving him responsible for the family plantation. This was a lot of responsibility for such a young child(George History). All these things may have influenced his future career.
In 1752 he was made commander of the entire Virginia militia.(George History). Then a few years later he participated in the Seven Year War (George History). Later on in 1775 he was made commander in chief of the Continental Army(George History). He proved to be an exceedingly good general during the Revolutionary War because soldiers were glad to follow him even through the hardships of war(George History). This shows that having responsibility can build many other good qualities.
After the Revolutionary War was finished, Washington was happy to retire as a farmer but in 1789 he was asked to help write the Constitution(Source1).
Afterwards, the Convention decided he would make a good president(George History).At first Washington was reluctant, but wanting to help the country, he eventually gave in(George History). He was inaugurated president on April 30, 1789(George History). Washington did not like the disordered state of his country and knowing that he was going to be an example for presidents later on he tried his best to be a good leader(George History). The fact that he chose to become president even though he didn’t want to shows that he was a responsible
person.
During his presidency Washington made many responsible decisions(George Bio). Firstly he did not want to be like the European kings so he asked to be called Mr. President(George Bio). He also did not accept a 25,000 dollar salary because he wanted to be selfless. Congress did not want it to seem that you had to be wealthy to be president(George Bio). So they insisted he accept it(George Bio). He listened to other peoples advice and was overall a good person as well as a great president(George Bio). He also made good choices in who he put in his cabinet(George Bio).
He also led his country effectively, making responsible decisions overseas as well as domestically(George Bio).
He decided to revoke the alliance with France because he didn’t want to get caught up in European wars(George Bio). At home he made treaties with Native Americans and decided to tax distilled spirits(George Bio). Some people were not happy with the taxes and eventually the people rebelled(George Bio).Then Washington set up a militia which soon quelled the rebellion(George Bio). Overall he served two terms. Some people were unhappy with his political decisions but most people liked him(George Bio). He retired in 1797(George
Bio).
After Washington retired he went back to his peaceful farming life(George Bio). One night he was out in the rain and he caught a cold(George Bio). He became worse and eventually he died on December 14, 1799(George Bio).
Overall Washington was a great person who showed responsibility throughout his life. He was an ordinary farmer who was responsible for a small farm but he eventually became president of a whole country. Who knows maybe you could be the next big leader just by being responsible.

Works Cited “George Washington”. History. A&E Networks, 2009. Web. 16 Sep. 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-washington "George Washington." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 16 Sep. 2014. http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-9524786#synopsis