US History I
Midterm Essay
George Washington: The Right Leader at the Right Time

“Good moral character is the first essential in a man.” George Washington wrote in a letter to his nephew in 17901, during his second year serving as the first President of the United States. Not only is it an excellent lesson to teach a young boy, but it was also an integral part of Washington’s personality that would permeate his life and actions. Most know him simply as one of the founding fathers of our nation, a great leader during wartime, and our first and perhaps greatest President. But he was a complex man that fought through self-doubt, immense stress, and longing for his family, much like any normal man would. He was indeed human after
“Parson Weems” Last modified July 24, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parson_Weems
8 Wikipedia. “George Washington” Last modified November 2, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
George_Washington
9 Flexner, James Thomas, George Washington in the American Revolution 1775-1783, p. 12.
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the company with some shrewd humorous observation on the way of the world. When serious matters were discussed, he would be grave, think hard, and say little; but sometimes in the end sum up all.” 10 Through the “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation” he had learned to treat everyone with respect, regardless of stature. This would definitely be an asset later as he would struggle with morale, disease, and lack of supplies on the battlefield, which almost assuredly would have caused many of his troops to direct their anger and frustrations toward him.
Most of all, I feel it was Washington’s belief in America as an ideal and concept that would bring him to the attention of his peers to lead the Continental Army. After all, he was a wealthy Virginia landowner, much like the rest of the delegates. But I believe that Washington had a great vision for what America could be.
“However unimportant America may be considered at present, … there will assuredly come a day when this country will have some weight in the scale of empires.”11 “Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!”12
I feel these quotes exemplify a