CHARTING THE WATERSTHE WASHINGTON ADMINISTRATION

FOCUS QUESTION

• Describe some of the difficulties that can face a president when his/her term begins:

FOCUS QUESTION 2

• Describe some of the difficulties that faced Barrack Obama when his term began in 2009:

CHARTING THE WATERSTHE WASHINGTON ADMINISTRATION

OBJECTIVES

After today’s lesson, you will:

• Define the week’s vocabulary correctly.• Outline and evaluate three precedents

established by the Washington Administration

The Presidency developed with Washington in mind

Washington was the most widely respected American• Leader of the Patriot movement in Virginia• Commander of the Continental Army• Chairman of the Constitutional Convention

Unanimously elected President

FACED SEVERAL MAJOR CHALLENGES AS PRESIDENT

• Establishing the government• Demonstrate the Constitution could work

• Address the nation’s debt problem• Rebuild the nation’s financial system

• Address major foreign policy issues

CHOICES MADE BY WASHINGTON WOULD SET A TONE FOR THE UNITED STATES

SET THREE MAJOR PRECEDENTS

• Chose advisers from a cross-section of the population

• Established a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs

• Served only two terms as president

FIRST PRECEDENT: THE CABINET

Chose his advisors from a cross section of the population Thomas Jefferson Henry Knox Virginia Massachusetts State War

Alexander Hamilton Edmund RandolphNew York VirginiaTreasury Attorney General

SECOND PRECENDENT: NEUTRALITY

• War erupted between Britain and France in 1793• U.S. allied with France• U.S. traded heavily with Britain

• Washington pushed for Neutrality• U.S. refused to take sides in a European War

THIRD PRECEDENT

• Stepped down after two terms as president• Set a tone for future presidents

CRITICAL THINKING

Complete the following sentence starter, using information from your text and today’s discussion:

• The Washington Administration addressed an important challenge from ___________ by doing ___________________.

SUMMARY

Take the time to write a brief, two to three sentence answer to the following:

• The most important thing I learned in class today was: