Under the Articles of Confederation all powers rested within the States and the federal government had little power, if any. The major parties during the First Party System was the Federalist and Anti-Federalist or Democratic-Republicans. The Federalist believed in a strong central government and the ratification of the Constitution the Democratic-Republicans on the other hand opposed the ratification of the Constitution and favored that the power should reside with the States. Washington was aligned with the Federalist Party. The party was founded in 1789 but later dissolved thirty-five years later in 1824. The faction later became known as what is now the National Republic Party. The faction’s ideology was founded upon four principles: patriotism, centralization, modernization and monetarism all the values of which Washington embodied. Washington won the campaign of 1780 and 1792 by the unanimous vote of the Electoral College. Washington won with sixty-nine of the votes against Federalist opponent, John Adams, who later became his vice president in 1780 and 1792 (U. S. Electoral College: Historical Election Results 1789-1996, n.d., p. …show more content…
Arguably Washington should be ranked first, then Roosevelt, and third Lincoln because of the many accomplishments he made during his eight years as president, such as the addition and passing of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. If it was not for Washington paving the way and establishing routines for presidents after him. Washington deserves the place that he has traditionally held, first. He is the first in peace, the first in was but last in the hearts of our countrymen. Many Americans today look at Washington merely as a monument and not as the great man and president that he actually was. Washington deserves the accolades that his colleagues such as Ezra Stiles confessed. Washington was the epitome of a virtuous and a man with virtues. One of the many criticisms of Washington is his ownership of slaves. Although he owned slaves he did not see fit the need to have the institution of slave but because it was a part of everyday life in sixteenth century he condoned in having them but on his death bed he freed over one hundred of this slaves. Washington greatest achievements in changing the government by implementing the very government that we see today. He established precedents that would last for well over two hundred years and did more expansion to the presidential office that anyone could ever predict or