While the United States of America has had many founding fathers, the one that holds the title of The Founding Father of the United States of America is George Washington. He was the main leader of the American Revolution and the first president of the United States.
George Washington is one of the most famous Americans to have ever lived. Through his many great accomplishments and successes, he has been established as one of the most influential leaders in history. He has also been memorialized by monuments, a federal holiday, geographical locations including the national capital, the State of Washington, stamps, and currency. Many Americans rank him among the greatest U.S. presidents.
While George Washington has been one of the most prominent and celebrated figures in American history, he has become somewhat of a controversial figure due to the fact that he owned slaves. In my opinion, however, George Washington should remain a renowned leader and a positive role model. It is important to acknowledge that Washington was born into a world where slavery was prominent. Slavery was ingrained in the economic and social fabric of the Virginia Colony. At the young age of 11, George Washington inherited his first 10 slaves as his dad, Augustine died. Because Washington was raised with slavery as a norm, it is difficult to accuse him as a horrible person.
Furthermore, his actual opinion and record on the matter of slavery are mixed. All his slaves were cared for, fed, and clothed, even after their working years. Privately, Washington even thought of freeing his enslaved population in the mid-1790s. However, those plans failed due to his lack of necessary finances and the refusal of his family to consider the emancipation of the slaves at Mount Vernon. After George Washington’s death, his will provided for the 123 slaves to be freed after the death of his wife. Of course, this does not make his owning slavery right or justifiable, but I believe it is unfair to apply today’s standards to people 300 years ago.
It is important not to forget all of George Washington’s many accomplishments. Not only did he help us win independence from Britain during the American Revolution, but he also led victorious attacks in the French and Indian war in his early 20s. Furthermore, he was one of the main figures in writing the constitution that we still use today and stands as the oldest active constitution in the world. Finally, as the first president of the United States, he acted like an ideal president who listened to both political parties at that time and set many precedents for upcoming presidents to follow.
All in all, George Washington is someone I have always looked up to and his vision, temperament, and ability to lead people to success in even the darkest of times are some of his great characteristics. I believe that he is one of the greatest Americans who have ever lived and hope that society continues to be inspired by his actions and disposition.