Indispensable Man

Our first president, George Washington, was

indispensable for a number of reasons. In the book,

Washington The Indispensable Man, James Thomas

Flexnor points out many of the reasons he is

indispensable, such as the fact that he never quit, he

let his slaves go, he wouldn t side with the British or

the French, and he didn t accept being president for

the third term. These points may not seem to show his

indispensability, but if Washington wasn t our first

president who knows where we would be right now

(probably be speaking French or in tyranny).

Washington was criticized for a lot of things he

did, and he was also thanked for everything later.

When he would get criticized for something he wouldn t

quit or give in to what they want because they

criticized him. During the Jay treaty Thomas Paine

insults Washington in a peroration saying, As to you,

sir, treacherous in private friendship (for so you have

been to me and that in the day of danger) and a

hypocrite in public life, the world will be puzzled to

decide whether you are an apostate or an impostor;

whether you abandoned good principles or whether you

had any. pg.354. Even when all odds are against him

in criticism he wouldn t even be phased, and stand his

ground. When Jefferson said, he got into one of those

passions when he cannot command himself, ran on much on

the personal abuse which had been bestowed on him,

defied any man on earth to produce one single act of

his since he had been in the government which was not

done on the purest motives. pg.295. Washington said,

he would rather be in his grave than be in his present

situation. That he had rather be on his farm than to

be made emperor of the world, and yet that they were

charging him with wanting to be king. pg.295.

The most indispensable accomplishment of Washington

is the freeing of his slaves. He wished to see some

plan adopted that would free the blacks, by slow,

sure, and imperceptible degrees. pg388. Washington s

attitude toward slavery between the Revolution and the

Presidency is, The unfortunate condition of the

persons whose labors I in part employed has been the

only unavoidable subject of regret. To make the adults

among them as easy and comfortable as their actual

state of ignorance and improvidence would admit, and to

lay a foundation to prepare the rising generation for a

destiny different from that in which they were born,

affords some satisfaction to my mind, and could not, I

hoped, be displeasing to the justice of the creator.

pg.387.

Washington wanted true neutrality, and not ever to

side with England or France. Washington wrote to the

British philanthropist Lord Buchan saying, If, instead

of the provocation s to war, bloodshed, and desolation

(often times unjustly given) the strife of nations and

of individuals was to excel each other in acts of

philanthropy, industry, and economy, in encouraging

useful arts and manufactures, promoting thereby the

comfort and happiness of our fellow men. pg.307. Had

Washington not been the president to make this

decision, who knows where the fate of this country

would be. Washington was convinced that,

conscientiously apply the impartial neutrality which

was the government policy and also the only intelligent

option for a patriotic citizen of the United States,

to send Jay to negotiate a treaty with Great Britain.

Washington could have accepted a third term, but he

recognized that he was too old. If he allowed himself

to be persuaded, he would be charged with dotage and

imbecility. pg.383. Washington said to Adams,

expressing the hope that it might lead to that peace

and tranquillity...upon just, and honorable, and

dignified terms, which he was persuaded was the

ardent desire of all friends of this rising empire.

pg.382. Once Washington left the presidency nothing

was ever going to be the same. John Adams became the

second president, and when he was president he felt

that he wasn t even president. He still felt that

Washington was the president. Since Washington was

convinced to being more of a federalist, it was a good

thing for Washington that Adams was a federalist, then

he knows that he wouldn t ruin everything that he has

done for our country.

Washington, being unreplaceable and indispensable,

continued to make great decisions which were later

known to save our country. His great leadership, and

indispensability continues to carry on in through our

time and recognized by many people. Washington is the

most indispensable man anyone will ever come across,

because if we never would of had a George Washington

all of America would probably be ruled by a king from

France or England. It is a good thing Washington made

some of the decisions that he did, such as the fact

that he never gave in or quit no matter what people

said about his decisions he made, he proved to be the

only Virginia founding father to free all his slaves ,

he rode the neutrality line and wouldn t side with the

French or the British, and most importantly, set an

example to America that the exchange of a leader could

be peaceful by not accepting a third term.

Washington s last words were, tis well. My last words

would be good luck