First Three Presidents Essay

The first three presidents of the United States had a difficult job. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas. Jefferson were aware of their place in history, and made decisions in domestic and foreign affairs that each hoped would set the precedents for future presidents. These brave three found that acting as president was far more difficult than merely discussing the presidency in abstract. George Washington was the first president of the United States. George Washington knew he couldn’t have known everything all the same time, so he created a presidential cabinet that would help him run the country. Next, George Washington created something that would help the country not get into war. He created the Neutrality act. This act shut down ports and trade with other countries that were in war. George Washington did not want to get into more war because they were already in debt and had a weak army and navy. He also wanted to step down because of his age and health. George Washington then came up with the precedent to serve only two terms. He taught this with passion to other presidents after him. George Washington …show more content…
He came up with the Alien and Sedition act. This limited who came into the U.S. and limited personal freedom. Adams then expanded the weak Navy. He did this because instead of going to war or rather being afraid that the French would attack, he built a larger navy. Another precedent he made was the X.Y.Z affair. The X.Y.Z affair was when three ministers from France sent a letter that asked for $250,000. John Adams denied this bribe. John Adams was also the first to leave, or to be elected out, after the first term as president. He was the first president to live in the white house. Those precedents were set because after John Adams lived in the White House, every president from then on would live there. Some presidents were also elected out or stepped down after their first