News, announcements, and commentary for the students and families of GAMP.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Who did it best?
Who was the better President? Washington or Adams. Be clear about the criteria that you use to evaluate their performance. Do they appropriately use the presidential powers defined in the constitution?
21 comments:
April Balobalo
said...
I think that though Washington was the first president, and had to set an example to the following presidents to come, that Adams was a much better president. I think Adams was a better president because though he had a bad reputation to the state, he still continued what he was suppose to do as a president. He followed off from where Washington left it, and he did do what Washington said to "avoid war at every cost." He might have lost his chance of being president for the second term, but he did keep America from becoming more weak than they already were. He kept the peace in the U.S. making his reputation to the people more worse. I think Adams did use the presidential power right, because he knew that his reputation was not popular, yet he still opposed to what the people wanted, and found a way to peace instead of going to war. He did not use the powers he had to win the vote of the people in a way that they may finally like him as their president.
to pick one over the other I would say Washington. Washington done two very great things, he respected the powers of congress and did not increase the powers of the presidency, he was the one man in America who could have easily done so because he was so liked, and he stepped down making the Republic of the United States also a democracy. No country was a democracy after the first elections it take a long time or aleast another presidential mind to make a nation a democracy. I think that he appropriately use the presidential powers defined in the constitution even though he was the first with extreme pressure he did a great job John Adams did well also, but he increased the powers of the presidency when it was needed to get the business of the state set up.
George Washington was the better president because not only was he the first person taking on this role in this newly established country but also did 2 great things:
1.)Washington respected the powers and did not increase the powers of presidency, he was the only man in America to do so. 2.)Washington stepped down, making the Republic of the United States a democracy. (It takes a change in leadership in order to make a nation a democracy)
He was the founding father of our nation and an highly acclaimed general in the Revolutionary War. Another reason why I chose George Washington as the better president is because it was him who set up most of our early customs about the presidency, he was the creator of a cabinet. Also, Washington was a very humble man. He didn't try to get people to change the form of address when he was in office. For example, Washington insisted on being addressed only as "Mr. President" while Adams, on the other hand, wanted the president to be addressed in a more formal manner, such as "your excellency". He could have been far more powerful than he was, but he chose to obey the morals and governmental ideals that the country was founded on, and let a new representative of the people into office.
I believe that Washington was the better president. One big reason being that Washington actually served the country in the war, unlike Adams who didn't. Washington understood what it meant to have people depending on you to make the right decisions for a country. During Washington's presidency, he wanted to remain neutral, to prevent wars with any other countries.Foreign policy was one of his main concerns. However, when Adams came into office, the US was on the brink of war due to France's anger toward Jay's treaty. Also Washington was more likeable than Adams. People didn't really know Adams as much as they did Washington. That is because Washington was known and recognized for doing more noteworthy things.I also feel as though Washington got more things accomplished during his presidency. It seems as if Adam's cabinet member were always having disagreements which stifled some solutions to the problems in the United States at the time.
Between George Washington and John Adams, I would have to say George Washington was the better president. Washington was the first president of a newly established nation, on top of that he was chosen to be president by the Electoral College not voluntarily running for election like we have today. Since he was the first president, he had no example to follow, he was the example for the future presidents. Washington also created the "guidelines" or the foundation that the other presidents would have to follow. George Washington knew what was coming for them, so he wrote the Farewell Address towards the end of his second term and warned the Americans not to enter "entangling" alliances and to avoid getting involved in European Wars. When John Adams was in office, he followed Washington's "guidelines" by avoiding war at all times. Adams didn't think of the country or the people first, he only thought about his political party and how things would benefit him, where as Washington did things thinking about the country and the people before himself.
In my opinion, I strongly believe that Thomas Jefferson was a better president than John Adams. Preisdent Adams let us drift into a war with France, while Jefferson kept the peace. Adams got the blatantly unconstitutional Alien and Sedition Acts passed, with the result that newspaper editors were jugged for criticizing him, and he got booted after only one term. Jefferson bought the louisiana Territory, effectively doubling the size of the USA. Jefferson did own slaves, but that was the norm for his day and location. Owning slaves makes a strange contrast with his writings on freedom. Jefferson served two terms as President after defeating the incumbent Adams. The task of drafting the declaration should have fallen to elder statesman Benjamin Franklin, but his illness precluded a timely completion of the task. The task then should have fallen to Adams, who argued instead that Jefferson should write it. Jefferson at first attempted to defer to Adams until, in frustration, the Massachusetts delegate grudgingly stated, "You are 10 times the writer I am." Thus, compared to John Adams, President Thomas Jefersson was a much better president.
Out of both presidents, Washington was the best. He took on a great role as serving as a "guinea pig" as president for a new nation. He was the first president and had to set the stage for the presidents to come in the near future. He was well liked by the people and could handle the stresses of being somewhat in charge. Being that he was a general in the revolutionary war. He, like April said, tried to avoid war at all costs, or to remain neutral.
Out of both President John Adams and President George Washington i think Washington did a better job because not only did he take on a great responsibility as being the very first leader of the nation he also did a good job at it and was popular among the people at the same time. Washington set the tone for all the Presidents to follow and he had no one to follow by example, he was the example and when he was finished his two terms the central government was stable and the economy was slowly progressing.
Who was the better President? Washington or Adams. Be clear about the criteria that you use to evaluate their performance. Do they appropriately use the presidential powers defined in the constitution? I believe that both the presidents must have been good presidents since they are still remembered for their good deeds today. But if I had to choice out of the two it would have to be George Washington. I choose George Washington not only because he was the first president of A NEW NATION but because he had the potential and was a respected by his citizens. Though Washington did not have any experience of becoming the president he did everything he could to make America avoid war. "he was perhaps the only president who did not in some way angle for this exalted office." (pg 191 Bailey) This quote says that Washington was the ONLY president who did not want to seize power. He used his power to help his country. During his presidency he issued the Neutrality Proclamation that allowed Americans out of the war. Though Jeffersonian hated it this kept the America from the fighting. These are the reasons I believe that Washington is the better president.
I believe Washington was the better President because he kept the country out of war and subsequently kept their economy safe. He did what was best for the country, no what would appease the citizens. It may have been "unconstitutional" of Washington to just declare the US, "neutral" but it was better for the country at the time. Washington also carried the fate of the nation on his shoulders. The nation would either "Sink or swim" with him. If he had failed during his leadership, America would be much different than it is today.
Washington and Adams both did quite a splendid job as the first presidents of America, but Washington excelled just a bit more. Being the FIRST is not easy at all. It takes a lot of determination to carry on this tough duty. The first must be very clear-minded on everything they're doing whereas the following presidents can look back to the previous presidency for guidance. To put this in a real life example, I am not a big football person. One day in Physical Education class we were in line to show what we've got and unfortunately, I just had to be the first in line. I felt so lost and did not understand the rules of the sport so I stepped behind my friend. This is the same idea as Washington's presidency. He was very clear on what he was doing. Not sure if this is off-topic, but regarding the alliance discussion we had in class today, Washington attempted to maintain neutrality and in his farewell address he adviced America's upcoming leaders to "avoid forming permanent alliances". Some of you guys may regard this as crude or rude that U.S. would "become friends" with other nations when being benefit and "stay out of others' business" when a fuss is going on. However, if you really calm your heart and think about it, if helping your friends will risk your own life, would you really do it? This applies to Politics especially because in the society "Friendship" rarely exists in achieving success or survival. Back to Washington, not only was he clear-minded on his actions but he also became a role model for all of the presidents to come.
Between George Washington and John Adams, I believe George Washington was the better president. Washington set an example for future presidents by humbly accepting his position as president. When Washington declared America neutral and gave his farewell address, speaking of keeping "temporary alliances", he was acting on what he felt would be best for America. George Washington paved the way for America to be the strong nation it is today.
I think that President Washington was better president than John Adams because he made decisions based on common sense than moral character. Many thought that this was trait of a tyrannous ruler, like when he released his Neutrality Proclamation. However, Washington also tried to resolve problems by deciding on a solution that would not affect the United States in a negative way. For example, when he decided that the United States would remain neutral during the French Revolution, he knew that entering war at this time would further cripple their already extreme debt and economic troubles. John Adams on the other hand, was a competitor, fighting for the acceptance of the American people over Alexander Hamilton.
I think George Washington was a better president because although he was the first president of our nation, he helped us get back on our feet. He obeyed by the morals and governmental ideals that the country was founded on and let a new representative of the people into office. He could have stayed in office if he'd wanted to and a lot of Americans would have supported him but instead he did the right thing and stepped down from office after two terms served.
George Washington was the better president because he was the first person to serve as a president for a new nation. Therefore, Washington has to set an example of how the future president should be. Also, George Washington respected the powers of Congress because he believes the Constitution gave Congress.Washington was a great, determined leader in the Revolutionary War and successfully won the war. One major fall back was the Washington is a slave owner. However, he freed and provided money and education to the slaves that he owned in his will.
I think that Washington was the better president. Washington was put under a great amount of stress being the first president. He had to set an example for all the presidents to come. He respected the need of state sovereignty by not becoming a tyrant or increasing his power as a president. John Adams was just unpopular and attempted to follow in Washington's footsteps. While Washington did avoid war with his neutrality proclamation which looked respectable because he was protecting the new nation, Adam's attempts to stay out war seemed cowardly and embarrassing. Washington was chosen to be president and Adams was the last resort when elected. It's pretty clear who was the best here.
I believe that George Washington was the better president because he didn't try to abuse his presindential powers and tried to avoid war with France, which John Adams also did. Even though Jay's Treaty made Washington unpopular, it mad trade with Britain easier and led to Pinckney's Treaty, which granted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi and the land north of Florida. Although John Adams followed Washington's lead of avoiding war, he abused his presidential power by restricting free speach with the Sedition Act and made citizenship harder for immigrants for his own benefit whith the Alien Acts. This was the kind of concentrated presidential power the framers of the Constitution were trying to avoid.
Between John Adams and George Washington, George Washington was the better president. George Washington had a new nation in his hands and had no predecessors to learn from. Despite this, he still ran a great presidency. He respected the powers of Congress and also did not increase the powers of presidency. Also, compared to John Adams, he possessed leadership skills that Adams lacked. In foreign affairs, Washington chose to remain neutral. In the French Revolution, in the war between France and Britain, Washington he decided to stay neutral despite the Senate's opposition. He wanted to stay neutral until the nation was stronger. This shows that despite pressures from the Senate, Washington was trying to do what was best for the country. After two terms, Washington voluntarily surrendered his position in office, allowing Adams to become president. This shows Washington was not president for the power.
I think Washington was a better president. He was the first President of the United States, so of course he wasn't perfect but he handle situations the best he could, without over stepping or over using his presidential power.I think Washington's greatest problem was putting his trust into the wrong people, and his greatest action was keeping a weak America out of war. That's what makes him a better president because he was able to accomplish so much without having any examples from presidents before him , unlike John Adams who actually followed after Washington's examples. So you honestly can not compare the two, when it comes to who did better, but that who did the best for their people, which I believe Washington did.
If I had to choose between the two I would say that John Adams was a better president. Although Washington was a great general during revolutionary times, when he became president he did not take the best interest of (all people, the Federalists and the anti-Federalists. Washington choose one side over the other when Adams just wanted to create peace. He too tried to avoid war with France, while the emerging nation was at one it it's weakest points. I believe Adams was not around long enough to prove himself as a great president like Washintson did. He did not win the second term do to unpopularity but tried his best to put all people in his best interest.
I believe John Adams was the better president over George Washington. I believe Adamns was a better president because even though he was seen as the last resort for presidency he stiil made his decisions on what would be best for the nation. He didn't pick a side,Democratic-Republican or Jeffersonian. One of the big decisions that Adams made that may have prevented him from being elected for a second term even though he kept the nation out of danger was his resolution to the "XYZ;Affair". Adams resolution was sending a new minister to France to avoid war but many people in the nation saw it as showing weakness which was one of the reasons Adams was not elected for a second term. Another thing Adams did during his presidency was gain Louisianna. I believe Adams made the right decisions during his presidency because he always looked at the big picture, the nation. He based his decisions on what he thought was right and what was best for the nation.
21 comments:
I think that though Washington was the first president, and had to set an example to the following presidents to come, that Adams was a much better president. I think Adams was a better president because though he had a bad reputation to the state, he still continued what he was suppose to do as a president. He followed off from where Washington left it, and he did do what Washington said to "avoid war at every cost." He might have lost his chance of being president for the second term, but he did keep America from becoming more weak than they already were. He kept the peace in the U.S. making his reputation to the people more worse. I think Adams did use the presidential power right, because he knew that his reputation was not popular, yet he still opposed to what the people wanted, and found a way to peace instead of going to war. He did not use the powers he had to win the vote of the people in a way that they may finally like him as their president.
to pick one over the other I would say Washington. Washington done two very great things, he respected the powers of congress and did not increase the powers of the presidency, he was the one man in America who could have easily done so because he was so liked, and he stepped down making the Republic of the United States also a democracy. No country was a democracy after the first elections it take a long time or aleast another presidential mind to make a nation a democracy. I think that he appropriately use the presidential powers defined in the constitution even though he was the first with extreme pressure he did a great job
John Adams did well also, but he increased the powers of the presidency when it was needed to get the business of the state set up.
George Washington was the better president because not only was he the first person taking on this role in this newly established country but also did 2 great things:
1.)Washington respected the powers and did not increase the powers of presidency, he was the only man in America to do so.
2.)Washington stepped down, making the Republic of the United States a democracy. (It takes a change in leadership in order to make a nation a democracy)
He was the founding father of our nation and an highly acclaimed general in the Revolutionary War. Another reason why I chose George Washington as the better president is because it was him who set up most of our early customs about the presidency, he was the creator of a cabinet. Also, Washington was a very humble man. He didn't try to get people to change the form of address when he was in office. For example, Washington insisted on being addressed only as "Mr. President" while Adams, on the other hand, wanted the president to be addressed in a more formal manner, such as "your excellency". He could have been far more powerful than he was, but he chose to obey the morals and governmental ideals that the country was founded on, and let a new representative of the people into office.
I believe that Washington was the better president. One big reason being that Washington actually served the country in the war, unlike Adams who didn't. Washington understood what it meant to have people depending on you to make the right decisions for a country. During Washington's presidency, he wanted to remain neutral, to prevent wars with any other countries.Foreign policy was one of his main concerns. However, when Adams came into office, the US was on the brink of war due to France's anger toward Jay's treaty. Also Washington was more likeable than Adams. People didn't really know Adams as much as they did Washington. That is because Washington was known and recognized for doing more noteworthy things.I also feel as though Washington got more things accomplished during his presidency. It seems as if Adam's cabinet member were always having disagreements which stifled some solutions to the problems in the United States at the time.
Between George Washington and John Adams, I would have to say George Washington was the better president. Washington was the first president of a newly established nation, on top of that he was chosen to be president by the Electoral College not voluntarily running for election like we have today. Since he was the first president, he had no example to follow, he was the example for the future presidents. Washington also created the "guidelines" or the foundation that the other presidents would have to follow. George Washington knew what was coming for them, so he wrote the Farewell Address towards the end of his second term and warned the Americans not to enter "entangling" alliances and to avoid getting involved in European Wars. When John Adams was in office, he followed Washington's "guidelines" by avoiding war at all times. Adams didn't think of the country or the people first, he only thought about his political party and how things would benefit him, where as Washington did things thinking about the country and the people before himself.
In my opinion, I strongly believe that Thomas Jefferson was a better president than John Adams. Preisdent Adams let us drift into a war with France, while Jefferson kept the peace. Adams got the blatantly unconstitutional Alien and Sedition Acts passed, with the result that newspaper editors were jugged for criticizing him, and he got booted after only one term. Jefferson bought the louisiana Territory, effectively doubling the size of the USA.
Jefferson did own slaves, but that was the norm for his day and location. Owning slaves makes a strange contrast with his writings on freedom. Jefferson served two terms as President after defeating the incumbent Adams. The task of drafting the declaration should have fallen to elder statesman Benjamin Franklin, but his illness precluded a timely completion of the task. The task then should have fallen to Adams, who argued instead that Jefferson should write it. Jefferson at first attempted to defer to Adams until, in frustration, the Massachusetts delegate grudgingly stated, "You are 10 times the writer I am." Thus, compared to John Adams, President Thomas Jefersson was a much better president.
Out of both presidents, Washington was the best. He took on a great role as serving as a "guinea pig" as president for a new nation. He was the first president and had to set the stage for the presidents to come in the near future. He was well liked by the people and could handle the stresses of being somewhat in charge. Being that he was a general in the revolutionary war. He, like April said, tried to avoid war at all costs, or to remain neutral.
Out of both President John Adams and President George Washington i think Washington did a better job because not only did he take on a great responsibility as being the very first leader of the nation he also did a good job at it and was popular among the people at the same time. Washington set the tone for all the Presidents to follow and he had no one to follow by example, he was the example and when he was finished his two terms the central government was stable and the economy was slowly progressing.
Who was the better President? Washington or Adams. Be clear about the criteria that you use to evaluate their performance. Do they appropriately use the presidential powers defined in the constitution?
I believe that both the presidents must have been good presidents since they are still remembered for their good deeds today. But if I had to choice out of the two it would have to be George Washington. I choose George Washington not only because he was the first president of A NEW NATION but because he had the potential and was a respected by his citizens. Though Washington did not have any experience of becoming the president he did everything he could to make America avoid war. "he was perhaps the only president who did not in some way angle for this exalted office." (pg 191 Bailey) This quote says that Washington was the ONLY president who did not want to seize power. He used his power to help his country. During his presidency he issued the Neutrality Proclamation that allowed Americans out of the war. Though Jeffersonian hated it this kept the America from the fighting.
These are the reasons I believe that Washington is the better president.
I believe Washington was the better President because he kept the country out of war and subsequently kept their economy safe. He did what was best for the country, no what would appease the citizens. It may have been "unconstitutional" of Washington to just declare the US, "neutral" but it was better for the country at the time. Washington also carried the fate of the nation on his shoulders. The nation would either "Sink or swim" with him. If he had failed during his leadership, America would be much different than it is today.
Washington and Adams both did quite a splendid job as the first presidents of America, but Washington excelled just a bit more. Being the FIRST is not easy at all. It takes a lot of determination to carry on this tough duty. The first must be very clear-minded on everything they're doing whereas the following presidents can look back to the previous presidency for guidance. To put this in a real life example, I am not a big football person. One day in Physical Education class we were in line to show what we've got and unfortunately, I just had to be the first in line. I felt so lost and did not understand the rules of the sport so I stepped behind my friend. This is the same idea as Washington's presidency. He was very clear on what he was doing. Not sure if this is off-topic, but regarding the alliance discussion we had in class today, Washington attempted to maintain neutrality and in his farewell address he adviced America's upcoming leaders to "avoid forming permanent alliances". Some of you guys may regard this as crude or rude that U.S. would "become friends" with other nations when being benefit and "stay out of others' business" when a fuss is going on. However, if you really calm your heart and think about it, if helping your friends will risk your own life, would you really do it? This applies to Politics especially because in the society "Friendship" rarely exists in achieving success or survival. Back to Washington, not only was he clear-minded on his actions but he also became a role model for all of the presidents to come.
Between George Washington and John Adams, I believe George Washington was the better president. Washington set an example for future presidents by humbly accepting his position as president. When Washington declared America neutral and gave his farewell address, speaking of keeping "temporary alliances", he was acting on what he felt would be best for America. George Washington paved the way for America to be the strong nation it is today.
I think that President Washington was better president than John Adams because he made decisions based on common sense than moral character. Many thought that this was trait of a tyrannous ruler, like when he released his Neutrality Proclamation. However, Washington also tried to resolve problems by deciding on a solution that would not affect the United States in a negative way. For example, when he decided that the United States would remain neutral during the French Revolution, he knew that entering war at this time would further cripple their already extreme debt and economic troubles. John Adams on the other hand, was a competitor, fighting for the acceptance of the American people over Alexander Hamilton.
I think George Washington was a better president because although he was the first president of our nation, he helped us get back on our feet. He obeyed by the morals and governmental ideals that the country was founded on and let a new representative of the people into office. He could have stayed in office if he'd wanted to and a lot of Americans would have supported him but instead he did the right thing and stepped down from office after two terms served.
George Washington was the better president because he was the first person to serve as a president for a new nation. Therefore, Washington has to set an example of how the future president should be. Also, George Washington respected the powers of Congress because he believes the Constitution gave Congress.Washington was a great, determined leader in the Revolutionary War and successfully won the war. One major fall back was the Washington is a slave owner. However, he freed and provided money and education to the slaves that he owned in his will.
I think that Washington was the better president. Washington was put under a great amount of stress being the first president. He had to set an example for all the presidents to come. He respected the need of state sovereignty by not becoming a tyrant or increasing his power as a president. John Adams was just unpopular and attempted to follow in Washington's footsteps. While Washington did avoid war with his neutrality proclamation which looked respectable because he was protecting the new nation, Adam's attempts to stay out war seemed cowardly and embarrassing. Washington was chosen to be president and Adams was the last resort when elected. It's pretty clear who was the best here.
I believe that George Washington was the better president because he didn't try to abuse his presindential powers and tried to avoid war with France, which John Adams also did. Even though Jay's Treaty made Washington unpopular, it mad trade with Britain easier and led to Pinckney's Treaty, which granted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi and the land north of Florida. Although John Adams followed Washington's lead of avoiding war, he abused his presidential power by restricting free speach with the Sedition Act and made citizenship harder for immigrants for his own benefit whith the Alien Acts. This was the kind of concentrated presidential power the framers of the Constitution were trying to avoid.
Between John Adams and George Washington, George Washington was the better president. George Washington had a new nation in his hands and had no predecessors to learn from. Despite this, he still ran a great presidency. He respected the powers of Congress and also did not increase the powers of presidency. Also, compared to John Adams, he possessed leadership skills that Adams lacked. In foreign affairs, Washington chose to remain neutral. In the French Revolution, in the war between France and Britain, Washington he decided to stay neutral despite the Senate's opposition. He wanted to stay neutral until the nation was stronger. This shows that despite pressures from the Senate, Washington was trying to do what was best for the country. After two terms, Washington voluntarily surrendered his position in office, allowing Adams to become president. This shows Washington was not president for the power.
I think Washington was a better president. He was the first President of the United States, so of course he wasn't perfect but he handle situations the best he could, without over stepping or over using his presidential power.I think Washington's greatest problem was putting his trust into the wrong people, and his greatest action was keeping a weak America out of war. That's what makes him a better president because he was able to accomplish so much without having any examples from presidents before him , unlike John Adams who actually followed after Washington's examples. So you honestly can not compare the two, when it comes to who did better, but that who did the best for their people, which I believe Washington did.
If I had to choose between the two I would say that John Adams was a better president. Although Washington was a great general during revolutionary times, when he became president he did not take the best interest of (all people, the Federalists and the anti-Federalists. Washington choose one side over the other when Adams just wanted to create peace. He too tried to avoid war with France, while the emerging nation was at one it it's weakest points. I believe Adams was not around long enough to prove himself as a great president like Washintson did. He did not win the second term do to unpopularity but tried his best to put all people in his best interest.
I believe John Adams was the better president over George Washington. I believe Adamns was a better president because even though he was seen as the last resort for presidency he stiil made his decisions on what would be best for the nation. He didn't pick a side,Democratic-Republican or Jeffersonian. One of the big decisions that Adams made that may have prevented him from being elected for a second term even though he kept the nation out of danger was his resolution to the "XYZ;Affair". Adams resolution was sending a new minister to France to avoid war but many people in the nation saw it as showing weakness which was one of the reasons Adams was not elected for a second term. Another thing Adams did during his presidency was gain Louisianna. I believe Adams made the right decisions during his presidency because he always looked at the big picture, the nation. He based his decisions on what he thought was right and what was best for the nation.
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