George Washington Secrets

As a retiring president, there are four main things that would have been best buried. Four things which if carried forward would have lessened the number of sleepless nights to both my citizenry and cabinet during my tenure as President of the United States.
The first thing I would burry till 2010 would be the formation of political parties. This aspect dates back to the turfs between the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson and the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton (The White House Washington, 2010).  I am of the opinion that these two important aides in my cabinet were at a loggerheads in many issues and this might have directly contributed towards the fractions of the political divide.  If their personal differences were contained earlier, maybe America would not have to have the Republican and Democratic sides to choose from (Rees& Spignesi 77-69).

I am of the opinion that the two fractions will impact negatively on the unity we have so tirelessly fought for. This is something that could be postponed to a later date as America is still very young to deal with political divides. It is threatening to contemplate that politics might blind our logical perspectives of what is important and what is personal.

The other aspect that I would burry until 2010 would be the wars that we face from the Indians.  We have lost many Americans in the war against Indians and Native Americans. These wars which are facilitated by the British are great impediments to our peace. They have cost us both lives and material wealth and have continued to bring us down. I feel that by 2010, with a peaceful nation, we will have developed more technologically and we will have more military prowess as compared to what we possess now. It is with deep sadness that I remember the 1791’s war on Indian troupes led by Arthur St. Clair, the then governor of the Northwest Territory (Greiner 204-170; Rees& Spignesi 77-69).

We had the highest rate of casualties and as many as 832 soldiers of the 920 sent into battle succumbed (Greiner 204-170). This was largely because of lack of preparations and inadequacy on the part of our militia. This should not be the case and I feel by 2010 we should have improved on our weaponry and military tactics such that we are ready to defend ourselves when faced with war.

The third thing that would be buried in my capsule until the end of 2010 would be the Whiskey Rebellion (The White House Washington, 2010). I understand that the resistance by the Westerners against the tax excised on whiskey was called for. But I feel that dialogue and compromise would have made the situation less violent. The Westerners had many underlying grievances and adding to the Whiskey taxes they felt necessary to rebel (Greiner 204-170). Postponing this issue to 2010 would have allowed them to explore alternative methods of earning income and spending their leisure time. Besides, it would have given the government time enough to fight the attacks launched on the Westerners by the Indians. This would have shown the government’s support and care for the Westerners.

The last thing that I would have buried in my time capsule would have been the French Revolution that caused me to opt for neutrality (Gizzard Jr.167-162; 146-143). Much as this saved the country, there were many ill bloods bred after that. The French felt betrayed while the Britons felt abandoned and this resulted in both of them acting against the American people (Rees & Spignesi 77-69). I would postpone this to a later date until we as a nation were ready to deal with other countries independently and void of the threats and insecurities that we faced during my tenure. This would have reduced tension and anxiety as well as fractions developed during this period by my aides. In my opinion these were issues which we could have handled better with time.

Works Cited

Gizzard Jr., Frank E. George Washington: A Biographical Companion. ABC-CLIO, Inc. 2002. 146-143; 167-162.
Greiner John. The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier. USA: New York 2005. 204-170.
Rees C. James& Spignesi, J. Stephen. George Washington’s Leadership Lessons: What the Father of Our country Can Teach Us About Effective Leadership and Character. USA: John Wiley& Sons. 2007.77-69.
The White House Washington 2010. Presidents of the United States of America. 15th December 2010 www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashinton