Washington, George (Administration)

George Washington was the first president of the United States, serving two terms in office from 1789 to 1797. His administration had a limited impact on either alleviating or perpetuating poverty. However, the lasting contribution of his administration lies in its very existence as a standing testament against British colonialism and to the United States’ successful experiment of republicanism.

As the first administration of the first republic in the Western Hemisphere to successfully gain independence from Great Britain, both George Washington and his presidential cabinet struck a careful course to look after the young, war-torn nation mired in war debts and rural poverty, but also to present appropriate wealth and splendor during state occasions, in order to clearly demonstrate that a nation governed by men—not by ...