George Washington: Founding Father and First U.S. President

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, events, laws, and concepts from the lecture on George Washington’s life, presidency, and legacy.

George Washington

Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention, and first President of the United States (1789-1797).

Continental Army

Revolutionary War force led by Washington that secured American independence from Britain.

American Revolutionary War

1775-1783 conflict in which the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain.

French and Indian War

North American theater of the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763) where Washington gained early military experience.

Fort Necessity

Site of Washington’s 1754 skirmish that helped ignite the Seven Years’ War.

Valley Forge

1777-1778 winter encampment where Washington’s army endured hardship but emerged disciplined.

Battle of Trenton

1776 surprise attack after Washington’s Delaware crossing that boosted Patriot morale.

Battle of Yorktown

1781 siege where combined American-French forces forced British surrender, ending major combat.

Constitutional Convention

1787 Philadelphia meeting that drafted the U.S. Constitution with Washington as presiding officer.

Cabinet

Advisory body of executive department heads first organized by Washington (Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Randolph).

Judiciary Act of 1789

Law establishing the federal court system, including the Supreme Court and lower courts.

Tariff Act of 1789

Early revenue measure placing duties on imports to fund the new federal government.

Residence Act of 1790

Legislation selecting the Potomac River site for the future capital, Washington, D.C.

Bank Act of 1791

Law that created the First Bank of the United States to stabilize national finances.

Militia Act of 1792

Statute empowering the president to mobilize state militias to quell insurrections.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1793

Law allowing slaveholders to recapture escaped enslaved people across state lines.

Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)

Washington’s declaration keeping the U.S. impartial in the war between Britain and France.

Jay Treaty (1794)

Agreement with Britain resolving post-Revolutionary disputes and averting war.

Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)

Pact with Spain granting Americans navigation of the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 western Pennsylvania uprising against an excise tax, suppressed by Washington-led militia forces.

Farewell Address

Washington’s 1796 message warning against permanent foreign alliances, political parties, and sectionalism.

Federalist Party

Political faction led by Hamilton favoring strong central government and industrial economy.

Democratic-Republican Party

Jefferson-led faction advocating agrarianism and states’ rights, opposing many Federalist policies.

First Bank of the United States

National bank created by the 1791 act to manage debt and issue a stable currency.

Presidential Precedent

Standard set by Washington’s actions, such as serving two terms and adopting the title “Mr. President.”

Mount Vernon

Washington’s Virginia plantation home and post-war retreat.

Martha Washington

George Washington’s wife; managed Mount Vernon and served as the nation’s inaugural First Lady.

First Lady

Unofficial title for the president’s spouse, first applied to Martha Washington in retrospect.

Cincinnatus

Roman model of civic virtue admired by Washington for surrendering power after victory.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason and natural rights that shaped Washington’s ideals.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher whose theories of natural rights and consent influenced Washington’s beliefs.

Montesquieu

Thinker advocating separation of powers, informing Washington’s support for checks and balances.

Neutrality

Foreign-policy stance of avoiding entangling alliances, championed by Washington in office.

National Unity

Washington’s goal of transcending regional and partisan divisions to preserve the republic.

Executive Authority

Constitutional powers of the presidency, carefully defined by Washington’s restrained leadership.

Whiskey Tax

1791 excise on distilled spirits that sparked frontier resistance and tested federal power.

Judiciary

Branch of government whose structure Washington helped shape through the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Hamiltonian Finance

Economic program of debt assumption, tariffs, and a national bank endorsed by Washington.

Washington Monument

Obelisk in Washington, D.C., commemorating the first president’s legacy.

$1 Bill

U.S. currency note featuring George Washington’s portrait, symbolizing his lasting national image.