What was George Washington’s vision for America?

0:06[MUSIC] George Washington came out of the Revolution with a big picture of the United States. He had of course, been a Virginian. But during the Revolution, he became much more than that. He was a good entrepreneur, as well as of course, the military leader that resulted in leading the country toward independence.

0:28He'd gone home after the Revolution. He'd retired. He'd stepped down. He promised to. He believed in Republican virtues. It had always been rumored that. Every revolutionary leader becomes a tyrant. He didn't want to do that. He went home. Went home to his plantation, he went home to his Gris Mail, his large wheat plantation, and he saw what he dreamed about. What he had built collapsing around it. He saw the 13 states, which then were under loose confederation probably no stronger than the United Nations is now. Each of these 13 states going their own way, none of them big enough, except maybe New York to really be successful. Pennsylvania was doing okay, Massachusetts was doing okay, but for the most part, these states were in trouble. There was

1:15rampant inflation in some, rampant deflation in others, there was economic uncertainty. These states couldn't even trade with one another because each had their own trade policies. They could put up barriers to trade. We couldn't control our exports and imports because there was no central authority to do that. The central government didn't have money to maintain an army, and a Navy. They couldn't protect not only our merchant ships on our high seas, but any of our settlers on the frontier. He deeply believed because he was a passionate American.

1:46He believed in the promise that America could be something better. And he thought what was needed was a strong union. Not covering everything necessarily, not to make it one nation, but at least to have international trade totally controlled by the central government. Interstate commerce controlled by the central government. There'd be one currency and states could trade freely. The central government having the power to tax and to spend for the general welfare.

2:18To maintain an army in a Navy to defend Americans interest on the frontier because he believed that America's future, just as he thought when he was younger. He thought his future was on the frontier. He thought America's future was on the frontier. For all these reasons, he wanted a strong National Union. Now, that National Union didn't have to cover domestic or internal matters within a state. Something that would be traditionally a matter within the State, such as maybe education, and certainly of course, slavery or religion. But one that would create an effective National Union that was one market economy. We need one country to contrate a unified economy, such as you had in the common market in England,

3:05and also to tax and spend for the general welfare, to build an army, and a navy, to defend the country, to earn America's place in the world. That was his constitutional visit. He held it deeply. That's what got him to come out of retirement, go to Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention, and then agree to serve as the first president. [MUSIC]