User Reviews

I found it interesting that the producers of this series placed George Washington in a principal role for two of the episodes. In the fourth of the series, the subtitle was 'Commanding Revolution', while here Washington's role as the leader of the new country was 'Forged in Conflict'.

What the new America faced following the Revolutionary War was a conflict between those who championed states rights against those who collaborated for a strong central government. Representatives of the Constitutional Congress turned to General George Washington to bridge the differences between the two sides, the one leader who commanded the respect of both due to his brilliant wartime leadership. What the former colonists now faced was an enormous debt from the War and a potential currency collapse. An immediate threat Washington faced was a rebellion led by Daniel Shay over the collection of war debts in Massachusetts.

It's to be noted that Washington at first was reluctant to assume his position, he didn't want the authority but was the only one strong enough to maintain it. Presiding over the Continental Congress, a Great Compromise was eventually reached establishing two houses of Congress to answer concerns of large states having more of a say than small states. The compromise offered the opportunity for representation based on population in one house, while in the other, states would have an equal vote no matter how large or small.

Obviously other matters intruded on this arrangement, as the issue of slavery required another compromise in which blacks were counted as three-fifths of a white person. Though a temporary fix, the seed had been planted for eventually dealing with the matter of slavery altogether in the not too distant future.

With the new form of government, the office of the Presidency was designed with George Washington in mind, a man who thought of his country first in matters of national sovereignty. Washington set the template for others to follow, an extraordinary achievement in the eyes of the world who couldn't quite understand the concept of a peaceful transfer of power when term limits were reached. Unfortunately, men of Washington's temperament and insight would not always serve the office with those interests in mind.

The fledgling United States faced multiple crises following the victory at Yorktown. The country labored under an enormous debt, and the currency was in a shambles. Facing foreclosures, Daniel Shays and his fellow farmers in western Massachusetts rose up against tax collectors.

Four years into the new republic, it was clear that the Articles of Confederation could not serve the country. The burning question was how to balance states rights with a strong centralized federal government.

The key shaper of the new document at the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 was the gifted intellect James Madison. What came to be known as the "Great Compromise" broke the deadlock through the innovation of bicameral legislation in the structure of the two Houses of Congress.

The Constitution was a delicate balance among monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. In the end, it was not a perfect document, but Ben Franklin felt that it was the best possible result. Franklin glimpsed "a rising sun" in the nation's future. A Bill of Rights was a subsequent refinement of the Constitution that ensures the rights of the citizens.

George Washington is the indispensable man for a strong executive. Yet at his New York inauguration, he felt that he was "a culprit going to his execution." But he will provide the necessary leadership at the head of the troops during the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. He demonstrates magnanimity in pardoning the rebels.

In his time, there was clearly no one comparable to George Washington. Napoleon appropriately quipped, "They wanted me to be another Washington, and I couldn't do it."