Alexander Hamilton Brought the Constitution to Life

“Your name could not be spared.” – James Madison to George Washington, Independence Hall, 1787. “I am persuaded, if you were determined to attend the Convention, and it should be generally known, it would induce the Eastern States to send Delegates to it.” – Henry Knox, letter to George Washington, 1787 “… your Presence will be of the greatest Importance to the Success of the Measure” – Benjamin Franklin, letter to George Washington, 1787. "Be assured, (Washington's) influence carried this government." – James Monroe, letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1787. George Washington - President of the Constitutional Convention I unfortunately do not have the luxury of time to write a lengthy pedigree background of George Washington as Pro has done for Hamilton; but I also believe that the admirable George Washington (Father of The Country) perhaps needs no real outstanding introduction. Besides being the most acclaimed general of the American Revolution and 1st President of the United States, as well as patron for constitutional thinkers like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton), Washington was also President of the Constitutional Convention, which he chaired by unanimous election. His distinguished role as President of the Convention was defined not by legislative contributions, which were the ultimate feats of Hamilton and Madison, but by legitimizing the adoption of unity and national government for all the states through the forceful persuasion of his awesome presence and participation. So I will instead focus on framing the context for what was necessary for “bringing the Constitution to life” as it were, and how George Washington played the biggest part in those. Bringing the U.S. Constitution to life required three things: 1) Winning the War of Independence 2) Ratifying the U.S. Constitution 3) Putting the Constitution and national government into practice Winning the War of Independence I’ll be brief here, but no single person in American history did more to win the War for Independence than General George Washington. This is important because winning the war against Great Britain is what allowed for the opportunity for the American colonies to host a constitutional convention -and rights to self-government- in the first place. And Washington’s military contributions here cannot be denied; crossing the Delaware, surviving Valley Forge, victory at Yorktown, as well as training and leading a rag-tag rebel army against the greatest power of his day, are just some of his superior historical accomplishments. But let’s not forget about Washington’s heroism and personal sacrifices either. He had several horses shot from under him while leading from the front, and it is well known that Washington went bankrupt in order to fund the troops when the continental congress many times could not. Then later, after the war was over, Washington went “blind in service of his country” when he quelled threats of coups from officers and enlisted men alike who again demanded compensation for their services. Consequently, no other American General, or participant in the American Revolution for that matter, could have commanded this much influence. Ratifying the U.S. Constitution Washington was named President of the Constitutional Convention for the same reason why he was named General of the Continental Army, his reputation and status as a wealthy egalitarian landowner and gentlemen from Virginia, combined with his unique military pedigree and personal charisma, made him the obvious choice for a leadership position. Having George Washington at hand to lead the convention provided the credibility and legitimizing factors that were necessary to unite the states and colonial factions together for a common cause. Unlike the other delegates who attended the convention, Washington was arguably the only person in America who could have been seen as representing the interests of all the states, as he had done before by leading the continental army. I argue this is why the first order of business of the constitutional convention, was in fact, to unanimously elect George Washington as President. Having him there of course, as a national hero, convinced other states to send their delegates, ensured that disgruntled war veterans wouldn’t rebel, and ensured trust among the public that whatever agreements that came forth from the convention would not be an attempt at treason or an effort to reestablish unfavorable government on style of Great Britain’s. Let there be no mistake either, Washington was not just a political figure head while at the convention. Through his quiet and discreet nature, he allowed healthy debate to ensue by staying out of conversation until it was necessary to form a compromise, then and only then did he offer a deciding opinion, which of course was to put Madison and Hamilton’s ideas before a vote. At the close of the convention, Washington also - very importantly to the Republic- reached across the aisle to advocate that smaller states should have more favorable representation in the House by skillfully proposing legislation that reduced the population ratio to representatives when the majority of delegates were tired and ready to go home. This maneuvering by Washington allowed him to lend some of his voice to the smaller states without losing the confidence of the larger states he had typically supported, so in effect he was bipartisan. Putting the Constitution and national government into practice Perhaps the biggest part of “bringing the constitution to life,” can be summarized as putting words and ideas into practice; making sure that the type of government outlined (and its three branches) worked and would continue to work for future generations. For the first representatives of the newly elected government, this sometimes meant the pivotal role of setting an example for roles that the Constitution loosely defined or was vague on, such as Judicial Review. But for Washington’s role of course, being the first chief executive ever elected, it was to define the constitutional role of President of the United States, knowing that the example he set would be mirrored and modeled after for future generations. The Constitution for instance, though establishing the Office of President, did very little to actually define the powers of Chief Executive. Washington tried to interpret this role as someone who could enforce the laws through discreet executive powers and the advice of congress; which allowed the President to nominate cabinet officials, lead the military when at war, receive diplomats, and negotiate treaties, but left actual approval of those measures up to a vote in Congress. Washington presidency also helped establish executive privilege and executive orders, two important powers of the Office of the President that the constitution failed to define but were important enough to establish in order to enforce the laws and protect the constitution. Washington also delivered the first State of the Union address, setting an example for what that relationship between the Excutive Branch and Legislature should be; and very importantly left the Presidency after two terms and eight years – term limits of course, had not been defined by the Constitution. This last feat by Washington, turning away from power, President of the United States would not become a King.Sources: http://law2.umkc.edu... http://www.gilderlehrman.org... http://www.whatwouldthefoundersthink.com... http://www.archives.gov...