George Washington

[Dirty Commie]

Keeping the fact that slavery was accepted by 95% of non slaves at the time, what does everyone think about George Washington and other leaders of the american revolution?

Personaly I think he was not too bad of a person, he was one of the first revolutionaries, but the fact that he was responsible for the death of thousands of AmerIndians is terrible and is often overlooked.

[LuZhiming]

George Washington was basically a military dictator. There isn't much to say about him.

[praxis1966]

I don't like him any more than you do, but he wasn't a dictator. He was an elected official, and he didn't veto a single bill the entire time he was in office. He also refused to run for a third term, even though at the time it was completely legal. In any case, he was just like any of the other of the founders, a rich, white, male, slaveowner who didn't want to pay taxes.

[SittingBull47]

He was somewhat of a charismatic leader. He broke away from imperialist Britain, but just look at the years after that. I will say though, that he was succesful in creating a new Nation. Too many people swoon over the quixotic portraits of our forefathers, painted in textbooks. The truth is none of them were really that great. (Save for Tom Paine, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams)

[Dirty Commie]

As I said, I'm not a fan of his, but he was no military dictator at all, he was elected by an overwhelming majority of voters, even though the total of votes was only about 10 percent of the population.
Considering the limited economic theories and the fact that slavery was accepted by society, I think he did a lot of good. He held debates in public and did wonders for rebuilding a war-torn nation.

[LuZhiming]

The American Revolution suppressed dissent from the beginning. George Washington was one of the leading figures in the Revolution. More than 100,000 people fled from the U.S. Thousands more were detained, shot, or deprived of almost all civil liberties. Meanwhile the Native Americans were being massacred, the U.S. was already seeking to expand territory, and Blacks were slaves. Freedom didn't exist. The Shay's Rebellion had broken out. None of these people were able to vote. Many normal Whites that backed the Revolution were not allowed to vote either. The election was one that had the votes of a bunch of selected individuals, a complete fraud. George Washington was not freely elected, had committed various atrocities, and was also a racist.

"They (the Jews) work more effectively against us, than the enemy's armies. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in... It is much to be lamented that each state, long ago, has not hunted them down as pest to society and the greatest enemies we have to the happiness of America." - George Washington

[truthaddict11]

nothing more than a bourgeosie revolutionary as all the "founding fathers" were its best not to admire any of them

[Dirty Commie]

I am not attempting to show support for Washington's post war deeds, but the people who fled (I have heard it was nearly 300,000 elsewhere) were supporters of British colonialism.
And the Shays rebellion was over the taxation of whiskey and corn grown outside the jurisdiction of the newly independent nation and sold inside of it, basicaly a bunch of mountain men smuggling booze into the country then complaining when it gets taxed when their area is incorporated into the union.

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

i wouldnt call George Washington a 'revolutionary'. He was only the first president under the then-new constitution.

The first president of america was John Hanson, and was voted into power by none other than George Washington. Slavery was money, racism came later. Slavery was more on what can be done and by whom. Africans were proven to be better sugar and cotton-farmers, they had the endurance that both white and indian slaves lacked.

[redstar2000]

My favorite Washington story: when the site of the new capital was being determined, Washington used his influence to have it built on land he partially owned...which he sold to the new government at a very handsome profit.

Sort of setting the tone for America ever since.

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.vze.com)
A site about communist ideas

[Morpheus]

George Washington was a genocidal maniac who supported the extermination of the native Americans. And despite what people here are saying, slavery wasn't accepted by "society." It was accepted by RICH PEOPLE and not even all rich people. Slavery was ended in the North after the war for independance. The Haitian revolution broke out in Washington's lifetime, as did the French Revolution. Both were anti-slavery. There were lots of anti-slavery people at the time. There were even people who advocated a classless society.

"...the gradual extension of our settlements will as certainly cause the savage, as the wolf, to retire; both being beast of prey, tho' they differ in shape" (G. Washington in 1783)