There is a fascinating...
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There is a fascinating way that time reveals the things that are really true. When George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States of America, people had little context for appreciating how a president was different from a king. The suspicions of many were that it would prove a difference in name only. Part of the genius of the American Revolution and ensuing conversation about the form of government rested in a process that invited "true believers" forward in service to the country.
When Washington, who longed to retire to his Mount Vernon home, realized the Articles of Confederation were not functioning well, he led the charge toward the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Shortly after the ratification of the new constitution the Electoral College unanimously elected him president. Washington proved to be the perfect choice by virtue of the personal integrity that prevented his assumption of powers beyond the intent of the office. In his Farewell Address he noted the sentiment that "If any circumstances have given particular value to my services, they were temporary." His decision to leave office following two terms established a paradigm for service that would stand until the four-term tenure of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Thereafter it would inform the legislation established to limit the term in office of presidents to two four-year terms.
