George Washington was the first president of the United States, from 1789 to 1797. In the hopes of creating a durable, balanced democracy, he set the bar for presidential behavior in many respects. For instance, he introduced the norm of a two-term limit and the tradition of respecting Congress’s right to legislate, while limiting vetoes and executive orders. In general, Levitsky and Ziblatt argue, he created a strong tradition of institutional forbearance for subsequent presidents.
George Washington Quotes in How Democracies Die
The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
Throughout his life, Washington had learned that he “gained power from his readiness to give it up.” Thanks to his enormous prestige, this forbearance infused many of the American republic’s other nascent political institutions. As historian Gordon Wood put it, “If any single person was responsible for establishing the young Republic on a firm footing, it was Washington.”
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George Washington Quotes in How Democracies Die
The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
Throughout his life, Washington had learned that he “gained power from his readiness to give it up.” Thanks to his enormous prestige, this forbearance infused many of the American republic’s other nascent political institutions. As historian Gordon Wood put it, “If any single person was responsible for establishing the young Republic on a firm footing, it was Washington.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
