Why was Washingtons task as the Nations first president difficult?

Answer 1

• As the first president, there were no historical precedents to help him establish his authority as President. He essentially created the office of President. He could not look back and ask what past presidents did with similar problems.
• The US government was badly in debt from the long war. Taxes were one of the causes of the war, so the levying and collecting of taxes was a very sensitive issue. Nobody trusted US dollars- most people wanted British pounds.
• The separate states never before had been united by any kind of real federal government, so the issues with state's rights over federal power had to be resolved
• The US did not really have a navy to protect shipping so France and Britain who were on the verge of war with each other took advantage and interfered with US trade.
• The Western frontier was not secure- the British kept forts and troops on US soil and the native Indians were a constant threat to settlers.

Answer 2

• As the first president, there were no historical precedents to help him establish his authority as President. He essentially created the office of President. He could not look back and ask what past presidents did with similar problems.
• The US government was badly in debt from the long war. Taxes were one of the causes of the war, so the levying and collecting of taxes was a very sensitive issue. Nobody trusted US dollars- most people wanted British pounds.
• The separate states never before had been united by any kind of real federal government, so the issues with state's rights over federal power had to be resolved
• The US did not really have a navy to protect shipping so France and Britain who were on the verge of war with each other took advantage and interfered with US trade.
• The Western frontier was not secure- the British kept forts and troops on US soil and the native Indians were a constant threat to settlers.