Show ira ft ra ft ra PA WA ft ft ra M ft neo P foresi ta pa ft 04 M ima M oza IM M IM services fully entitled him to be called caged first in war first in peace and aad first in the hearts of his country countrymen nett but these distinctions due tt tr his bis part in the revolution and as president of the newly formed republic have overshadowed a phase of hla his life that dei deserves erves careful consideration few persons are aware of tho the service he rendered in developing the internal commerce of the country and of his foresight in the problem of securing union among the states at the end of the revolution the common dancer that had been so patent in holding the several states in united action wm removed and the contemporary history Ind indicates leates a rather dangerous disposition on the part of some of the portions of the country to go it alone a procedure that would have led to an easy recon re con quest hy by great britain the most powerful influence in the course of nations la Is the economic one the several states composing the original thirteen did not have entirely concordant interests and naturally obeying their impulses showed an unwillingness w Illin gness to surrender local advantages for the general good perhaps as striking an instance of the operation of this law will be found in the attitude of the people of the area now included in tile the state of vermont the treaty of 0 pence peace with great britain which acknowledged the independence of f the united states enumerated each state ns as sovereign and granted also the territory west of new hampshire many of the residents of tills area however regarded their best interests to he be with canada because the outlet to tile the son sea was through tie the waters that led to the st lawrence river railroads were of at that time among the lenders leaders of the party that declared against entering the united states was ethan allen alien the famous patriot and his two brothers active resistance to inclusion of the state was threatened but it came to naught and the green mountain state was duly admitted as the fourteenth state problem faced young nation during tile the revolution many efforts were made to bring about a closer union of tile the several states finally a couple of years before the close of the war the articles of confederation if on were adopted they did not satisfy many of the leaders including such its as washington hamilton IIa mllton wilson and audison Mu AladJ dison soli but were the best that could be obtained at that time meanwhile the pioneer spirit so characteristic of the colonials was urging movements towards and beyond the mountain rit range lige find and the problem of the mississippi valley was becoming serious french colonization had been active frum from the north especially in the region of the great lakes but by the treaty of parts paris in 1763 which closed the seven years war france had lost all its canadian possessions was in possession of territory in the gulf region I 1 saw routes route in advance when washington began to urge his PI plans ans for the slack water system on of the james the potomac the people river section became jealous they were unwilling that state aid should in an entirely be given to a project different section it became necessary for the friends ot of the potomac project to support one for the improvement of the james river and the james river improvement company was duly or coincident with that of the potomac company each company was based on a definite amount of shares by an act of the virginia legislature a block of shares was voted to him the washington stock went to the endowment of an institution that had been established before the revolution and after it had been renamed liberty hall ball this became washington college and Is now washington and lee university during the interval between 1783 and 1789 when lie was not in public life washington made a journey through the mohawk valley and in a letter expressed the view that that route would constitute the best line for connecting the region of the great lakes with tidewater ue he did not live to see the construction of the ei erie he canal and the subsequent rise of the port of new york to commercial domination |