We’ve made it to the end, the finale, our first and last President of Unpresidented. George Washington, a man whose face is time and again used as a grand symbol for American democracy — whether it’s on currency, state flags, or statues throughout the 50 states.

If you want to have a basic understanding of the American presidency, you have to start with Washington’s actions while in office. Two term limits, farewell addresses, cabinet meetings, and so many more precedents that are ingrained into the office became institutional traditions from Washington’s decisions rather than the framers of the Constitution. Being the first to take an office of novel and rare significance is much harder than to follow in anyone’s footsteps. The humility and care that Washington took into the presidency arguably was one of the most important actions of any individual in ensuring the same nation he helped govern stands today.

Still, the events of his presidency are not as popularized as the character of Washington himself (especially in his years fighting in the revolution), as well as his unique dissatisfaction with being a British colonial growing into adulthood. Niel and Jusef first explore the real person — George Washington —then dive into the decisions that actually made his presidency successful even in a 2024 lens.

Our journey of presidents ends here. We are back with one more episode to talk more in depth about our podcast as a whole, so we hope you join us for our final send off. Thank you to all our listeners who were part of the journey with us at any point in the last 2 1/2 years — its been a lot of fun.

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