by Gerald Boerner
“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
— George Washington
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”
— George Washington
“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
— George Washington
“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”
— George Washington
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
— George Washington
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
— George Washington
“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
— George Washington
“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
— George Washington
Death of George Washington
George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and the first President of the United States of America (1789–1797). For his central role in the formation of the United States, he is often referred to as the father of his country.
The Continental Congress appointed Washington commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces in 1775. The following year, he forced the British out of Boston, lost New York City, and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey, defeating the surprised enemy units later that year. As a result of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies at Saratoga and Yorktown. Negotiating with Congress, the colonial states, and French allies, he held together a tenuous army and a fragile nation amid the threats of disintegration and failure. Following the end of the war in 1783, King George III asked what Washington would do next and was told of rumors that he’d return to his farm; this prompted the king to state, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” Washington did return to private life and retired to his plantation at Mount Vernon.
He presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787 because of general dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation. Washington became President of the United States in 1789 and established many of the customs and usages of the new government’s executive department. He sought to create a nation capable of surviving in a world torn asunder by war between Britain and France. His unilateral Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 provided a basis for avoiding any involvement in foreign conflicts. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank. Washington avoided the temptation of war and a decade of peace with Britain began with the Jay Treaty in 1795; he used his prestige to get it ratified over intense opposition from the Jeffersonians. Although never officially joining the Federalist Party, he supported its programs and was its inspirational leader. Washington’s farewell address was a primer on republican virtue and a stern warning against partisanship, sectionalism, and involvement in foreign wars.
Washington was awarded the very first Congressional Gold Medal with the Thanks of Congress.
Washington died in 1799, and the funeral oration delivered by Henry Lee stated that of all Americans, he was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen”.
Eulogy of George Washington
Henry Lee III was an early American patriot who served as the Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia Representative to the United States Congress. During the American Revolution, Lee served as a cavalry officer in the Continental Army and earned the name Light Horse Harry. He was also the father of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.
Lee’s eulogy was:
First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere — uniform, dignified and commanding — his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting… Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues… Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.
Thomas Jefferson, a fellow Virginian, wrote of Washington’s character:
His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke; and as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder…He was incapable of fear, meeting personal dangers with the calmest unconcern. Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed. His integrity was most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known… It truly be said that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a great man.
After retiring from the presidency in March 1797, Washington returned to Mount Vernon with a profound sense of relief. He devoted much time to farming.
On July 4, 1798, Washington was commissioned by President John Adams to be Lieutenant General and Commander-in-chief of the armies raised or to be raised for service in a prospective war with France. He served as the senior officer of the United States Army between July 13, 1798, and December 14, 1799. He participated in the planning for a Provisional Army to meet any emergency that might arise, but did not take the field.
On December 12, 1799, Washington spent several hours inspecting his farms on horseback, in snow and later hail and freezing rain. He sat down to dine that evening without changing his wet clothes. The next morning, he awoke with a bad cold, fever, and a throat infection called quinsy that turned into acute laryngitis and pneumonia. Washington died on the evening of December 14, 1799, at his home aged 67, while attended by Dr. James Craik, one of his closest friends, Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown, Dr. Elisha C. Dick, and Tobias Lear V, Washington’s personal secretary. Lear would record the account in his journal, writing that Washington’s last words were “‘Tis well.” Modern doctors believe that Washington died largely because of his treatment, which included calomel and bloodletting, resulting in a combination of shock from the loss of five pints of blood, as well as asphyxia and dehydration.
Throughout the world men and women were saddened by Washington’s death. Napoleon ordered ten days of mourning throughout France and in the United States thousands wore mourning clothes for months. To protect their privacy, Martha Washington burned the correspondence between her husband and herself following his death. Only three letters between the couple have survived.
Other Events on this Day
- In 1774…
Four months before the Battle of Lexington, 400 Patriots attack Fort William and Mary at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to capture powder and small arms. - In 1799…
George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, his home in Virginia. - In 1902…
A ship begins laying the first transpacific telegraph cable between San Francisco and Honolulu. - In 1947…
NASCAR is founded in Daytona Beach, Florida. - In 1972…
Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon during the twentieth century.
Dates and events based on:
William J. Bennett and John Cribb, (2008) The American Patriot’s Almanac Daily Readings on America. (Kindle Edition)
Background information is from Wikipedia articles on:
George Washington profile that can be found at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington
Henry Lee III profile that can be found at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lee_III
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