Ode to George: In Honor of Washington's Birthday
By Nate - Posted at If You Can Keep It:
In light of the birthday of George Washington (yesterday, as of this posting), I love to review and reread stories about the Father of our Country. His defusing of the Newburgh Conspiracy near war’s end with the simple act of fumbling to put on his spectacles is one of my all time favorites. His insistence on the supremacy of civilian over military authority and refusal to seize power made him the “greatest man in the world,” according to George III. The images by which Washington is remembered defined the nation too. His most famous paintings are arguably his fearless but desperate crossing over the Delaware River, or of the great general knelt in prayer in the snow of Valley Forge. By contrast, the images of another national hero like Napoleon show him seizing the crown for himself and his wife, bequeathing an entirely different national memory. He also left enduring legacies based on his example, perhaps none more influential than retiring from power multiple times and only serving two terms as president. While he receives less distinction as a philosopher of the Republican ideal than say Thomas Jefferson or James Madison, Washington was the living embodiment of those ideals.While listening to the podcast “Ben Franklin’s World,” I heard a new story about Washington that only added to my estimation of the greatest American. The episode, “The Revolution’s African American Soldiers,” traced the battlefield contributions of African Americans on the side of the Colonials during the war, and spent significant time on the experience of Rhode Island’s 1st Infantry Regiment.
