Washington Parade, Alexandria

George Washington Really Slept Here!

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When I was growing up, today was a big holiday.  Washington’s Birthday.  And, we also had celebrated Lincoln’s Birthday ten days ago.  (See my post, 12.)

But, no more.  As I mentioned on Lincoln’s Birthday, the US Government has elected to conflate these two holiday into President’s Day (which was last Monday) to minimize the holidays (days off with pay) for American labor.   And, while both Washington and Lincoln were responsible for securing the formation of a more perfect union, Washington was the first of our presidents.  And, he was elected unanimously.  (Lincoln had three other opponents and only got 40% of the vote, which was all he needed to win.  We’ve had a few other minority presidents since then.)

Washington Parade, Alexandria

The good thing is that I live in Alexandria, Virginia.  The city considers their hometown boy, George Washington, a pretty important fellow. (Kind of like how Charlottesville [back when I lived there] never acknowledged that Thomas Jefferson was no longer around.)

So, we have a big parade (the largest and oldest parade celebrating Washington’s birthday), lots of hoopla, and visiting tourists galore. (Of course, Washington’s adopted home, Mount Vernon is officially in Fairfax County, just south of this fair city.)

Now, President Washington had to control a diverse set of arguments- Jefferson and Hamilton were at each other’s throats, citizens with different heritages, interests, values (remember the country was brand new under Washington’s presidency)- and he had to steer us clear of any wars, since we needed to recover from our War of Independence.  (I would actually say it continued, kind of like the Middle East Wars, until the end of the War of 1812.)

He served as our Commander-In-Chief during the Revolutionary War (which is one of the reasons that our President is now always our Commander-In-Chief).  He also served as chairman of our Constitutional Convention.  More importantly, he refused to become King- and as such preserved our nation as a Republic and not a monarchy.

He also knew that theatrics were going to be a critical part of his job.  (Just like his business acumen was necessary to keep the Continental Army going.  With cash flow problems, management issues, and the like- he had to be like every other small business manager.)

Washington managed to help guide the formation of a country from the mix of 13 separate states.  There was no model for such a union, one with the ideals of individual responsibility and freedom, one with no overriding traditions of its own.  In so doing, Washington left this country relatively united, in peace and prosperity.

When Washington died, his acclaim as one of the greatest men who ever lived helped secure his place in the pantheon of great Presidents.

Happy Birthday, George!   You deserve our praise.

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