Father of a Nation

George Washington, the Father of our Country, set us on a path of prosperity through his integrity. Just as a family needs a father, a nation does as well. We see him as a general and president, but Washington, the man, was equally remarkable. His patriot friend, Benjamin Rush, said of him, "Washington ... [is] one of those illustrious heroes whom Providence raises up once in three of four hundred years to save a nation ..." Authors Parry and Allison, in "The Real George Washington," show us his moral disposition.

He was described as "a young man of extraordinary ... character ... destined to make no inconsiderable figure in our country." He was large-boned and strong, mature for his age and modest. He was also an excellent horseman, which was important in his day, and a good student. He was naturally deliberate and sober, and others said his mind "reached just conclusions." He demanded discipline — from himself and those he led.
Washington was a family man, though the eight difficult revolutionary war years took him from home. He and Martha never had children, but he loved her son and daughter from a previous marriage and made them his own. He remodeled Mount Vernon, his Virginia home, for his new family, and designed the broad two-story porch with columns that later graced Southern plantations in the Scarlett O’Hara years.
He "was not much of a talker" and did poorly speaking before groups. When honored by the Virginia House of Representatives, he fumbled his thanks. The Speaker eased his embarrassment, saying, "your modesty is equal to your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language that I possess."
The unfortunate were helped by his generosity. His overseer said: "I had orders from General Washington to fill a corn house every year for the sole use of the poor ... [saving] poor women and children from extreme want."
He kept one of his best fishing stations on the Potomac outfitted with fishing gear for use by the poor, supported many nieces and nephews through college and contributed generously, and anonymously, to charities.
He was a God-fearing man; he called Him by the name of Providence. He was sometimes seen in private prayer, where he often retired to a grove of trees. He believed God presided over America, guiding events for the ultimate good of the Union. Two days before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the general told his troops: "Let us therefore rely upon ... the Supreme Being in whose hand victory is." During the war, he wrote a colleague, saying, "If I shall be able to rise superior to ... these difficulties ... I shall most religiously believe that the finger of Providence is in it."
Washington could have been King of America. When soldiers' pay was delayed after the war, some rebelled and wanted to put him on a throne. He was horrified. He wrote the perpetrators: "If you have any ... regard for me ... banish these thoughts." During the two years needed to ratify the Constitution, he saw with concern the growing sentiment to press the presidency on him. He didn’t want the honor. "May Heaven assist me ... my refusal might induce a belief that I preferred ... my own private ease to the good of my country." At 56, he wanted only family and Mount Vernon, where he often stripped off his coat and worked alongside his men.

Integrity guided his life. As he gave a heartfelt farewell to his troops at the end of the war, he counseled them to "prove themselves [as] virtuous and useful as citizens" as they had been "persevering and victorious as soldiers." He stressed the "virtues of economy, prudence and industry" and reminded them that, under Divine guidance, they had "secured innumerable blessing for others." He refused an ample salary for his eight years of war service and later said the "affection of a free people ... will be a full compensation for all my toils and sufferings in the long and painful contest."
Washington’s integrity was soul-satisfying, and his character fed America on greatness as well. Early America was prosperous and strong — this has been our legacy. We owe that, in part, to the extraordinary man we call the Father of our Country.

Get It Right: The Legacy of George Washington

Presidents Day reminds us that history pivots on great men. Few in America have been greater than George Washington, father of our country. His contributions were monumental.
Washington had grave reservations when, as Jay Parry states in "The Real George Washington," he was called to lead "an unorganized military force to fight an undeclared war ... (for) a nation that did not yet exist."

He felt deficient and said so, but perseverance, humility and unfailing integrity overcame his shortfall. His men loved him, and he deserved their respect. He agonized as one-fourth of his men died of federal neglect at Valley Forge the winter of 1777.
That crucible of freedom forged the fighting force for America's David to defeat the world's great superpower -- the British Goliath. At war's end, he refused his well-earned eight years of salary and returned home to Mount Vernon on the banks of the Potomac, intending to never leave again.
His sacrifices did not end, however. The infant United States was disintegrating. The governing Articles of Confederation were ineffectual: gutless and toothless. States squabbled like spoiled children, inflation raged, and foreign powers, like ravening wolves, awaited the breakup of the neophyte nation.
Washington's influence brought the sulking states to the Pennsylvania State House during the sweltering summer of 1787, and his strength of will helped keep them there through the sometimes chaotic deliberations of the Constitutional Convention.
With immense effort, a government of balance, symmetry and equality was born, and America quickly moved from chaos to prosperity, order, and strength. By 1905, 116 years after the document was born, the United States produced 50 percent of the world's goods with just 6 percent of its population and 5 percent of its land mass.
A unanimous vote assured Washington's first presidency, and he sacrificed, again. With so much invested, how could he do otherwise?
His eight presidential years set essential precedents and protocols for the fledgling constitutional republic. Political power is rarely pretty, and the task was not easy. He reluctantly served a second term, but refused a third. It was time to go home.
His rest was short. Sixteen years of absence had left his large, prosperous estate depleted financially and agriculturally, and he had grown old.

Seventeen days before the 19 century arrived, a meager three years after his return home, an infection claimed his life. The nation, gilded by his paternal affection and unfailing efforts, mourned him, and gave his name to our national capital.
Many now declare the document he sacrificed for to be tarnished and irrelevant. No; the more we leave it, the worse government gets. The answer is not more damage. "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."
The answer is to restore constitutional principles under respectful leadership that follows its system. The ancient prophet Isaiah said, "Therefore, my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge." We need knowledge of the Constitution; we need to study it, and teach it to our children and each other. There is no need for another document or system when the original worked so well.
When 13 struggling colonies were desperate, a great man rose to lead. Throughout history that has been the pattern. Britain had Churchill, India had Ghandi, Israel had Moses.
Today, a struggling nation, awash in excess and disobedience, needs help again. Where is our George Washington? Is he, or she among us in Utah? It's possible. We lead the nation in many ways. Perhaps we can lead the nation out of turmoil.
One thing is certain: Only moral, upright people can return us to greatness and prosperity.
Benjamin Franklin explained, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." The prescription to do so is the Constitution of the United States. No modern nation has crafted such balanced self-government, or found such prosperity. We have the blueprint. Now we must find the character, leadership, discipline, and sacrifice to return us to our birthright.