Contributions to the New Nation

George Washington (1732-99), held a distinct and unquestionable place in history for being the first ever president of the U.S.. He also played a pivotal role when he became the commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution. But perhaps, Washington’s greatest influence is not in his position but in his characteristic as a person.

Washington is known to possessed valuable virtues needed to run a vast country. Washington is believed to have represent discipline, nobility, military convention, and persistence amidst obstacles. His contemporaries considered these traits as hallmarks of a great leader and mature political leadership. His very character defined the presidency, giving the critical position a face and a model it so desperately needed.
Washington, born on Feb. 22, 1732, in Westmoreland Co., Va., was the eldest son of Augustine Washington (1694?-1743), a Virginia planter, and Mary Ball Washington (1708-89).

Despite his lack of formal schooling, he managed to educate himself and expand his horizons by reading books in geography, military history, agriculture, deportment, and composition, surveying and simple mathematics. Later in life, his style of speech and writing was always praised for its distinct clarity and strength.

Washington had a place in shaping the intellectual life of the American nation. By his very traits and examples, he offered a very tangible proof of the importance of the citizen soldier, the broad-minded gentleman farmer, and the pragmatic nationalist who helped stabilized the culture and politics of the young republic.

After Washington’s death, Mason Locke Weems, an Episcopal clergyman, extolled the president’s virtues in a book he wrote about the life of Washington. He wrote, Washington had a soft spot for children. He was a great man blessed with the virtues such as honesty, piety, hard work, patriotism, and wisdom. This book narrated the story on how Washington as a boy refused to tell a lie to be able to avoid the punishment for cutting down his father’s cherry tree.

Washington’s influence went beyond the position. He is considered as the ultimate symbol of American identity the same way as the flag, the Constitution, and the Fourth of July.

In the 1920s we see a lot of biographies that served as expose of American personalities such as those written by American author Rupert Hughes (1872-1956). His books depicted a negative image of Washington, which served to confuse the Americans’ on their understanding of national origins.