His Excellency: George Washington

“Both you and the English are White. We live in a Country between, therefore the Land does not belong either to one or the other; but the GREAT BEING above allow’d it to be a Place of Residence for us.” 

This quote is spoken by Tanacharison, Washington’s American Indian ally in the French and Indian War. It expresses the conviction of the Indians that their land was given to them by divine gift and cannot be taken away by force. Caught between French and English claims on their land, the Indians wish to be left in peace. 

“I may point out to the Public […] that heroic youth Col. Washington, who I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a Manner for some important Service to his Country.” 

Reverend Samuel Davies writes these words in the wake of Washington’s action in the (albeit unsuccessful) attack on the French forces at Fort Duquesne. It is strikingly prescient of Washington’s future career and the praise and glory that will accompany him in almost all of his military exploits. 

“A Romantick whim that may subsist in Theory, but must fail in practice.” 

A pithy quote that sums up Washington’s practical, realistic nature. It refers specifically to a scheme proposed by a British officer in the French and Indian War that Washington considers far-fetched. His manner of criticizing the scheme to one of his superior officers also shows Washington’s boldness and growing sense of superiority to his British “masters.”

“Appearances aside, he was an intensely passionate man, whose powers of self-control eventually became massive because of the interior urges they were required to master.”

This statement clarifies the popular view of Washington as a perfectly controlled colonial gentleman. His restraint was the result of a struggle for self-mastery over his passions, anger among them. Specifically, this passage refers to Washington’s love for Sally Fairfax, which he represses in favor of the far healthier and more licit love for Martha Custis. 

“This place is the property of Colonel Washington, and truly deserving of its owner. The house is most beautifully situated upon a very high hill on the banks of the Potomac, and commands a noble prospect of water, of cliffs, of woods and plantations.”

Mount Vernon represents a place of peace and refreshment for Washington, his home base to which he frequently desires to return, after the French and Indian War, then after the Revolution and finally after his presidency. As the land he cultivates, it is his own personal legacy, as well as the place where he enjoys the company of Martha and raises his stepchildren. 

“[…] make us as tame, & abject Slaves, as the Blacks we rule over with such arbitrary Sway.” 

Ellis qualifies as “startling” Washington’s metaphor, likening the subjugation of the colonists by the British to the southern colonists’ subjugation of their black slaves. Coming in 1774 it is also strikingly perceptive and self-aware, anticipating the perceived moral anomaly of slavery in a free society that American leaders will later wrestle with. The quote has a certain degree irony because as a slave owner, Washington is himself involved with the oppression of the slaves.

“Unhappy it is though to reflect, that a Brother’s Sword has been sheathed in a Brother’s breast, and that, the once happy and peaceful plains of America are either to be drenched with Blood, or inhabited by Slaves. Sad alternative! But can a virtuous Man hesitate in his choice?” 

On the eve of the Revolution, Washington regrets the fact that Britain and the American colonies—two entities with close ties of blood and tradition—are to go to war. The quote expresses his conviction that the war is a difficult but necessary choice, and the right moral choice in view of Britain’s violations of the colonists’ rights. 

“I beg it may be remembered by every Gentn. in the room, that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with.” 

These words, part of Washington’s speech after being chosen by Congress to lead the colonies to war, demonstrate his much-admired humility. More skeptically, Ellis also sees in it a possible “public modesty” and ritual designed to show gentlemanly etiquette. 

“The larger truth was that criticism of Washington could only take the form of whispers, since his transcendent status as ‘His Excellency’ levitated above all political squabbles, making direct criticism almost sacrilegious.” 

Ellis speaks of a “whispering campaign” against Washington after the Battle of Saratoga, centering on his increasing status as a quasi-king and questioning his losing of several battles. That this campaign must be carried out through innuendo only underlines the fact that Washington is almost universally loved by the American public. Yet the campaign also provides balance in an assessment of a general who, after all, lost more battles than he won. 

“To see men without Cloathes to cover their nakedness, without Blankets to lay on, without Shoes, by which their Marches might be traced by the Blood from their feet, is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be parallel’d.” 

Washington is describing the sight of his troops during the brutal winter at Valley Forge in 1778—one of the most trying chapters of the war for the Americans. The sight of countless soldiers dying of disease and exposure gives Washington a primal sense of “mass suffering” (113), in hindsight underlining for him the sense that “success [follows] survival” (118).

“[I]t is a maxim founded on the universal experience of mankind, that no nation is to be trust farther than it is bound by its interest; and no prudent statesman or politician will venture to depart from it.”

This maxim expresses Washington’s philosophical realism when it comes to politics and human relations. He believes that practical considerations should take precedence over sentimental ideals. This carries over into foreign policy and America’s dealings with nations such as England and France. 

“I see one head gradually changing into thirteen.” 

During the war, Washington expresses his view of the necessity for a strong national government. Without it, he fears that regional loyalties will take over and a unified nation will dissolve into 13 separate entities. Washington watches with dismay as local interests of the colonies block Congress from acting decisively, to the detriment of the army and the war effort. The quote is prescient of Washington’s political outlook after the Revolution. 

“It was as if a spirited but overmatched boxer, reeling and about to collapse from exhaustion, stepped forward in the final round to deliver a knockout punch.”

Ellis is describing the American army’s surprising rebound in the Battle of Yorktown—a victory that comes after several trials and defeats including the near-dissolution of the northern branch of the army and the defection of Benedict Arnold. 

“The greatest man in the world.” 

King George III describes what Washington will be if he resists the call to proclaim himself king and retires after the Revolution. It was this humility and resistance to the temptation of power that endeared Washington to the American people and caused him to be nicknamed the American Cincinnatus.

“I am decided in my opinion […] that if the powers of Congress are not enlarged, and made competent to all general purposes, that the Blood which has been spilt, will avail in nothing; and that the band, already too weak, which holds us together, will soon be broken; when anarchy and confusion must prevail.” 

Washington describes his vision of government in the new republic, which he believes must be strong and centralized in the federal branch. It is especially the erratic and unreliable leadership of Congress during the war that convinces him of the necessity of a strong national government. 

“They are, from this period, to be considered as Actors on a most conspicuous Theatre, which seems to be peculiarly designed by Providence for the display of human greatness and felicity.” 

In the wake of victory in the Revolutionary War, Washington describes Americans as the inhabitants of a vast “empire” stretching from coast to coast, much of it unexplored and uninhabited, but filled with an abundance of fruitful land. He regards this vast land as a gift from God to be cultivated. 

“The scheme, my dear Marquis, which you propose as a precedent to encourage the emancipation of the black people of this Country from that state of Bondage in which they are held, is a striking evidence of the benevolence of your Heart. I shall be happy to join you in so laudable a work.” 

This quote shows Washington’s gradual resolve to end slavery, partly influenced by the arguments of the Marquis de Lafayette that the institution is inconsistent with American ideals. The Marquis’ “scheme” involved freeing Virginia slaves and resettling them as tenant farmers. However, Washington believed that the abolition of slavery could only be carried out by due process of law. Knowing as we do now that slavery was not abolished until the 1860s, we might be surprised to read of discussions of abolition as early as the 1780s. 

“For a central impulse of the American Revolution, and the core meaning of ‘the spirit of ‘76’ in most minds, was an instinctive aversion to coercive political power of any sort, most especially centralized power emanating from any distant location beyond the surveillance of the citizens it affected.” 

This explains why the issue of how the American federal government should govern causes such lively debate during Washington’s presidency. Some fear that the federal government will act as the British king did toward the colonists. The fundamental split on this issue causes the emergence of America’s first political parties, Republicans and Federalists.  

“He was not chosen for what he thought, but for who he was.” 

Washington is elected unanimously as president based on his character and accomplishments and the fact that he symbolizes the spirit of the American Revolution. At this time there are no political parties and no detailed political platform on which to run, and the American public is virtually united on the main issues that affect the country. This will change dramatically during Washington’s administration, as disagreements about the purpose and function of the federal government will cause the emergence of political parties and rancorous political debate. 

“No president in American history wished to avoid the office more than Washington.” 

Washington does not truly desire the presidency, for several reasons, chiefly fatigue after a long war and his advancing age, both of which cause him to desire to retire to the rural tranquility of Mount Vernon. Martha, who has been deprived of her husband’s presence for much of the war, desires likewise. Unlike most every president after him, Washington does not lobby for the presidency at all and accepts the office unwillingly. 

“They, poor wretches, have no press thro’ which their grievances are related; and it is well known, that when one side only of a Story is heard, and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it, insensibly.” 

Washington shows his sympathy for the American Indians in their struggle to hold onto their lands in the face of the encroachment of white settlers. His concern for the plight of the Indians inspires his advocacy of the Treaty of New York and the Proclamation of 1790. 

“Be on your guard. You have cherished in your Bosom a Serpent, and he is now endeavoring to sting you to death…His vanity makes him believe that he will certainly be your Successor…Believe him not. He is a Hypocrite and is deceiving you.” 

This is how a correspondent describes Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Washington. Jefferson works closely with Washington in his presidential cabinet and is, like him, a prominent symbol of the Revolution. Yet their differences in political philosophy drive a wedge between them and soon Jefferson is viewed as the leader of an emerging opposition party (219). Washington for his part chooses to regards Jefferson as a “prodigal son” who will return to the fold. He continues to work with Jefferson, even as the latter drafts criticisms of Washington’s policies on the side. 

“Having taken my seat in the shade of my Vine & Fig tree, I shall endeavor to view things in the Calm Lights of mild Philosophy.” 

Washington declares his intention to retire from active public life, and that with this retirement will come a new perspective on life, one calmer, wiser and more philosophical. However, Ellis sees this stance as belied by Washington’s actions, especially his anger over French attacks on American shipping in the wake of the French Revolution and over the growing “partisan bickering” and “personal invective” (245) in American politics.