Will Donald Trump Become Another George Washington?

            My VIP for this week is President-elect Donald Trump, the Time Magazine Person of the Year. He was honored this week by being asked to ring the bell to open the Stock Exchange. According to Steve McKee at The Daily Signal, George Washington may have been our greatest president. 

The reason? His [Washington’s] rejection of the predations of power. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington had the leverage and prestige to anoint himself America’s monarch, but refused to do so. When Washington resigned his military commission, King George III called him “the greatest man in the world.”

And as the only president twice unanimously elected by the Electoral College, Washington could have served for life. He instead chose to step down after two terms and return to Virginia and his beloved Mount Vernon.

McKee believes that Trump “has the unique opportunity to emulate” Washington. His reason: the fact that Trump knows the job of being President of the United States and is not a true “lame duck” who will “lac the political power to get much done.”

Having already served one term as president, however, Trump is getting off to a running start. And having once again earned the imprimatur of the American people who understand who he is and what he intends to accomplish, he has his mandate. Unable to run again, he can think in historical terms.

Washington could be Trump’s model as he exercises the duly elected powers of the executive branch to dismantle its unconstitutional elements and unwind the administrative state.

There’s much that can be done. Twenty-five years ago, noted economist Milton Friedman matter-of-factly outlined 11 Cabinet-level departments that should go: Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. (There was no Department of Homeland Security at the time, but we can guess what Friedman would have said about that.)

To be fair, Friedman argued that some functions of these eliminated government departments, such as stewarding the nuclear stockpile and taking care of veterans should be maintained.

Beyond that, we know that expensive entitlements such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid can’t just be “undone.” But they can, and must, be reformed.

The idea of putting some two-thirds of the executive branch on the chopping block sounds shocking to those of us who’ve grown up in the era of Big Government. And some would say we can’t possibly go that far – these departments are too big, too deeply ingrained in our way of life, and employ too many people to be unraveled.

I say that’s why they must be unraveled, to tame the federal Leviathan that has become as dangerous to liberty as it is economically unproductive.

That’s not to say the new Trump administration should be cavalier about how it goes about the task, which is why, for example, generous severance packages are being mentioned for employees displaced by the work of Trump’s advisory commission – the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Nor should the second Trump administration be unrealistic about the unanticipated consequences resulting from a dramatic reduction in the size and scope of the federal government.

But there’s nothing that says problems such as poverty, policing, and public health must be handled at the federal level. In fact, the Constitution reserves those powers to the states or the people.

To be sure, any unwinding of this giant ball of yarn must be handled wisely and deliberately, and there’s room for plenty of debate regarding what stays and what goes.

But the more the federal government can be returned to the limits the Founders intended (and the American people ratified), the more we will return self-governance to the states, to the cities, and to the people, where it belongs.

Progressivism has gotten into quite a mess over the past hundred years, and it’s likely to require a decade or more of conservative victories to return us anywhere close to first things.

However, if our new president emulates the example of George Washington and seeks a similar legacy, he can retire to his beloved Mar-a-Lago when his work is done – knowing that America will thrive for another 250 years.

Presidents Day

            Today is Presidents Day, a day set apart to honor all Presidents of the United States. Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a nation long forgotten, we celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 and George Washington’s birthday on February 22. Then some deep thinker thought that we should lump all the presidents into one holiday. I do not agree with whoever it was for several reasons, one of which is that some presidents deserve honor and others do not.

            Obviously, I am not the only person with this opinion because I found an article titled “George Washington Deserves His Own Day, Not Presidents Day” by David Azerrad at The Daily Signal. Here are just a few paragraphs, but please the article.

Washington, the “indispensable man” of the revolution who was rightly extolled for being “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” has not been lumped together with the likes of James Buchanan, Jimmy Carter, Franklin Pierce, and John Tyler.

It gets worse. Washington’s good name and great legacy are now shamelessly invoked to justify positions that he would never have envisaged.

In a Time Magazine special edition on Washington, historian Joseph Ellis matter-of-factly remarks: “He began the political tradition that produced a Union victory in the Civil War, the Federal Reserve Board, Social Security, Medicare and, more recently, Obamacare.”

Washington, who called on Americans to display “pious gratitude” for their Constitution and warned against any “change by usurpation,” is now a partisan of the sprawling welfare state and the unprecedented individual mandate.

Ellis even has the gall to hail Washington – the man who gracefully and voluntarily relinquished power after two terms when he could have stayed on for life – as the father of “strong executive leadership” and the precursor to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who stayed in office for an unprecedented 12 years.

            Obviously, Ellis is another deep thinker! Do you think that he really believes what he wrote? I hope that you see from those paragraphs why we need to have an annual day to remember our first President, even George Washington. He must be turning over in his grave for being linked to FDR and Obamacare! Be sure to read the entire article here.

      

            I believe that George Washington deserves to be honored annually because he was a great man. I also believe that we should celebrate his birthday every year in order to teach the rising generation about this great man. None of us has seen a President that could measure up to George Washington! We need to honor him for being the first as well as to teach others why he was so great.

Presidents Day

            The United States commemorates Presidents Day today as a day to honor all Presidents of the United States. This is a fairly new federal holiday that supposedly replaced Washington’s Birthday, which is February 22. This change does not set well with many people because some of our Presidents have been much greater than others. Why should George Washington share this honor with the likes of Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and others too numerous to mention?

            In his article titled “Why We Should Celebrate Washington’s Birthday, Not Presidents Day,” Arthur Milikh at The Heritage Foundation argues the federal holiday should still be known as Washington’s Birthday because “America’s greatest statesmen did not think that national holidays were merely about family dinners, watching fireworks, or getting a three-day weekend.”

            Milikh uses the holidays of Thanksgiving and Independence Day to show why he believes the Founders would never have accepted the change to Presidents Day. He explains that George Washington wrote his Thanksgiving Day proclamation about how the day should be about gratitude for the blessings of God and particularly for those of this great nation. He suggested that Americans should offer up their thanksgiving to God. Milikh contrasts the day of gratitude with a day of rejoicing by explaining that Independence Day is a day to celebrate the “courage and manliness” that went into defeating Great Britain and establishing the United States. His explanation put my feelings about the day into words.

            Continuing his article, Milikh writes, “What we today call `Presidents Day’ is in fact Washington’s birthday. Just like a republican people must on occasion be reminded of the need for manly assertiveness and modest gratitude, so too must they be reminded of examples of human greatness.” He states that “presidents” is just “an abstraction” with “no real content, being viewed as merely another day off work.” He continues.

   During Washington’s life, he deservedly became one of the most famous men in the world. His remarkable courage and prudence had, despite great odds and at great peril, carried to victory our 13 colonies against the most powerful empire on earth. The weight of this task fell upon his shoulders.           

   In times of peace, moreover, Washington’s self-possession and equanimity – by contrast to the brilliant but somewhat impulsive advisers surrounding him – meant that the country’s fate could be responsibly entrusted to him. The example of his control over his passions, his judgement, and devotion to the common good made him the new model of republican greatness, which until recently filled the American imagination for generations.

   Indeed, so clear were his virtues that both Federalists and Anti-Federalists reached unanimous agreement about Washington’s worthiness to be president, despite their immense disagreements on almost everything else.

            George Washington was raised up by God to lead this nation. He was aware of his

great calling and responsibility, and he lived worthy of the Lord’s blessings upon him. He is worthy to be honored by his own special day.

            The Patriot Post today was also about Washington’s Birthday vs. President’s Day. The author of the post quoted Matthew Spalding, a Heritage Foundation scholar. Spalding noted that Washington’s Birthday was celebrated as early as 1778 and “was second only to the Fourth of July as a patriotic holiday” by earth in the next century. He also noted that Congress recognized the day as Washington’s Birthday in 1870. He explained the connection between Washington’s Birthday and Presidents Day.

   The Monday Holiday Law in 1968 – applied to executive branch departments and agencies by Richard Nixon’s Executive Order 11582 in 1971 – moved the holiday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Section 6103 of Title 5, United States Code, currently designates that legal federal holiday as `Washington’s Birthday.’ Contrary to popular opinion, no action by Congress or order by any President has changed `Washington’s Birthday’ to `Presidents’ Day.’

   Furthermore, to call the day “Presidents’ Day” not only diminishes George Washington but elevates presidents like Barack Obama. Whereas Washington sought to keep his oath to “support and defend” the Constitution, Obama undermined it at every turn.

            I learned something today as I wrote about this topic. I did not know that the holiday had not been officially changed from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day. The knowledge that Congress has not changed the name of the holiday makes me feel much better. Maybe someday a President will use an executive order to again honor President George Washington.

President Trump and President Washington

                The inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States (POTUS) was held on Friday,

20 January 2017. President Trump is the 45^th POTUS, and the transition in power was peaceful. As in all the other transitions of power in the United States, there were no tanks running in the streets or bullets fired. The new President took the oath of office, and the previous President got in Marine I and left Washington, D.C.

                Article II, Section I of the Constitution stipulates the oath of office for the President of the United States to be sworn during the inauguration. 

                Before he enters on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: --               

                “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United

                States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the

                United States.”

                The job of POTUS is not an easy job. The difficulty of the job is shown is the way Presidents age during their usual eight years in office. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all aged greatly during their time in office. The office of President and each person that becomes President should be treated with respect whether or not people agree with the President’s policies.

                In September 1988 Jeffery R.Holland was President at Brigham Young University (BYU) and spoke at a devotional welcoming the students back to school. He joked about the presidential campaign of that year and then

changed to an important matter. 

                BYU was in their final salute to the bicentennial anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. President Holland spoke of a special film was that would premiere on 30 April 1989, the bicentennial anniversary of George Washington’s first inauguration. He obviously had great respect for President Washington.

                “Surely when the Lord speaks in section 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants of raising up `wise men’ for the founding of this nation and the establishment of constitutional government, he must have been speaking first and foremost of George Washington. As unassuming as he was, Washington’s impact on the new republic and on the framing of its government was greater than that of any other living man. His prestige as the victorious colonial general was immense, and his character, his very presence, inspired confidence.

                “Note this language used by a journalist of the day to describe Washington’s arrival for that first inauguration. It is unclear whether the writer is describing royalty or deity. `It is impossible to do justice … to … the scene exhibited on his Excellency’s approach to the city. Innumerable multitudes thronged the shores, the wharves, and the shipping --- waiting with … anticipation his arrival…

                “`This great occasion arrested the publick attention beyond all powers of description…. All ranks and professions expressed thief feelings, in loud acclamations, and with rapture hailed the arrival of the FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY…

                “`The scene … was … beyond any descriptive powers of the pen to do justice to – How universal … the sentiments of respect and veneration!—All ranks [exclaimed,] “WELL, HE DESERVES IT ALL!”

                “`The spontaneous [expressions] of gratitude … are the highest reward that virtue enjoys, …

                “`Many persons … were heard to say, that they should now die contented – nothing being wanted to complete their happiness … but the sight of the Saviour of [their new nation]. [From the Connecticut Courant of 4 May 1789, in Everett Carll Ladd, The American Polity (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1987), pp. 72-73]

                President Holland explained that the above information was written two hundred years previously, and the “adulation is still nearly the same in both tone and content. Listen to this from a resolution passed by Congress and read by the President of the United States on the two-hundredth anniversary of Washington’s birth:

                “Washington has come to personify the American Republic. He presided over the convention that framed our Constitution. The weight of his great name was the deciding factor in securing its adoption by the States. These results of could never have been secured had it not been recognized that he would be the first President. When we realize what it meant to take 13 distracted colonies, impoverished, envious, and hostile, and weld them into an orderly federation under the authority of a central government, we can form some estimate of the influence of this great man….

                “We have seen many soldiers who have left behind them little but the memory of their conflicts; but … the power to establish among a great people a form of self-government which the test of experience has shown will endure was bestowed upon Washington, and Washington alone…. His was the directing spirit without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no Constitution, and no Republic. His ways were the ways of truth. He built for eternity. His influence grows. His stature increases with the increasing years. In wisdom of action, in purity of character, he stands alone. We cannot yet estimate him. We can only indicate our reverence for him and thank the Divine Providence which sent him to serve and inspire his fellow men. [Handbook of the George Washington Appreciation Course for Teachers and Students (Washington, D.C.: U.S. George Washington Bicentennial Commission, 1932), pp. vii-viii]

                President Holland then explained that he had at least two reasons for his long tribute to Washington. “The first is because he is a genuine hero, and I have always wanted to make some public expression about the truly remarkable man I believe he was. I think we may never fully appreciate the magnitude of his impact upon those neonatal days of this nation when it could have so easily died aborning.

                “The second reason is to draw all of this closer to home, to see what lessons Washington and his age have for us here at the start of another school year at BYU. To make that transition I quote a recent BYU visitor, political pundit and journalistic gadfly Garry Willis. Said he:

                “`[In an election year] we get the presidents we deserve. A great people is what you need for a great president. Washington was the greatest president, because the people were at their most enlightened and alert. [America] right now is escapist. It wants to be soothed, and told it doesn’t have to pay or sacrifice or learn.’ [“Things That Matter,” Vis a Vis, July 1988, p. 70; emphasis added]

                President Holland then asked an important question: “Can that possibly be true, that the people made Washington great? That they, as well as he, were `at their most enlightened and alert’?” He then asked the college students what that meant to them.

                I ask now, “What does this mean for us?” We had two people as the candidates for President of the United States that no one liked. Republicans and others consider Hillary Clinton as a criminal and should be in prison. Liberals and others consider Donald Trump to be even worse. I saw man on one of the main streets of Anchorage – in 8 degree weather – waving a sign that said, “Impeach Trump.” President Trump had been in office maybe six hours. How could he have done anything that was impeachable in that short time and with everything else he was doing today?

                What kind of a President do we want? We must determine this for ourselves and then become that kind of person. If enough of us become the kind of people that the founding generation was, then we might – just might – elect a President like George Washington. Maybe We The People can make Donald Trump a good President!

Washington's Birthday

                We celebrated “Presidents Day” on Monday, February 18, but many Americans do not realize that the day is legally and officially known as “Washington’s Birthday.”   The celebration of Washington’s birthday was moved from his real birthday on February 22 to the third Monday in February.  In the “olden days” as I was growing up, we celebrated Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 and then celebrated Washington’s birthday on February 22.  One day someone had the brainy (?) idea to lump the two holidays together on the third Monday in February – occurring right between the two birthdays, and the unified celebration became commonly known as “Presidents Day.”   For many years I truly believed that the name of the holiday had been changed to “Presidents Day” and have learned differently only in recent years.  I could never understand why we were given only one day to honor Washington, Lincoln, and other great Presidents when Martin Luther King, Jr. was given a holiday all to himself.  Now I know that both President Washington and King have their own day to be honored.

I understand that the federal holiday officially known as “Washington’s Birthday” was moved to a Monday in order to accommodate the ski associations who desired a three-day weekend in February.  I believe we should officially and unofficially refer to the day as “Washington’s Birthday.”  Apparently, other people think so too!

                In an opinion editorial entitled “Why `President’s Day’ properly belongs to George Washington,” the Washington Examiner stated, “Although popularly known as `Presidents Day,’ February 18 this year is officially the federal celebration of `Washington’s Birthday.’  George Washington, the father of this nation, deserves the recognition that the more popular name fails to convey.

                “Washington is remembered for his military service in the American Revolution and as the nation’s first president.  But neither of these is the chief reason he is honored today.  There have been greater military leaders than Washington and arguably greater presidents as well.  But Washington’s greatest achievement was beyond the emotional scope of most great military and political leaders:  He held the proverbial ring of power, and he gave it up of his own accord.

                “At the end of the Revolutionary War, when the possibility of absolute power presented itself to Washington, he humbly stepped aside.  He resigned his command of the Continental Army, restoring full power to a civilian Congress that had in fact caused him great grief throughout the course of the war he had successfully prosecuted.  This event is commemorated in one of the most famous murals in the Capitol Building.  Washington’s selflessness separates him from lesser men who won much greater military victories but were vanquished by the temptation of power – Julius Caesar before him and Napoleon Bonaparte afterward.

                “Had Washington followed the governing philosophy that reigns in the capital today - `never waste a crisis’ – then there would probably be no Constitution and no United States of America.”

                The editorial continues by explaining that it was Washington’s “example for future generations of Americans, firmly establishing civilian control of the nation’s military” that warrants our honoring him.

                The Heritage Foundation agrees that we are failing to honor President Washington as we should.  A statement in an article entitled “George Washington’s Example on Religious Liberty”  includes the following quote:  “Instead of celebrating George Washington’s birthday, today we’ve lumped him in together with no-names including Millard Fillmore and William Henry Harrison as we celebrate a generic `Presidents Day.

                “But George Washington was not simply a President.  He was the indispensable man of the American Founding.  Washington’s words, thoughts, and deeds as a military commander, a President, and a patriotic leader make him arguably the greatest statesman in our history.

                “All Presidents can learn from Washington’s leadership in foreign policy, in upholding the rule of law, and `especially now’ in the importance of religion and religious liberty….

                “Washington knew that religion and morality are essential to creating the conditions for decent politics.  `Where,’ Washington asked, `is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?’

                “Religion and morality are, Washington wrote, essential to the happiness of mankind:  `A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity.’  To match his high praise of religion, Washington had a robust understanding of religious liberty.  Freedom allows religion, in the form of morality and through the teachings of religion, to exercise an unprecedented influence over private and public opinion.  Religious liberty shapes mores, cultivates virtues, and provides an independent source of moral reasoning and authority.  In his letter to the Newport Hebrew congregation – at the time the largest community of Jewish families in America – President Washington grounded America’s religious and civil liberties in natural rights, and not mere toleration.”

                An article at The Blaze continues this line of reasoning in an article entitled “It’s `Washington’s Birthday’:  Here are his 5 most important warnings to Congress”  Becket Adams wrote:  “[George Washington] refused this power because he believed in the cause of the republic.

                “Understanding the pitfalls of organized government, Washington in his 1798 farewell address to Congress urged U.S. lawmakers to guard against unnecessary wars and racking up unsustainable public debt, among other things. 

                “Considering the fact that the nation’s capital has in recent years become a spectacle more deserving of mockery than praise, perhaps it’s worth revisiting some of his warnings to Congress.

“On the Constitution:  `This government … has a just claim to your confidence and your support.  Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true liberty.  The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.’

“On progressive ideas:  `Towards the preservation of your government … resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts.  One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown….’

“On political parties:  `Let me now … warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.  This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind.  It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

“`The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.

“`But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.  The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.’

“On war:  `The Nation, which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave.  It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest….  The Nation, prompted by ill-will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the Government, contrary to the best calculations of policy….’

                “On public debt:  ‘As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit.  One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it, avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertion in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.'"

                President George Washington was a truly great man who set an excellent example for his successors.  He, along with many Founders, was concerned about whether or not future generations could keep the liberty and freedoms which were bestowed upon them.  This is the reason why he felt the need to share his counsel as he was leaving office.  As the “indispensable man” of the founding period, President George Washington remains worthy to be honored on his birthday.  I encourage you to join me in referring to the holiday held on the third Monday in February as “Washington’s Birthday.” 

President George Washington

                It is that time of year once again when we remember the birthday of the first President of the United States.  George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, into a wealthy planter family in Westmoreland, Virginia.  His family owned tobacco plantations and slaves.  After the early deaths of his father and older brother, he inherited Mount Vernon.

George Washington became a great man and one of our Founding Fathers.  He was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.   He presided over the Constitutional Convention and was a participant in drafting the Constitution of the United States of America. 

Under the new Constitution, George Washington was the unanimous choice to serve as the first President of the brand new country.  He served two terms as President and was instrumented in creating a strong, well-financed national government.  Under his leadership, the fledgling country “maintained neutrality in the wars raging in Europe, suppressed rebellion, and won acceptance among Americans of all types.”

                President Washington was well aware that he was setting precedents that would be followed by successive administrations, and he desired to set good precedents.  He used his leadership to establish “many forms and rituals of government” still in use today, such as the cabinet system and an inaugural address.  He also established the tradition of peaceful transitions from one administration to another.  He truly is the “father” of our country.

                George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis.  George and Martha did not have children together, but he became a father to her two children.  He died on December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, Virginia, at age 67.  His body was laid to rest in the Washington family tomb at Mount Vernon.  He freed all his slaves in his final will.

                President Washington was hailed at the time of his death as “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”  He is consistently named as one of the top three Presidents of our nation.  He was a great man and deserves to be honored as our first President.  Please join me in celebrating the birthday of President George Washington – 281 years after his birth.

President Washington was not only great, but he was also wise as shown by the following quotes.    

                “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”

                “Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people’s liberty’s teeth.”

                “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”

                “If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

                “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force.  Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

Martha Custis Washington

                    Martha Custis Washington was the kind of wife that a great man like George Washington needed and deserved.  Martha was the very first woman to serve as First Lady.  She was so well loved and respected that many people called her Lady Washington, but George used her childhood name of Patsy.

                    Lady Washington was born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731, on her parents' plantation, Chestnut Grove, near Williamsburg, Virginia.  Her parents were John Dandridge (1700-1756) and Frances Jones (1710-1785).  Her father emigrated from England and became a wealthy land owner and planter.  Her mother was of English and Welsh descent.  Martha was the oldest of eight children and had three brothers and four sisters. 

                    Martha married Daniel Parke Custis on May 15, 1750, when she was 18 years old.  Daniel was a rich planter who was much older than Martha - somewhere between 13 and 20 years.  They lived at the White House Plantation located a few miles up the Pamunkey River from her parents' plantation.  Martha and Daniel had four children:  Daniel (1751-1754), Frances (1753-1757), John (Jacky) Parke Custis (1754-1781), and Martha ("Patsy") Parke Custis (1756-1773).  Daniel and Frances died in childhood while Jacky and Patsy survived to young adulthood.  Martha was left a rich, young widow when her husband passed away in 1757; he left her with independent control over a dower inheritance for her lifetime and trustee control over the inheritance of her minor children.

                    There is apparently no record as to when Martha met George Washington.  They might have known each other while Martha was married to Daniel, and they might have met at a neighbor's house in Williamsburg in early 1758.  George was a colonel in the militia at the time and must have been very dashing.  He visited Martha at the White House Plantation twice in March 1758 and came away from the second visit with either an engagement to marry or a promise that she would think about it.  She apparently was also being courted by another wealthy planter named Charles Carter.

                    The wedding of George and Martha took place on January 6, 1759, and was apparently a "grand affair" as she wore "purple silk shoes with spangled buckles" and he was attired in "a suit of blue and silver with red trimming and gold knee buckles".  They honeymooned at the White House Plantation before beginning their life together at the Mount Vernon estate of Washington.  From all reports, their marriage was a solid match with no sign of problems or infidelity.

                    Martha and George had no children together, but they reared Martha's two surviving children.  Patsy died as a teenager from an epileptic seizure, and Jacky came home from college to comfort his mother.  Jacky was an aide to Washington during the 1781 siege of Yorktown and died during his military service - probably from typhus.  After Jacky's death, Martha and George took two of his children - Eleanor Parke Custis (March 31, 1779 - July 15, 1852) and George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 - October 10, 1857) into their home to rear.  George and Martha apparently provided personal and financial support to other family members in both the Dandridge and Washington families.

                    George and Martha enjoyed being home and living a private life at either Mount Vernon or one of the homes of the Custis estate.  It was at great sacrifice of personal feelings that George was gone from home so long to fight the Revolutionary War.  Each winter when the army went to its winter encampment, George sent for Martha, and she came in spite of the fact that she really enjoyed being around her large and extended family.  Martha was about five feet tall and had never been away from Virginia until her husband became the commander-in-chief of the army.  She traveled thousands of miles to be with him each winter, traveling to military encampments in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

                    After the Continental Army marched into Valley Forge for their third winter encampment on December 19, 1777, Martha left Mount Vernon on January 26, 1778, and spent ten days traveling hundreds of miles in order to be with her husband in Pennsylvania.  While she was at Valley Forge, she helped to maintain a higher level of morale among the officers and enlisted troops.

                    Martha's main role in the encampment was to care for her husband and give him her "soothing gentle hand."  She served as hostess at the camp and socialized with the wives of other senior officers.  The officers and their ladies would gather at each other's quarters in the evening for conversation and singing as General Washington prohibited dancing and card-playing at Valley Forge.  Martha organized a women's sewing circle and mended clothing for the troops.

                    Martha was still at Valley Forge on May 6, 1778, to celebrate the formal announcement of an American alliance with France.  The General and his lady began the day at Sunday services with the New Jersey brigade.  After the sermon there was a thunderous feu de joie when thousands of soldiers fired their muskets consecutively to show their joy.

                    On May 11, Martha and George attended a camp production of Cato, one of the General's favorite theatricals.  Staff officers performed the Joseph Addison tragedy for a "splendid audience" of officers and their wives. 

                    Martha celebrated her forty-seventh birthday on June 2, and then six days later she packed up her carriage and returned to Mount Vernon, hoping that this was the last time that she would spend a winter in an army encampment.  It was not to be, and she made five more winter trips to join her husband.

                    Martha was so opposed to George being elected President of the newly-formed United States that she refused to attend his inauguration on April 30, 1789.  She did however act as First Lady and hosted many affairs of state in New York and then in Philadelphia when the capital moved.  (Washington, D.C. did not become the capital until 1800 during the John Adams Administration.)  Martha did not enjoy being the First Lady and felt like a "state prisoner."  She was called Lady Washington, but she dressed so plainly that people often thought she was the maid.

                    After President Washington passed away in 1799, Martha continued to live at Mount Vernon.  A short time before her death on May 22, 1802, she burned all of Washington's letters to her.  She was buried by the side of her husband at Mount Vernon.  All of the Washington slaves were freed between the time that George passed away and the day of Martha's death.

                    Facts for this article are from Wikipedia and Kathryn Kish Sklar in World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 21, p 109.

The Greatness of George Washington

                    I feel strongly that I should write an article about George Washington.  I have already written several articles about him concerning the facts of his life.  These facts can be found here or here.  

                    I want to write about the greatness of the man, and yet I lack the words to truly describe him.  George Washington performed many great acts of achievement, but he remained humble and willing to serve his country.  He possessed great wealth but was willing to walk and work with common men.  He was a great leader but was willing to listen to counsel from his subordinates.   He controlled the army whose officers would have made him king, but he went before Congress to resign his military commission and return to private life.  He seemed to always put the good of the army and/or the good of the country before his own personal needs and desires.  What caused this man to be as he was?

                    I believe that George Washington could have been one of "noble and great" men seen in vision by Abraham.  "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

                    "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said:  These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me:  Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born."  (See Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:22-23.)

                    What kind of rulers did God include in this statement?  Was God referring only to spiritual leaders or did He include George Washington and other Founders?  Latter-day revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith included the following information:  "According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;

                    "That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

                    "Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.

                    "And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood."  (See Doctrine and Covenants 101:77-80; italics added.)

                    Ancient prophets were told that the American continents were the "promised land" and had been kept in reserve and unknown to the people in the Old World until God determined that time was right.  God also proclaimed that this land would be free of kings and would remain free only to people who were righteous and followed Jesus Christ.  (See the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ.)  God said that He "raised up" "wise men" to write the Constitution of the United States.  The fact is that the Constitution would not have been written if the Americans had not won the Revolutionary War!  I strongly believe that God performed miracles and helped Washington and his army to win that war in order that a free nation could be established in America!

                    One of Washington's officers, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, spoke for most, if not all, Americans at the time when he proclaimed Washington to be:  "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

                    How did Washington come to hold such an honored place in the hearts of Americans?  The people loved him because of his character and his leadership; they loved him because of his integrity and character.  He was a great leader who helped to shape the new nation that became the United States of America.  Washington did this in three very important ways:  1) He was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  He kept the army together - a major accomplishment in and of itself - and led it for eight long years before winning American independence from Great Britain - the greatest military power on earth at the time.  2) He served as president of the convention that wrote the Declaration of Independence.  Because of the love and respect that the delegates had for Washington, he was instrumental in keeping the convention together long enough to finish the Constitution. 3) Because the people trusted Washington, they agreed to ratify the Constitution and then they elected Washington to be the first President of the United States.  They had enough faith in his integrity to give him great power, and he honored that faith by serving his nation well and by setting numerous precedents for those who came after him.  He was very mindful of the precedents he was setting and was determined that they should be appropriate and proper.

                    Washington's character and integrity probably stemmed from his childhood and the teachings of his parents about honesty, integrity, responsibility, and work.  His mother or a teacher might have suggested that he copy the following rules of behavior in his notebook.  The rules are written in his own spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

                    Turn not your Back to others especially in Speaking, Jog not the Table or Desk on which Another reads or writes, lean not upon any one.

                    Use no Reproachfull Language against any one, neither Curse nor Revile.

                    Play not the Peacock, looking every where about you, to See if you be well Deck't, if your Shoes fit well, if your Skokings Sit neatly, and Cloths handsomely.

                    While you are talking, Point not with your Finger at him of Whom you Discourse nor Approach too near him to whom you talk especially to his face.

                    Be not Curious to Know the Affairs of Others neither approach those that Speak in Private.

                    It's unbecoming to Stoop much to ones Meat Keep your Fingers clean & when foul wipe them on a Corner of your Table Napkin.  (See article by Philander D. Chase in World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 21, p 92.)

                    Washington's character was probably formed by his faith in God, his humility and willingness to kneel in prayer to ask for guidance and then attribute his success to that Supreme Being.  The following quote shows his tremendous desire and determination to do what was right before God and for future Americans. 

                    The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves…  the fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army - our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission…  We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die.  (General orders to the Continental Army, July 2, 1776, as quoted in World Book, p 105)

                    I truly do believe that George Washington was one of the greatest men to ever live.  I believe that he acted under inspiration from God when he led his rag tag army to victory and independence.  I believe that he continued to listen to inspiration from God in the Constitutional Convention and as President of the United States.  George Washington was a truly great man!

                   

                    

Washington, D.C.

                    The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.8.17:  "The Congress shall have Power … To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings."  In other words, this provision gave Congress the authority and the responsibility to set up a headquarters for the national government, ten miles square, which would be under the exclusive control of Congress.  This clause is called the enclave clause.

                    "This clause may have originated from Congress's unhappy experience of being virtually evicted from Philadelphia in 1783 when [several hundred] members of the Continental Army [who were angry about being unpaid] mobbed them, forcing the Congress to flee to Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, and finally New York, because local authorities did not adequately protect them.  Furthermore, it was felt that the capital should not be in the same city as the capital of a state, or in a large commercial center likely to be heavily populated."  (See W. Cleon Skousen, The Making of America:  The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p 455.)

                    Skousen continued with his explanation of why the District of Columbia, or Washington, D.C., was selected to be the national capital.  During the administration of George Washington, two bills were introduced in Congress.  One of the bills was to have the national government pay all the "debts of the various states incurred during the Revolutionary War."  This was not a good idea to states such as Virginia that had paid their own war debts and didn't see any reason why they should pay the debts of other states.

                    The second bill that was introduced about the same time concerned the national capital.  Many of the states that had debts "wanted the national capital to be in the north (Philadelphia or New York).  Virginia agreed to accept the war debts of other states "if the new national capital were placed on the Potomac River."  Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, and Alexander Hamilton as the Secretary of Treasury worked together to bring about the compromise.  Jefferson persuaded enough southern states to support the debt bill while Hamilton "rallied votes to put the national capital on the Potomac."

                    This arrangement put the capital or power of government in the South and the economic power in the north.  This division of power continues today with the federal government located in Washington, D.C., and Wall Street located in New York City.

                    In 1788-89 neighboring states ceded land to the nation:  Maryland gave up "sixty square acres east of the Potomac," and Virginia gave up "thirty square miles on the west."  More than fifty years later, in 1846, Congress decided to return Virginia's land located west of the Potomac. 

                    It took a few years for Washington, D.C., to be built.  Even though the project started during Washington's administration, the government operated out of Philadelphia from 1790 until 1800 at which time the government moved to its permanent place in Washington, D.C.  John Adams was the first President to live in the White House.

                    The Founders obviously felt strongly about the need for a "federal district" that would be under the exclusive control of the federal government.  James Madison wrote in The Federalist No. 43:  "The indispensable necessity of compleat authority at the seat of Government carries its own evidence with it.  It is a power exercised by every Legislature of the Union, I might say of the world, by virtue of its general supremacy.  Without it, not only the public authority might be insulted and its proceedings be interrupted, with impunity; but a dependence of the members of the general Government, on the State comprehending the seat of the Government for protection in the exercise of their duty, might bring on the national councils an imputation of awe or influence, equally dishonorable to the Government, and dissatisfactory to the other members of the confederacy."  (See Lee Casey in The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, pp 143-144.)

                    Neither the Founders nor the Constitution gave the right to residents of Washington, D.C., to elect members to the House of Representatives nor the Senate.  They apparently believed that said residents were well represented in government.   An  attempt was made in 1977 to amend the Constitution to grant the District of Columbia the same voting representation as states, but the bill was not ratified.  There were other attempts to bring the District of Columbia into the Union as the fifty-first state.

                    Voting-rights advocates in Washington, D.C., still have the "clear preference" for statehood, but Congress does not seem anxious to pass such an amendment.  The Founders wanted the national seat to be under the "ultimate authority of Congress," and today's Congress apparently feels the same way about it being an "independent territory."