When I was growing up, today was a big holiday. Washington’s Birthday. And, we also had celebrated Lincoln’s Birthday ten days ago.
But, sad to say, that’s no longer an American tradition. The US Government has elected to conflate these two holidays into President’s Day (which was yesterday) 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 more than a few other minority presidents since then.)
The good thing is that I live in Alexandria, Virginia. And, 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 philosophies and political arguments. He had to deal with both Jefferson and Hamilton who were at each other’s throats; citizens with different heritages, interests, values (remember the country was brand new under Washington’s presidency)- and Washington had to steer us clear of any wars, since we needed to recover from our War of Independence. (I would actually say that the conflagration continued until the end of the War of 1812 [kind of like the Middle East Wars that have raged for some 70 years].)
Washington 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. (We’ve just endured a President who was heck-bent on assuming a monarchy- or another authoritarian form of government.)
Washington 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. On your birthday!
I have a great deal of respect for George Washington, for many of the same reasons you offer. It isn’t easy being a trailblazer, especially when there isn’t too much precedent for what one is doing. Just imagine if he had allowed others to crown him King! He was a President that wasn’t primarily a politician, but that isn’t always a good thing, given that the last President before Biden had never held elective office. That was supposed to be a good thing and we know how that turned out. Lincoln, of course, was elected as a third party candidate and wasn’t even on the ballot (in 1860) in 10 states, all of whom ended up seceding and joining the Confederate States of America. He faced challenges that could easily have destroyed us if we were in the hands of someone of lessor abilities. I really do wish they had kept the two birthdays separate.
Alana recently posted..Sadness at the A to Z
I wonder if that’s because we both grew up in New York State- where there were both holidays, where we were taught about both of them (the good and the bad), Alana.
Both President Washington and President Lincoln were major parts of our history way back when I was in grade school in upstate New York. How special that your city has a parade to honor such a great President!
Martha recently posted..Snowball’s New Pillow
Ah, yes, another New York resident who recalls both holidays. Thanks for sharing, Martha.