Another Extraordinary Day at Mount Vernon

I don’t think anything can top today. Quick recap: Constitutional Convention lecture by Gordon Wood, trip to Gadsby’s Tavern, trip to Washington’s gristmill and distillery, and sipping whiskey on the piazza at Mount Vernon at sunset. Ahhh!

Longer recap: Gordon talked about the importance of the Constitutional Convention and George Washington’s role in it in 1787. As a reminder, the United States was a “confederation” at the time of the convention in 1787. The problem facing the country was the fact that the federal government had no powers. This was especially critical since there were no trade regulations or a way to deal with foreign countries. We were basically humiliated by other

countries because we had no power. James Madison, John Adams, and even Thomas Jefferson (who would’ve preferred stronger states rights) knew it was time to meet to change the government. But they needed one man to join…George Washignton. The problem was that Washington promised to stay out of public life. And, as we all know, Washington always keeps his word. Madison convinces him to be the president of the convention. Washington reluctantly accepts. (Letters between Washington and Madison show that Washington asks about the “executive” in his plans.Madison’s response is “I haven’t given it much thought…”) During the convention, Washington says very little. He knows that he is such a beloved and respected figure that WHATEVER he says will be taken as gospel. He knows his importance and influence. But he says hardly anything. Can you imagine a leader today doing that? Having power, but completely restraining it! The other interesting fact about the convention is the fact that they kept it secret from the public during the duration. No grandstanding. No going on Fox News to get public support. No tweets. It would be impossible today. At the end of the convention, the Constitution is created and General Washington becomes President Washington.

Our group went to Gadsby’s Tavern today where Washington would frequent when he ventured into Alexandria. Interesting facts: taverns food prices were set by local magistrates, all taverns had to have areas for patrons to sleep if they drank too much, and George Washington first had a “birthday celebration” at Gadsby’s. We then went to the gristmill and distillery. The mill was amazing. When Washington was President, one of his jobs was to sign all patents that came through. He saw a design for a mill from a guy in

Delaware named Evans that took the work of 6 people and reduced it to 2. So, Washington, being the smart businessman he was, hired Evans to make him a mill. Today at Mount Vernon, the mill is the only operating Evans mill in existence. It was so impressive. Four stories of gears, grindstones, water wheel, elevators, grain, flour, and barrels. He used part of that mill to produce flour to ship to Europe and also to make whiskey. He was the most profitable whiskey producer in the states when he passed away in 1799.

The people here at Mount Vernon have been

tremendous. The access we’ve had has been unprecedented. Tonight after dinner, after all the tourists have gone home and the gates locked, I drank whiskey with my colleagues while sitting on George Washington’s back porch at sunset. On the piazza. At the Mount Vernon mansion. I sat where George sat, drinking what George drank, enjoying company like George did, watching the geese fly over the Potomac like George saw, enjoying life like George enjoyed. It was the absolute highlight in a week full of highlights. Something I’ll never forget.

The two “G.W.”s

We had another full couple of days here at Mount Vernon. Sometimes I feel like my head is going to explode with the amount of knowledge that his been poured into me by Gilder-Lehrman and the nice folks here at the President’s home.

Gordon Wood is an extraordinary man. He’s an extraordinary man in the sense that he is, well, ordinary. Let me explain. Gordon Wood is one of, if not THE, most influential and learned

scholar of the American Revolution. He is mentioned by Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. He appears in front of Congress regularly to talk about preservation of American history. He is the Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Bancroft Award, and National Humanities Medal. And do you know what we talked about at lunch today? Parents of students who demand too much, baseball, and beer. He is a “regular” dude. Well, a regular dude with an encyclopedia of knowledge.

The last couple of days in lecture, Gordon spoke more about the significance of the American Revolution and George Washington. Both of which were also extraordinary. Again, the significance of Washington turning down power after the war was over was amazing. He just wanted to back here, at Mount Vernon, and be a farmer. But more importantly, he wanted this republic to thrive. He wanted the people to rule. Gordon explained the difference between a republic and monarchy very succinctly today. In a monarchy, the people are subjects. They are “subjected” to laws and rulers. In a republic, people are citizens. They participate in government. It sound so simple, but it is, in actuality profound. Republicanism changed ALL of society. People were not longer subjects. This takes place in all facets of life, including family. John Locke, a huge proponent of republicanism, speaks about parenting during this time explaining that parents should try to use affection with their children to earn their respect. I parent the way I do because the Revolution was successful. Mind blowing. One of the most amazing points I understood this week (and I have about 15 pages of notes so far), is that when studying history, one must consider the people who we read about don’t know their future. In other words, the Founders didn’t know that they would succeed. Washington didn

’t know that crossing the Delaware at Trenton would start to turn the tide of the war. Jefferson didn’t know that writing “all men are created equal” would spurn equality movements over time. Lincoln didn’t know that the Civil War would be successful. But, they did these things anyway because it was the right thing to do.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve had the unique opportunity to explore Mount Vernon with tour guides and without. I’ve “met” Dr. James Craik (George Washington’s personal physician) and Nelly Custis (George Washington’s granddaughter). I’ve also had the opportunity to see a small part of George Washington’s farm and slave quarters. I’ve learned so much about the man. Quick review…

Dr. Craik was Washington’s personal physician since the French and Indian War. He believed that Washington’s biggest victory in the Revolutionary War was the fact that he insisted his men be inoculated. When he was younger, Washington caught small pox in Barbados (his only foreign visit) and survived. He r

ealized that if people got small pox and survived, they weren’t susceptible to the deadly disease again. The colonist army was inoculated. The British army was not. Thus, more British soldiers died because of small pox.

Nelly Custis told stories of her “grandpa-pa” with us over dinner. She spoke about how her grandfather treated her and her brother. He always followed his Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation that he wrote as a young lad. She also spoke about the visitors that came to Mount Vernon and how Washington was a great host and never turned down a visitor.

Down on the farm, I learned what an innovative farmer George was. He was one of the very few farmers that did not grow tobacco in Virginia. Sacrilege, right? He decided to try his hand at wheat using a 7 year crop rotation cycle, which was not standard. The problem with wheat is the fact that it is a very laborious crop to cultivate. So, Washington built Virginia’s first treading barn. Pictures to the left. The idea is horses would walk in circles in the upper part of the barn on 18 inches of wheat stalks which are placed on top of a wooden floor with slats 1 ½ inches apart. The horses would then be able to

separate the grain from the stalk while the grain fell to the floor below to be collected. Now, what did he do with the grain? Make flour? Sometimes. Washington became the largest maker and distributor of whiskey in the United States! Genius! Everybody in Virginia was making tobacco. What goes good with a nice cigar? A fine whiskey.

I could go on and on about what a great man Washington was. And, honestly, his home is gorgeous. I would recommend a trip here to anyone who visits the east coast. I’ve included lots of pictures on this blog for your pleasure. Enjoy…that’s what George and Martha would’ve wanted anyway.

First Full Day at Mount Vernon

Well, I have to say that the people of Gilder-Lehrman and Mount Vernon keep us busy. We had a packed day today.

Lecture by Gordon Wood about the Coming of the Revolution

Discussion of Lecture

Lecture by Ed Lengel, Editor in Chief of George Washington Papers

Discussion of Lecture

Lunch

Tour of slave quarters at Mount Vernon

Guided tour of George Washington Museum by the curator

Dinner at the Mount Vernon Inn

Lecture on historical documents

Phew! Brain explosion must be next…

Of everything we talked about and learned about today there are a couple of points I wanted to write about.

Gordon Wood made two very big claims today…George Washington is the greatest “founding father” and President and the Revolution was the greatest single event in American history. He realizes he is in the minority in these opinions by his colleagues, but he also gave some real evidence.

First of all, Washington stood head and shoulders above the other fathers because the founders saw him that way. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin may have differed in opinion with Washington, but they all practically worshipped the guy. Why? He had TRUE modesty. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and admitted them. He basically said to the country, “Use me as you may.” He didn’t seek fame. He listened more than he talked. He was a detail oriented idealist. He turned down power. Think about that. After the Revolutionary War ended, he resigned his position as Commander in Chief. What other ruler from the same time period or before did that? Could you see Napolean winning a war then turning in his sword? No way. He knew a monarchy would be bad for the country. I’m sure I could write a ton on Washington, and I probably will over the next few days.

Why was the Revolution the greatest single event in American history? Why was it greater than the Civil War? The American Revolution changed, not just government, but society. Society saw themselves vertically in the 18^th century in relation to others. It was a hierachical society. People were more concerned with their relation to people “higher” and “lower” to them because that was how they were wired. But the founding fathers changed this. They wanted a republic. Furthermore, they knew it would spread. They knew that other countries would follow because they knew that the highest values of the Revolution (liberty, equality) were right. In fact, it was the Revolution that created slavery as a problem. In other words, before the founders began talking about the ideas of equality and liberty, slavery was never debated. It was what it was. Back then, you had a high social status then you are granted political office. Now, if you hold a political office, you have a higher social status (examples: Washington, Clinton, Obama) The idea of equality, which was born during the Revolution, has fueled EVERY major movement of this country since the Revolution (slavery, women’s suffrage, civil rights, workers rights). Think about that. Mind blowing. Equality wasn’t spoken about before the American Revolution.

I took a tour of the slave quarters today. In fact, the room we eat meals in here were once slave “cottages.” So, did the Founders screw up that one? Yes. But what did George Washington do? He was the only Founder and the only President of the first 5, who freed his slaves upon his death. His fellow farmers in Virginia thought he was crazy to free them upon his death. His slaves were the best taken care of in all of the country. He NEVER separated families. He encouraged marriages. When his personal servant (Billy Lee) was crippled, he had him trained as a shoemaker so he could have a skill and be able to make a wage once he was freed. He also gave him a pension of $30 a year upon Washington’s death. What other masters did that? None. Could Washington have done more? Possibly. But he still did more than his contemporaries.

I have learned a lot and it’s only day one. I can’t wait to see what else I’m going to learn tomorrow. Good night.

Me and George

Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged, but I needed an outlet to process all that I am experiencing. I have received a grant from the Gilder-Lehrman foundation to study the life of George Washington while staying at his Mount Vernon estate. Pretty cool, huh? In fact, I’m writing this from the “quarters” on his estate. It’s not even on the tour map. I figured I’d every night while I’m here as kind of an online journal.

The Gilder-Lehrman foundation has been set up to help foster a love of American history by students by teaching teachers through the use of primary documents. I have had the opportunity this last year to work with several educators in my district and county to broaden my understanding of American history. It has been great!

Part of my learning for this trip was to read from two Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Gordon Wood and Joseph Ellis. In His Excellency, Joseph Ellis covers the life of George Washington and was a great read. In The Radicalism of the American Revolution (which won the Pulitzer Prize), Gordon Wood talks about how radical the Revolution truly was. It wasn’t just a breakaway from Britain to form a new nation. It COMPLETELY changed society, not just government.

The best thing about this trip is the fact that Gordon Wood is our lecturer. A Pulitzer Prize winning, Brown University professor gets to teach me, and about 20 other teachers from around the country, about George Washington. I’m so excited. Tonight at dinner he said, “You all are the teachers. I’m just a professor. I profess things. You teach children. You mold them and make them.” Very humble. Much like George Washington.