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Lecture on historical documents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.