George Washington, Thinking American History

Traveling to History

I traveled last week to Baltimore and DC, seeing a number of our core American “famous locations,” including one starring George Washington. On this trip we didn’t go to the main “George” spot, Mount Vernon–although that’s a lovely estate to visit.

Instead, I spent a morning meandering around Annapolis, including the Maryland State House. This grand building is the oldest US state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772. It also housed our pre-constitution United States Congress of the Confederation.

Before the Constitution

This visit reminded me of a key event in the formation of the United States, one that it seems timely to think about. We’ve been alerted once again that democracy is fragile, and it takes honorable human beings to uphold it. So for today, I’m leaping far forward in history from my usual Late Bronze Age posts.

In 1783, less than four months after the Revolutionary War ended, when our democratic endeavor was still fragile with newness, George Washington did something foundational and important. He wasn’t President yet. There was no Constitution yet, so no such job. He was Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

The Big Question for George Washington

The Commander-in-chief had gained great popularity. The question now was what he’d do with it. In retrospect, we tend to take for granted the ethical choices he and others made in those early days. But the men and women around him did not. Would he hand off his military control and return to civilian life? Or would he follow the many models history and his own day offered and edge the fledgling country into autocracy?

We are the elected democracy that we are because George Washington refused to hold onto power through military force. He clearly established the civilian control of the military and resigned as Commander-in-chief. He allowed the messy, painful process of forming our Constitution to proceed. No marching on the seats of power with the loyal army that believed in him as their leader.

A Woman Observes George Washington Resign

A small side note of this momentous event concerns the observers’ gallery of the elegant Old Senate Chamber where the resignation took place. Women weren’t allowed onto the floor of the room. Instead they climbed stairs to a balcony running across the back wall. Afterwards, one of the women gathered that day, Mary Ridout, composed the only known account left by a private citizen. Actually, it was one of the few written descriptions at all. Lucky the men didn’t exclude the women entirely.

With two bronze statues, of George Washington and Mary Ridout, curators have commemorated this moment when a fragile infant democracy survived a giant transition. Unfortunately, infancy is not the only source of vulnerability for a democracy. Good to remember the leader who said no to retaining power beyond the time that democratic principles required.

Further Reading

For a post about a novel set in the early days of American History, you can read about My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Previous Posts