George Washington's Legacy

Esteemed as the "Father of our Country," George Washington was not only America's first president but also its spiritual leader and model. A man who lived his own life in humility and sterling character, Washington has much to offer Americans in his legacy to them. Washington's service to his country forever changed its course, and his own deep religious beliefs permeated all that he did in her behalf. Washington left us not just an inspiration but a model of what it means to be an American, and that model includes patriotism, virtue and character, and religious freedom.

Washington's patriotism was irrefutable. As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775, he faced "a hopeless cause" with "no trained soldiers, no money, no ammunition, no weapons, and no supplies" as he prepared to take on "the greatest army in the world," that of Great Britain (Roche 1997). Suffering like his men from cold and deprivation, Washington won the War of Independence with "a stunning surprise attack at Yorktown" but had to keep his men there until the treaty was signed (Roche 1997). Having not been paid, seen their families, or worked their farms for two years, the men planned a mutiny (Roche 1997). Surprising them in their meeting and requesting to speak, Washington assayed to read them a letter from a congressman that would "prove the good faith of our government," but was unable to read it without putting on his glasses(which he was embarrassed to use and had neve

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hington best represents that part of the American founding concerned with what is now popularly called 'civic virtue,'...the search for a common good(for public and private virtue," which is as relevant today as it was in 1796 (Garrity 1996). Washington's passion for freedom was evident not only in his tireless service to the American people but also in the words that he chose carefully to relay to them in his speeches. In his First Inaugural Address in 1789, President Washington stated, "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people" (Sanders 2008). In his Farewell Address, Washington said, "If I could now conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution" (Stokes n.d.). Washington continued, "[E]very man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his reli

Category: History - G