Posted on 12/14/2016 1:23:29 PM PST by NonValueAdded
Today, 14 December, 2016, marks the 217th anniversary
of the death of George Washington, the youngest of the
Founding Fathers and our First President of These United States.
Birth Date
February 22, 1732 at Pope's Creek, Virginia
Death Date
December 14, 1799 at Mount Vernon, Virginia (Age 67)
Wife
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (Married in 1759)
Children
None
Height
6' 2" (1.879m)
Weight
174lbs (79kg) in 1760
Political Affiliation
None
Religion
Anglican/Episcopalian
General of the Continental Army
June 15, 1775 to December 23, 1783
President of the United States
April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797
For more facts about Washington, visit the Mount Vernon website, here.
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Recessional of the Sons of the American Revolution:
“Until we meet again, let us remember our obligations to our
forefathers who gave us our Constitution, the Bill of Rights,
an independent Supreme Court and a nation of free men.”
Dr. Benjamin Franklin, when asked if we had a republic or a monarchy, replied "A Republic, if you can keep it."
Young when he died compared to us but old compared to the times.
Thanks for the ping
Hated mercantilism.
Against Free Trade
Was for tariffs
Protectionist all the way.
Patriot
Our nation did a great disservice by removing his birthday as a national holiday, first by combining it with Lincoln's birthday, and then largely replacing its emphasis with the race-oriented MLK day.
Particularly enjoyable are displays at Mt. Vernon which show the various aspects of his life, such as businessman, President, surveyor, Commander, etc.
The book George Washington: Apostle of Liberty is worth it just for the title.
I believe the unrecorded prayers of George Washington for the USA are still honored by God today, and were a contributing factor to the election of Donald Trump. (Beware of vision of George Washington for America, which is almost certainly a hoax.)
Every elementary class grades 1 to 8 ought have a segment on the life and character traits of George Washington. This would include a thorough study of the 110 Rules of Civility he copied at age 16. This would be a true "common core" of American society.
Thanks for your post.
It never ceases to amaze me, minus modern technology, how well educated they were back in those days.
Thank you for the ping.
My favorite Founding Father. RIP, brave hero.
One of my favorite facts about Washington is that he copied those rules so that he could live by them. Such a noble man.
**Religion
Anglican/Episcopalian**
There are rumors that Washington may have died a Catholic.
Was offered a salary and turned it down
Was offered a crown and turned it down
Was offered a third term and turned it down.
All he wanted was to do his duty and to go home.
Sadly, he never got the long retirement he earned.
He had strep throat and they bloodletting him in attempt to rid blood of infection. Thank God for antibiotics.
I bet he might have lived to see the War of 1812 ... some Revolutionary generals fought in it.
I have visited Mount Vernon four times. Each time there is a new “rebuilt” building(s) on the grounds. Supposed to be historically accurate. What I find concerning, and off-putting is the heavy narrative of slave-shaming that is overwhelming the story of George Washington, the man.
Every other sentence has the words “enslaved people”, spoken in hushed tones. It isn’t just at Mount Vernon, but at most of the historic sites in VA that our founders were connected to. In the past six years it has grown to the point where it is so intrusive in the experience that ... well, if I could get away with yanking down those informational plaques, and stoppering up the docents who deliver these insults to our forefathers, well I wouldn’t hesitate.
Instead I arm myself with info and constantly interrupt and ask questions about the white bond-slaves, or just random questions about random historical facts. I would rather piss off fellow tour folks a little than have their minds poisoned unchallenged. I have gotten fairly good at this.
It’s nauseating
They do it here at historical sites in middle Tennessee
The tour guides hate me.....lol
I have made it a mini-mission in life to interrupt the narrative. It has to happen.
I’ve been on many field trips with my kids to Mt. Vernon. A wonderful American monument.
Washington’s dying words were “’Tis well.”
Williamsburg is much, much worse. You could walk away from there thinking White Men had nothing at all to do with American freedom, it was all due to slaves and women who dipped candles. And YES, slaves and women absolutely deserve a share of the glory, but not to the extent that the brave and erudite men of the times are sidelined.
That said, Williamsburg is really a must-visit for every American, IMHO.
I agree wholeheartedly. I credit a stupid hand-out sent home by my oldest daughter’s 2nd grade teacher in Berkeley, CA which maligned (in my opinion) the record and character of George Washington. This has to be more than 50 years ago. The paper, which had a picture for my child to color, said (among other negative things) that George Washington was uneducated and couldn’t spell.
The next day was Washington’s Birthday, and the kids were off school so I dragged all 4 down to the book store and bought several books about Washington and a cute little wooden rocking horse depicting Washington astride for the youngest.
The next day, I marched into school to have it out with the teacher. I got nowhere, of course and she smugly dismissed me by saying, “Isn’t it great that it got you to go to a book store.” That set me on a life long course of supporting challengers to school boards and city councils and general political activism.
If you’ve ever visited Mt. Vernon you cannot help but be impressed with Washington’s education, ability, and management style. To say he “couldn’t spell” ignores the fact that there was no standardized spelling in the 1700s.
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