It's a beautiful room, full of sun and lovely furniture. A picture of peace. It's the room where President George Washington left this world. It's Washington's bedroom at Mt. Vernon. I post this here like a roadside, memorial cross. My little, online shrine.
I drive about 35 miles round trip, four days a week, to my job in Anderson, Indiana. One day I decided to go by the local library and get some audio books to listen to on my travels.
I chose Ron Chernow's book, Washington: A Life. It was read by Scott Brick.
I put the first disc, of the 12 disc book, into my car disc player and the world of motoring, sound technology, history and story telling came together in a lovely way for my daily journey. And it's amazing how much the reader can affect the experience of an audio book. For instance, I recently checked out a book by Kurt Vonnegut - A Man Without A Country. The reader seemed to be trying to sound like Kurt Vonnegut. It was so irritating that I couldn't make it through the three disc set. Scott Brick was flawless in his reading of Washington: A Life.
I didn't know that much about George Washington, other than what we all learn in elementary school. I knew he was the first president, born February 22, 1732, the cherry tree and the truth teller, slave holder, military man and the false teeth. Yet, this book helped put the human side to the father of our country.
Here's a few Washington factoids:
* Washington never had wooden teeth.
*By age 30, Washington had survived smallpox, malaria, dysentery, and other diseases. He had a strong, physical constitution.
*Washington never fathered any children of his own.
*Washington lost more battles than he won but still ranks as a great general.
*Land rich but cash poor, Washington had to borrow money to attend his inauguration in New York city in 1789.
*His public life took a huge toil on his finances.
*Washington nearly died twice during his first term as president. First from a tumor on his thigh and then from pneumonia.
*Washington is the only president to ever lead an army in battle - the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.
*Neither George nor Martha Washington liked Thomas Jefferson, even though Jefferson served as Washington's Secretary of State.
They say that hindsight is 20/20. And it's easy for us to sit here in the present and pass judgment on those who have come before us. Slavery was and is wrong. Many of our forefathers wrestled with the whole slavery issue. They weren't ignorant to the morality of it. This includes George Washington. He was a politician, so his views shifted depending on who he was with. He had to re-assure the southern plantation owners who definitely wanted their slaves excluded from liberty. Yet, there were the northern abolitionist who sought liberty for all.
At the end of George Washington's life, he wrote a will that freed all of his slaves (when his wife, Martha, passed away). Martha did not wait for long before she freed his slaves early. She was worried that George's slaves might be tempted to shorten her life.
An item in his will that few people are aware of is that he instructed that all his young slaves should be taught to read and write, as well as be taught a trade before they were freed. He also left instructions for the care of his elderly (freed) slaves. He set aside a life time pension for his personal slave - William Lee.
George Washington sacrificed a great deal for America. His actions before and during his presidency preserved the nation and set a high bar for all future presidents.
There's an excellent site for Washington's home at Mt Vernon - (mountvernon.org). This site offers an online tour of Mt. Vernon and the surrounding gardens.
I post this entry today, February 22, 2014 in honor of President George Washington - the Father Of Our Country.
I post this entry today, February 22, 2014 in honor of President George Washington - the Father Of Our Country.
