George Washington Volume VI

And so I've concluded the first six volumes of the epic biography George Washington by Douglas Southall Freeman.  The sixth volume in fact concludes the work done by Freeman himself, who died shortly after concluding his detailed notes on its last chapter.  Volume XII, which covers Washington's second term as president and the remainder of his life, was actually written by two of his close collaborators on the first six volumes.

Volume VI was as enjoyable as the first five, with the following notes...

Although the book covers the span of his first term as President, I was surprised that less than half of its nearly 400 pages addressed his time in office.  From a broader perspective, in a biography of more than 3,000 pages, how is it that less than 200 pages is devoted to half of his presidency?  The first half of the Volume XI actually focuses on his procession from Mt. Vernon to New York City and his subsequent inauguration to office.

Once in office it was interesting to experience the Federal government being created.  Congress, the only Federal body that officially existed prior to the inauguration, slowly debated and eventually formed the departments of War, Treasury, State and Justice.  Only once the respective heads of each department were nominated by Washington and ratified by Congress could the departments begin to form and actually function.  As such, most of Washington's first year in office was spent deciding on appointments for office - as well as suffering through every Tom, Dick and Harry who reached out to him seeking appointment.

It was also interesting to see new precedents being set, and how most everyone was brutally aware of those precedents.  Precedents repeated over time can virtually become law, and everyone understood that every first step by the leaders in the new government could impact generations to come.

One such precedent, most interesting because of how much it has changed in the 220+ intervening years, was Washington's insistence on not interfering or influencing Congress' debate or discussions in any way.  He felt strongly that the Executive was only to react to Bill's presented to his desk.  Although strange to the modern, this policy was exactly the type of rigidity to principles that made Washington who he was.  Levitating above politics is exactly what the country needed in its first Executive, allowing the country to stabilize after a generation of revolution and war.

The middle of Washington's first term did see the nation stabilize, creating revenue for the new federal government, establishing diplomatic relations with Europe, building military infrastructure, and creating financial mechanisms for recovery from the war years.

But as his first term wound down, internal strife in his administration - symbolic of a growing strife in the young nation - threatened to break the country apart.  Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury and a decided Federalist, and Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State and the founder of Republicanism, developed irreconcilable ideologies about the future direction of the country.  Washington held them together for a time, but only for a time.

And their respective factions, the Federalists and the Republicans, threatened the security of the country.  Breakouts such as Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts and The Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania symbolized the fracturing throughout the country.  Would people give the new Constitution time to actually take effect and form a great nation?  Or would they revolt and lead America back to monarchy, with all of its familiar, comfortable ideas and modus operandi?  Could the "grand experiment" possibly succeed?

And because of this strife, Washington had to give up the idea of retiring after his first term. Once again he had to sacrifice his own peace and retirement to rescue the nation from collapse.  Only his reputation as national hero and his ability to stay above politics would give the country four more years to set its foundation.  And so I proceed to Volume VII...