George Washington: America's First Independent

              George Washington was a very astute man, and during his two terms as President, he was given a front row seat in the development of political parties in the new United States.  Being of no party affiliation himself, he made his decisions as President in much the same way he did as Commanding General of the Continental Armies.  By Collecting all the relative information (from sources he considered reliable), on any piece of legislation and then making the decision to sign or not to sign based solely on the merits of the bill and on whether or not it would be good for the country.  However, not everyone in his cabinet felt the same.

                In fact, the first two political parties of the United States were formed during Washington’s first term, based on the political ideologies of two men; Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, and Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury.  The followers of Thomas Jefferson became known as the “Republicans,” while the followers of Alexander Hamilton became known as the “Federalists.”

                The political infighting that we see today is in no way different than the political wrangling that could be seen in the days of George Washington and our Founding Fathers.  At the time, two new newspapers were started to promote the ideas of these two respective philosophies.  What were the beliefs of these men?   Jefferson believed strongly that the people could rule themselves, and he believed in state’s rights, while Hamilton felt that the common man was incapable of self-rule and he advocated for a strong central government with expanded powers.  Sound familiar?

                 Although two hundred and thirty-five years have passed since the signing of the declaration of independence, things haven’t changed all that much.  Our politicians are still having the same old arguments today that they had in the eighteenth century, which only goes to prove that times may change, but people don’t. 

                Washington valiantly tried to keep the peace between these two men and their different ideologies, but instead of keeping the peace he found himself coming under fire.  The new newspapers attacked his character and his motives on any piece of legislation which he supported and they opposed.  Washington was shocked at the lengths to which these parties would go in their efforts to push their opinions.  They would grossly misrepresent the facts, only showing one side and that side was so exaggerated that it bore little resemblance to the truth at all. 

Because of his personal experiences, by the time Washington left office, he felt he needed to warn the American people about the dangers inherent in the existence of political parties.  In the farewell address he wrote to the American people, he spent quite a bit of time on the pit falls he saw ahead for America if we allowed political parties to gain too much traction in society.

                 He said in part, “…the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.”

                “It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration.  It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

                 I believe that it is as important for us to remember George Washington’s words and warnings today, as it was for him to write them in is his farewell address to the Nation, published in September of 1796.  We did not heed his warnings then, and today we have two very powerful political parties who have not been kept in check, but instead have run amok.   Therefore, it would behoove us as a free people, to be discerning in our judgments and vigilant in our search for truth; especially when listening to today’s politicians.  It is always important to remember, that the person speaking to you may have an agenda, and that what you are being told is not always the facts, and nothing but the facts, but may be a twisted version of the facts designed to engender the desired response.  In fact, it is as important today, as it was in the days of George Washington to be discriminating in our debates and judicious in our judgments.  To always remember, as Washington did, to keep the good of our country first and foremost in our hearts and minds.

          

                For all those who are interested, tomorrow’s blog will be a more in depth look at George Washington’s views on political parties and the difficulties he had with Jefferson and Hamilton.  I have been told by friends and family that it is dry and hard to read as there are many direct quotes in the old style.  I accept this.  Therefore, if you are not a true History buff, please feel free to give it a miss.  For all of those who are, I hope you enjoy it!