Monday, February 21, 2005
President's Day
The George Washington Story is pretty disgusting, but it only hints at a broader theme in the teaching of American History today. Is it not at all noteworthy that that hallowed halls of the University of Chicago celebrate a week of Martin Luther King tributes, highlighted by a visit from Kweisi Mfume, yet there is hardly a whimper on president's day? What is the sad and sordid state of affairs in America when "Not quite half of young adults know the name of Washington's wife or where he lived."
Washington's life and accomplishments are the business of all Americans. His presidency was pivitol in the formation of the role of the Presidency and the scope and direction of the Federal Government, and his actions to end the "whiskey rebellion" both preserved a fragile nation and set the precedence for the dominance of Federal law that would be harkened to during the Civil War and beyond. His courageous leadership in the American Revolution, sometimes holding together an Army by sheer force of will alone, are more than admirable. Even before his ascent to commander of the Continental Army, Washington's actions in both victory and defeat marked him as a man of intelligence and character. Other than Eisenhower, he was the only president to reenter military service after his presidency.
The sad fact is that more and more people just don't know any of that. In an age of increasingly liberal and decreasingly qualified primary educators, history consists of gender and race issues, and reminding students that the "founding fathers held slaves too!" Ignoring Washington's amazingly forward legacy of promoting religious liberty, especially for Jews, and his remarkably humane treatment of his slaves (the norm for the times was to sell apart families and pass on slaves to future generations, Washington did neither and in fact freed his slaves upon his death and ensured as President that slavery would be banned in the northwest territories, but I digress), the most widely know information about Washington is probably the anicdotal and factually dubious story of the Cherry Tree. I can't help but feel a little ashamed when perhaps the greates among our founding fathers is reduced to a naive children's tale. I think that Ted Widmer (see story) may have said it best:
In fact its a damn shame.
Washington's life and accomplishments are the business of all Americans. His presidency was pivitol in the formation of the role of the Presidency and the scope and direction of the Federal Government, and his actions to end the "whiskey rebellion" both preserved a fragile nation and set the precedence for the dominance of Federal law that would be harkened to during the Civil War and beyond. His courageous leadership in the American Revolution, sometimes holding together an Army by sheer force of will alone, are more than admirable. Even before his ascent to commander of the Continental Army, Washington's actions in both victory and defeat marked him as a man of intelligence and character. Other than Eisenhower, he was the only president to reenter military service after his presidency.
The sad fact is that more and more people just don't know any of that. In an age of increasingly liberal and decreasingly qualified primary educators, history consists of gender and race issues, and reminding students that the "founding fathers held slaves too!" Ignoring Washington's amazingly forward legacy of promoting religious liberty, especially for Jews, and his remarkably humane treatment of his slaves (the norm for the times was to sell apart families and pass on slaves to future generations, Washington did neither and in fact freed his slaves upon his death and ensured as President that slavery would be banned in the northwest territories, but I digress), the most widely know information about Washington is probably the anicdotal and factually dubious story of the Cherry Tree. I can't help but feel a little ashamed when perhaps the greates among our founding fathers is reduced to a naive children's tale. I think that Ted Widmer (see story) may have said it best:
"Let's face it, 'First in war, first in peace, and seventh in the hearts of his countrymen,' doesn't sound very impressive,"
In fact its a damn shame.
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