The father of our country

For those that haven't realized it, Feb. 22 is George Washington's birthday. His birthday has been reduced to being celebrated as a combination day with Abraham Lincoln. Not too bad for some, but I am against it.

Washington should get his own day, and everyone in the country should know his birthday and celebrate it. Washington is the father of our country. We are what we are today because of his leadership and character. He was not a perfect man, but he was what the nation needed at its most critical hour.

The "John Adams" HBO miniseries is an example of how we have recently begun to take a new look at our founding fathers. We've begun to look at their personal lives, their character and their relationships. We've started to see what made them "tick," so to speak.

Washington is no exception. He was, by all accounts, an honorable man of Virginia nobility. He met and married Martha Custis when they were both in their mid-20s. Through surviving letters, it has been shown that he loved his wife very much, and together they had a great marriage. He was over six feet tall and one of the best dancers in the colonies. Like his fellow founding father Thomas Jefferson, Washington was a true "Renaissance man." He was a surveyor, planter, soldier, politician and bourbon distiller (Mt. Vernon contained a very large whisky distillery). What is of the most importance to the nation at that time, and even now, was the leadership he provided.

Washington was not an intellectual like Jefferson or Franklin. Washington never authored any pamphlets or any of our great founding documents, as did others. The nation didn't need any more thinkers at that time -- it needed a leader. Washington was the unifying figure that led the colonies in the Revolution.

He was not the greatest military strategist, but as commander in chief of the Continental Army, Washington was able to take an army of common men with little military training and lead them to victory over the world's premier empire. He was their leader, the embodiment of their cause. This leadership was again on display at the Constitutional Convention some years later. He was a unifying influence that made the quarrelsome delegates come to the necessary compromises that produced our founding document -- the Constitution.

As president, Washington practically invented the office. The protocols and image of the presidency were his creation. His policies were also wise for the times. His words and actions even today can be looked upon for guidance. However, the most important act of his presidency was leaving. He chose not to become the monarch that many of his countrymen wanted him to be. He saw the presidency as service.

Washington's ideal of service is something we truly need today. He left the presidency because he did not see public service as a means to an end or as a career opportunity. He viewed public service as the obligation of a good citizen. This is what was called "republicanism" or "civic virtue." He is the model we should all follow as good citizens. We should all remember that when we try to change the imperfections around us. Washington was responsible for the institutions that allow us to make those changes.

He was eulogized as being "first in the heart of his countrymen." This should still be the case. We as Americans are all descendents of Washington. After all, he is the father of our country.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.