Convergence

I have just finished reading Washington by Robert Chernow – this followed his biographies of Grant and Hamilton, Joseph Ellis’ excellent book Founding Brothers and The Quartet (on the constitutional convention), all started by David von Drehe’s most excellent book on Lincoln, Rise to Greatness, on his most perilous year during the Civil War - 1862.  Over the past year my reading list has immersed me in our own history, mostly out of a passion for history, but also to better understand the lunacy of today’s political environment.  

After so many pages of our history, and a thorough grounding in the very foundation of our democracy, I can truly say that history does in fact repeat itself, and that the basics of human nature have not really changed.  The lunacy of today has roots to our very founding.

It is entirely accidental that I happened to finish Washington while travelling to Washington DC this past week to attend two conferences (one on Construction History – get a life, Hilger!).  

I was humbled upon visiting Arlington National Cemetery, the former estate of Robert E.  Lee, son-in-law of George Washington Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington and grandson of Martha Custis Washington, taken over by the Grand (Union) Army of the Republic in 1861 when Lee refused command and instead chose to command the Confederate army.  Aside from that convergence - not unusual when talking about Virginia planter families in the 1700’s – what struck me most was the reality of all the lives lost during the civil war – 618,000 Americans -  most of whom are not buried here.  In fact, families of the fallen were required to come pick up their loved ones from the area of battle and bring them home.  Arlington cemetery grew out of necessity as a paupers grave site to bury unknown soldiers,  to inter soldiers dying from rampant disease encamped in DC, awaiting orders, in total over 16,000 graves.  Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs, the developer of Arlington, planted the early graves alongside the beloved rose garden of the Lee estate to spitefully ruin its effect.

And yet slavery was so contentious during the constitutional convention, who ultimately resolved to “kick the can down the road” at least 20 years (and much longer due to the invention of the cotton gin).  The arguments of our founding fathers, presided upon by a stoic, neutral, level headed George Washington, would easily rival any of our contentious debates of today. It is interesting to speculate that our country could have been two or more countries – Federalist north and Republican south (though parties did not formally exist) - and not a united nation for the simple fact of slavery as an economic engine, had the north persisted in its early abolishment in the 1780’s. 

And so we leave it to Lincoln and Grant to eventually solve this problem, and what pain they suffered, both personal, political and in blood.  Lincoln was, in many ways, an “accidental” president, for he was never the favorite son at a highly divided convention, but emerged as a compromise candidate.  And he was not even considered an abolitionist at first, but recognized that the issue had finally boiled over as was so presciently predicted at our founding.  And so his most difficult year – 1862 – is what planted these simple white markers at Arlington.  Sad.

Washington also struggled with slavery all his life – one of eight President’s to have owned slaves – largely, so he believed, as an economic necessity and to maintain his Virginia planter’s social status. Yet he struggled financially all his life, and always refused salary from the Government or military for reasons of honor and integrity. At the end of his life he was beginning to realize that, with his interest in improving agricultural practices and productivity at Mt. Vernon, and his branching out into flour milling and distilled spirits (even though he abhorred liquor), he spent more time fretting how to support his burgeoning slave population. In his will, he decreed the freedom of his owned slaves after Martha’s death, but she released them during the two years she remained alive. And all this worry about Mt. Vernon, his farm and overseers, was his continuing obsession even in the heat of war, or the heat of politics. 

Mount Vernon - where GW found his greatest peace

And those politics!  I confess to my own naivete about our early history – recollecting only that standard high school prattle of the 1970’s – things about honesty and cherry trees, and unquestionably holding up the virtues of all our founding fathers.  My reading has taken me to the darker parts of our history – the bloodletting feuds between our founding fathers, swirling forcefully about Washington, who held the outward countenance of stoicism, thoughtful contemplation and decision-making – leadership!  The Hamilton-Adams/Jefferson-Madison feud would dwarf our current political malaise, especially adding in a bunch of other characters.   We could not presently abide a cabinet member like Madison deliberately and quietly subverting Washington’s leadership – or could we?  The personal correspondence amongst them and the psuedonymic pamphlets bleeding scathing appraisals of their characters were especially vitriolic – not even equivalent, in my mind, to the “fake news” mania of today.  

 

I listened to many people recently railing and worrying over the current political climate.  And I can only state, quite assuredly, that we have seen this before, and when we think the country is swirling the toilet, think again!  We almost lost our democracy not once, but twice in our history – the constitutional convention and the first Presidency of Washington, and the Civil War under Lincoln’s and Grant’s guidance.  And through all this our republic survived, perhaps it could be said, stronger than before.

Washington Memorial in Baltimore - with George at the top,
and Lafayette on horseback.

History repeats itself.  So why do we ignore or try to wipe out our history, especially the painful parts of our past existence and survival?  Would we knock down the first memorial constructed to honor Washington - in Baltimore - just because he owned slaves? The tendency to remove statues and memorials to our early President’s who owned slaves, and to the Confederate’s that tried to protect it, fellow Americans who almost succeeded, and luckily failed, is in my mind appalling.  The pain of these memories is the unlikely salve to our current condition.  We must never, ever forget this history, to know its meaning and impact, and to know that we almost did not become America because of it.  Understand history, and today is just a repeat. We shall survive, and might even gain strength therefrom.

My trip to Washington this past week, and finishing the book was my convergence.  From the solemn view of Arlington Cemetery, to visiting Mt. Vernon and the first Memorial to Washington built in Baltimore, to visiting the Pentagon and seeing portraits of many honored citizens in our democracy, to understand what a great and gifted man Washington was, in spite of his many flaws, to see an excellent display of slavery’s impact at Mt. Vernon, to honor Washington at his tomb, and finally, on Memorial Day, with my grandkids sitting along Constitution Avenue, watching Washington, Grant, Lincoln and other soldier re-enactors march in celebration of our constitutional freedom,  and the memory of the citizens defending that freedom.

GW waving to the crowd on Memorial Day.

I confess a lump formed in my throat witnessing this scene – convergence.  Consider this:

On his last day in office, March 3, 1797, speaking to Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., Speaker of the House from Connecticut, Washington said: “I trust . . . that the good sense of our countrymen will guard the public weal against this and every other innovation, and that, altho[ugh] we may be a little wrong now and then, we shall return to the right path with more avidity.”