4 ms·

> George Washington is a national hero, but I feel like arguably his greatest feat hasn't remained popular: Willfully giving up power. In popular history you'r

by deeg 6y ago

> George Washington is a national hero, but I feel like arguably his greatest feat hasn't remained popular: Willfully giving up power. In popular history you're probably right; GW is largely known as being the first president. Historians are aware of his place in history, though, and even some of his contemporaries. Supposedly George III said this when Washington resigned from the army: "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." [0] I'm leery of "American Exceptionalism" but those early leaders did something pretty remarkable: an armed revolution deposed a government and replaced it with a more peaceful one. That is very rare in history. [0] - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/gwresignation.html https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/gwresignation...

nogabebop23 6y ago
You can fault the man for many reasons but James K Polk didn't run for a second term because he had a pretty narrow mandate and felt he accomplished it in his first. America's first agile president!
- jjk166 6y ago
  It's worth noting that Polk was extremely exhausted by his time as president and died 3 months after leaving office.
082349872349872 6y ago
In "western civilisation", the prototype comes from 458 BC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus#First_dictatorship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus#F...
tomjakubowski 6y ago
Is that even true? The early days of the United States were fraught with military (or militia) action and small rebellions. Less than four score and seven years after the declaration of independence, half the state governments went to war with the other half. I am not sure the issue fought during the revolutionary war was the "peacefulness" of the British government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War
- deeg 6y ago
  "Peaceful" might not be the best adjective (although I think it's appropriate). For most colonists the new government was better for them than the old one but "better" is much harder to quantify. Washington is arguably the most important figure in making that transition.

by deeg 6y ago

nogabebop23 6y ago

You can fault the man for many reasons but James K Polk didn't run for a second term because he had a pretty narrow mandate and felt he accomplished it in his first. America's first agile president!

jjk166 6y ago
It's worth noting that Polk was extremely exhausted by his time as president and died 3 months after leaving office.

082349872349872 6y ago

In "western civilisation", the prototype comes from 458 BC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus#First_dictatorship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus#F...

tomjakubowski 6y ago

Is that even true? The early days of the United States were fraught with military (or militia) action and small rebellions. Less than four score and seven years after the declaration of independence, half the state governments went to war with the other half. I am not sure the issue fought during the revolutionary war was the "peacefulness" of the British government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War

deeg 6y ago
"Peaceful" might not be the best adjective (although I think it's appropriate). For most colonists the new government was better for them than the old one but "better" is much harder to quantify. Washington is arguably the most important figure in making that transition.