George Washington

In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude.

In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude.

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your read more

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.

Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled read more

Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.

The new constitution established a president with powers unheard of in the republican United States. Some even wanted him to read more

The new constitution established a president with powers unheard of in the republican United States. Some even wanted him to be king, a thought that GW found ludicrous: What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable and tremendous! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal & fallacious!

One of his officers, Henry Lee, summed up contemporary public opinion of Washington: First in war, first in peace, and read more

One of his officers, Henry Lee, summed up contemporary public opinion of Washington: First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.