Have you ever wondered what George Washington would say about our country, 250 years after its founding? Americans would have plenty of opinions, and there is no way to be sure. But here is one possibility to celebrate during our nation’s 250th birthday.
Our Country Has Changed
First off, the elephant in the room…George would probably be overwhelmed with not only the changes in technology and society, but at the very scale of the current United States. In his time, the US was not a superpower. Rather, it was a fledgling nation with an untested government, a meager 3.9 million people in the first census, and powerful economies trying to dominate her.
The Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson pulled off perhaps the greatest real estate deal in history: the Louisiana Purchase, adding nearly a million square miles to our young country. It effectively doubled the size of the US at that time. It also brought the country one step closer to “sea to shining sea”.
The second war of independence
Washington died more than a decade before the US fought the British again in the war of 1812. This very likely would have encouraged him, to think that the US was able to stand on its own a second time against the most powerful nation on earth. King George finally got the message after this one, never to return.
The Civil War
This one would have broke Washington’s heart for sure. He and the other founding fathers worked so hard to establish a constitution for the Union, and to see it threatened to be split in two would have been very sad indeed. But it is ikely that he would have been proud that the Union was preserved.
First in Flight
In Washington’s time, people were still dreaming about the ability to fly like the birds. The United States was indeed first in the air with the Wright brothers successful powered, sustained flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Few things have changed the world as much as the airplane.
World War 1
Nothing like The Great War had ever been seen before. Regarded in America as mostly a European affair, the US was dragged into the conflict with the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 and with the Zimmermann Telegram. Washington would have been proud at the might that the US was able to bring to bear, setting the stage for its dominance later in the century.
The Great Depression
It’s hard to believe that anyone in George Washington’s time could have wrapped their heads around a global financial crisis. But that’s what we had in 1929. With banks collapsing and most people losing much of what they had, it was the ultimate test of American Resolve. Washington would be proud how we navigated through and made it past that crisis.
World War 2
As if WW1 wouldn’t have shocked Washington enough, our friends in Europe were at it again in 1939. What would he have thought of the mad man Adolph Hitler? It’s possible that he would have supported the isolationists in the beginning, but after Pearl Harbor, there isn’t much doubt what he would have decided.
WW2 not only helped bring the US out of the Great Depression, but firmly established the US as the world’s greatest superpower. We have been ever since. The idea of an atomic bomb would have been mind-blowing to someone from Washington’s time.
JFK and Dr. King
It’s likely that Washington would have really taken a liking to JFK. We have to remember that most of the founding fathers were younger than our leaders today. The average age of the 50 signers of the Declaration of Independence was about 44 years old.
John F Kennedy had a bold vision to put man on the moon, and that is something else that would dazzle Washington…especially since the USA was first again.
And as George Washington was an early abolitionist and was responsible for freeing all the slaves at Mt Vernon, he would have been a great supporter of Dr Martin Luther King.
Today and Beyond
As America continued to face challenges throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, our spirit of unity has been strenthened. Our buildings have never been higher, and our world leadership has continued. It is without a doubt that although Washington would have been saddened at some of the events of the last 250 years, he would look at the country today and think “My, what a beautiful thing…”
“Happy 250th Birthday America…You’ve Made Me Proud!” -George Washington
