AOL and The Discovery Channel have undertaken a joint project for Americans to vote on the “The Greatest American.” There are 100 nominees from which to choose; voting starts June 5.
My vote will go to George Washington.
We wouldn’t have the country we have, but for Washington. He led the Continental Army through eight years of hard-fought revolution, holding the army together sometimes by sheer force of will. He lost more battles than he won, but learned from his mistakes and won when it counted, at Boston, Trenton, Princeton and Yorktown. He respected the civilian authority of Congress and ensured that no military dictatorship would seize power, and willingly resigned his commission as general-in-chief in 1783, even when some of his officers urged him to become a king.
Although he would have preferred to remain a gentleman planter, he agreed to leave his beloved Mount Vernon and serve as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, lending his prestige in support of the Constitution’s later ratification.
The American Presidency was created with him in mind, and he practically invented the job. He served very capably, maintaining American neutrality from France and Britain, which were at war, and preserving national authority during the Whiskey Rebellion. He assembled an all-star Cabinet, including Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (although he was unable to keep them from feuding politically). He then insisted on retiring after two terms, establishing a precedent that would hold until FDR ran for a third term in 1940.
Washington was a man of unfailing courage, honor, and determination, and I think he was the greatest American.
Check out the AOL/Discovery list of nominees, and tell us who you support, and why.
