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Today is Presidents Day 2024, the holiday commemorating our two greatest U.S. presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington created America, and Lincoln preserved America. Patriots throughout our history have looked to the wisdom of these two great men to inspire them in their trials, and we should do the same.
George Washington staked his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor when he took command of the continental forces during the American Revolution. Later, after refusing the supreme power he could have seized at the end of the Revolution, he showed his greatness by voluntarily returning to private life. But he was recalled to serve as our first president, and again, after honorable service, he voluntarily gave up power at the end of two terms.
Washington truly was the father of his country, a model for all presidents to follow. “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy,” he advised.
For Washington, freedom was always a main goal. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth,” he said. He knew that America’s liberty would depend on two things: God’s help and the dedication of We the People. “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army,” he told his soldiers. “Let us therefore rely on the goodness of the cause and the aid of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.”
The first President’s Farewell Address is filled with excellent advice for Americans throughout the ages. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion, and morality are indispensable supports,” Washington said.
