George Washington: From Good Man to Great General

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Whether you're working in the office or not, a digital HQ is a single all things work, bringing together our entire team in all of our favorite tools and was flat connect, we can invite guests that the show and other outside partners and vendors indoor select channels, which makes working together. A breeze I digital HQ not only helps us be more productive and allows us to be more creative. Don't wait to see what you can accomplish with your own digital HQ go to Slack.com/D HQ to get started Slack where the feature works no American stories George Washington service to our country be overstated is a man who's been immortalized in our nations history books nations capital values that we still hold dear to this Washington services both president and general was the result of personal growth family were far more familiar with monuments usually home to tell us a story of how our nations founding father became the man we remember him as before Washington could become a better general he had come a better person talking about the things that make us feel a little bit uncomfortable about his early years when there was one word that defined him. It was great so he was a young man don't give out my address to me the before picture makes the after picture even more interesting. I'm worried about people only hearing before pictures and he married the wealthiest home in Virginia Martha Dandridge processing January 1759 and you know you think that's enough was determined to go out and increases well and one way he did that was speculating in Western millennia, and course that land was being taken from Native Americans so but actually again only as a young man, he did worse than that because he not only stole the land from that of American but is fellow soldiers who fought with him in this war against Americans recall the Frenchmen did more the enlisted men had been promised bounty land total of 20,000 acres and he and his fellow officers shouldered enlisted men aside and took that land from them for themselves and then among the officers, he ensured that he got much more land title to specifically by going around to the officers as brother do it. As he put it in a joking way to get them to sell their land rights to him for century equivalent of pennies and made a huge killing unit up with 27,000 acres. He wants that the greatest estates we have in this colony referring to his home colony of Virginia greatest states were made by taking up the rich back lands and he really mastered that are not the George Washington that we all revere today and that's the question what changed what made Wasson different before talk about that.

Let me first talk about all the ways in which he did change he served eight years as commander-in-chief of the cotton army that won the Revolutionary war made this a free country start without you agreed to do so for expenses only.

A lot of the most virtuous things that wash that didn't work. Acts of self-denial after the Revolutionary war. Many people believed he could've used his success as commander-in-chief to remain commander-in-chief that is the sort of become the king of America in some fashion, but he very deliberately decided not to do like Julius Caesar at all the pictures in France, came back and made himself dictator of Rome Emperor of Rome, Washington decided not to do that, but willingly resigned from the Army and went back to his farm and did something similar after two terms as president. This is in the early days, right up until the middle 20th century presidents under the Constitution were allowed to serve as many terms they could get elected to and people kind of assumed that he would just stay in office until he died but he didn't. He resigned after two terms and sure enough he did pass away in what would've been his third term, but by resigning, not running for 1/3 term.

Washington set a pattern which followed right up until five from Roosevelt middle 20th century of limiting yourself and as I say the thing that really makes them stand out as a great person. By the time he died was that he freed his slaves in his will. Marcos gets this part of the credit for framing all those hundreds of people. He was the only major southern founder to free all slaves. So he became a better person and that raises the question what made Washington a better person and I think there was a personal and a public circumstance personal circumstance was one he mentioned actually the second inaugural address, and that was that he never had any children.

He was probably infertile, because his wife Martha have four kids, all of them. I'm sorry to say. She buried that is all God, for she did on Martha's had had had four kids before in her previous marriage. They had none together so probably he was infertile, possibly because suffered from smallpox is a young man but it took him a while to figure out fertile that he wasn't going to have kids all this time is making all this money speculating and raffling off slaves doing all the stuff to make you rich with all the stuff to build up this giant patrimony they could pass on to George Washington Junior and from then him on to George Washington. Third, that is, he was setting himself up to create a dynasty but sometime in the 1760s. George Washington Rossiter was going to be no Washington dynasty that the family tree was going to in with him and had there been no Revolutionary war. I think he likely been kind of a tragic life because he was programmed to make money and acquire more wealth to pass on to us kids, but then no kids almost seem to be like a hunting dog.

You know that nobody ever takes on any he was programmed to to do that in now. Here, there was no motivation to do that anymore, but then along came the Revolutionary war. They really wanted a southern commander because the Lord started in New England and want to make the point that it was, not just doing one spiked of all 13 colonies involved in the common cause. And he had proven himself in the previous ward so is the natural choice and we all know how much George Washington influence the Revolutionary war, but it's also worth stressing how much the war influenced Washington because here, here he is in 1775, tragic figure would hope to build up this big patrimony to start the Washington dynasty and is now not to be able to do that well since he adopted the Continental soldiers as his children, and by 1778. People were calling him what we still call him today the father of his country and I think that really helps explain how this greedy young man becomes a generous, patriotic, self-sacrificing, old man, is that he realized he's not going to have children to bequeath his wealth to and so he had unofficial children that is coming along so many of whom were young enough to be us kids and in the nation as a whole.

So instead of being founder of a dynasty. He became the father of his country and you're listening to Woody Holton tell the story of the man who George Washington was the man George Washington would become in the beginning of his life in the early stages of his life dynasty was what he was thinking about when it was no longer an option. Legacy became what he cared about and duty and so many other noble things. What a great line by Woody Holton. We all know he said how George Washington impacted the Revolutionary war. We didn't know or should know how the Revolutionary war impacted George Washington when we come back more of this remarkable story George Washington story here on our American stores, this is Tori, and Jenny went to 10 MG podcasts we have such a special episode brought to you by near attack ODT we recorded at iHeartRadio type event windows came down near attack ODT Renate pants 75 mg can help migraine sufferers still such an exciting event like Wingo tango I had when I took minor attack ODT and I was present amazing time. A little glimpse of our conversation with some of our closest friends & was brought to you by near attack ODT were magic pants 75 mg life with migraine attacks can mean missing out on big moments with friends and family, but thankfully near attack ODT Renate pants 75 mg is the only medication that is proven to treat a migraine attack and prevent episodic migraines and adults sell lively events like Wingo tango town have to be next visit DJ TFN the black for podcast network is sponsored by better help online therapy. Let's get overwhelming for all of us for many people it's not easy to open up to someone and discuss our vulnerabilities but not long ago I found myself in a place where I need someone to talk to a relatively new father with two very young children in the home, and although I always wanted kids. I waited because I was going to be as stable as possible in my life both mentally and financially.

What I learned is never the right time because life doesn't work that way and the pressure I felt and feel wanting to be the father I never had is a heavyweight at times to bear.

Compound that with the career lifestyle that goes with my career I find myself in dual worlds that often don't mesh nothing comes easy and every day is a work in progress, but as long as you're working on yourself, you're moving in the right direction better help us secure online therapy that offers videophone and even live chat sessions with a licensed professional therapist when you sign up you can filter results by age and gender, cultural background and expertise better help strides to meet their clients where they need them.

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The restless ones is now available on the iHeartRadio app wherever you listen to podcast presented by T-Mobile for business 5G that's ready right now back with our American stories.

The story of how George Washington became both a better man and as a result, better general. We just heard how George Washington's lack of an air led him to practically adopting the Continental Army and eventually the entire country to return to Woody Holton to tell us more about what set Washington apart from his contemporaries, much more so than say Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson. Washington was a believer steady church door and yes I think there is every indication that he was serious about his faith.

But I'm also don't personally think that's what made him different because there were lots of people of faith who found ways to justify what just fine saving people great religion can be manipulated to justify terrible things so my point is that his religion I think was important is eventual decision to emancipated slaves because he knew that it was a moral wrong but it's a complex calculus makes Washington different in that respect, I think we don't know for you know we can't read somebody else's mind insert not Washington who kind of prided himself on being hard to read but likewise on his generally Washington is been described as the indispensable man about many historians and I certainly in that group.

You can imagine John Adams writing the declaration of independence is good enough you can imagine Thomas Jefferson negotiating the treaty with France, Benjamin Franklin, I would've been fun, but that one person you can't do without is Washington as commander in chief and fasting thing about that is that while he became a great general one a war against a great power.

Great Britain start off that way. He started off by making what most of us today.

Believed to be mistakes. The first one is Washington's relationship with African-American soldiers serving in the patriot arm black Americans had served with valor. The battle of Lexington and Concord.

April 1775 and then at Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, but then in July 1775. They got a new commander-in-chief. George Washington and you have to understand where he's coming from and that is a plantation with hundreds of slaves and he couldn't get his mind around the idea of African-Americans as courageous soldiers in his army, and so on. Sad to have to report that one of the first things that Washington did after taking over the continent Army July 1775, was that he throughout all of the African-American serving in the armed really to group some who had been three even before the war and others who were made deals where they would agree to serve in the Army and obtain their freedom. As result, and he throughout both the free black slaves serving in the continental army, but some things external Washington chain. For one thing the British said essentially to African-Americans well take it Army doesn't want to, but we do and if you'll come fight in the British Army. We will reward you with freedom and washed and began to worry that after Americans would flock to the British Army since they will gain town and that became a reason for him to reconsider. Maybe you should take Blacks back into the, and even more so. That happened when a bunch of his officers petitioned to free black man who would fall right valor at the battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775 and washed and saw that petition some combination of those practical factors and sentimental factors change Watson's mind. One of the great qualities that Washington exhibited with respect to African-Americans in the Revolutionary war is a quality that people kind of looked down on in politicians and generals today and that is, he changed his mind.

He realized that he been wrong and he changed his policy. The most important way in which Washington changed his mind is commander-in-chief of the company will Army switch from offense to defense as a young man, Washington had two great dreams one to become wealthy, but the other was to become an officer in the British Army course important.

Remember, right up until they declared independence. Most Americans really love to the mother country. They were met at parliament for what it had done, but they love the mother country they love the king they love the British Army in Washington wanted in. He was a tough, strong guy himself and knew he would do well as an officer fought well in the so-called French and Indian war, and that was a way to get distinction and fame about bobbing officer as it is today and and so he was to join the British Army. In addition, imagine what if they allowed them in. We have been in general. On the other side.

We don't know that. But we do know that that was his great aspiration and so he picked up a lot of the culture of the British Army and part of that whole lustful saying that those British officers had was that all glory came from going on offense that is not defending entrenchments or for staying on one side of the river in chief of the enemy of the Cross River bats. Those are all seen with the things you want me to get across the river leads his men towards the trenches or towards the fort as you want to go on offense and do these pneumatic attacks. Where do you drive the enemy off and he thought the only way to win this war against the mother country was with a dramatic assault that his officers under serving under him, told him know that's not the way at all.

Hey right you viewed you became commander-in-chief in July 1775, right before that on June 17, 1775. We fought a battle against the British and Bunker Hill, which was officially a British victory because we were defending a hill. The British had charged us once and didn't succeed. Charges twice density charge. 1/3 time. Finally took the hill and so officially the British won the battle of Bunker Hill, but they suffered 50% casualties and what are the continent Army do they just drop back to the next field. Hills called Winterville and Prospect Hill outside Boston and then the British would have to suffer 50% casualties again to take those hill in fact the commander of the British commander who led the successful assaults on on Bunker Hill in June 1735, he was deeply depressed. Gen. William Howe was his name because he said we, the British are going to lose this war because the nature of the American Revolutionary war was that whichever side is on offense is going to lose the British were kind of stuck in a position of offense command to conquer territory to prove that they still controlled America and you been listening to Woody Holton, Prof. of history at the University of South Carolina and author of liberty is sweet when we returned more of the story of George Washington and some stories you may not know that tell us much about the formation of his character and the man we all come to know more of Washington story here on our American stories, this is Tori Jamie with the 90210 MG podcasts we have such a special episode brought to you by near attack ODT we recorded at iHeartRadio type event windows came down near attack ODT were not apparent 75 mg can help migraine sufferers still such an exciting event like Wingo tango strip I had when I took minor attack ODT and I was present amazing time.

A little glimpse of our conversation with some of our closest friends & was brought to you by near attack ODT were magic pants 75 mg life with migraine attacks can mean missing out on big moments with friends and family, but thankfully near attack ODT were magic pants 75 mg is the only medication that is proven to treat a migraine attack and prevent episodic migraines and adults sound lively events like Wingo tango town have to be next visit DJ TFN the black for podcast network is sponsored by better help online therapy, life can get overwhelming for all of us for many people it's not easy to open up to someone and discuss our vulnerabilities but not long ago I found myself in a place where I need someone to talk to a relatively new father with two very young children in the home, and although I always wanted kids.

I waited because I was going to be as stable as possible in my life both mentally and financially. What I learned is never the right time because life doesn't work that way, and the pressure I felt and feel wanting to be the father I never had is a heavyweight at times to bear.

Compound that with the career lifestyle that goes with my career I find myself in dual worlds that often don't mesh nothing comes easy and every day is a work in progress, but as long as you're working on yourself, you're moving in the right direction better help us secure online therapy that offers videophone and even live chat sessions with a licensed professional therapist when you sign up you can filter results by age and gender, cultural background and expertise better help strides to meet their clients where they need them. For those not ready for traditional therapy.

There are support groups available to join for community therapy can be done from anywhere you can also switch therapists as much as you want the black effect. Podcast network is sponsored by better help online therapy visit better help.com/black effect and join over 2 million people who have taken charge of their mental health. With the help of an experienced better help therapist our listeners get 10% off their first month of online therapy@betterhelp.com/black effect that's better. HP LP.com/black effect. Hi, I'm Jonathan Strickland post of the restless ones join me as I sit down for in-depth discussions with the leaders at the intersection of technology and business leaders like Robert Marcus, founder of social mobile workforces are being mobilized now and it's clear that everyone needs a secure connected device whether a vaccine administration machine remote patient monitoring with a set of your house. Electronic visitor verification were someone comes to your home. A lot of it could have been driven by the pandemic and the necessity to build up this infrastructure, but I think it's just clear now that healthcare is mass adopting all types of enterprise mobility solutions as homes need to be turned into like hospitals now. The restless ones is now available on the iHeartRadio app wherever you listen to podcast presented by T-Mobile for business 5G that's ready right now and were back with our American stories enter final segment on George Washington's hidden strength, that being his ability change we Holton was just telling us how the British military strategy was dominated by one word offense because of Washington's long-held desire prior to the revolution to be a British officer. He was fighting a battle within himself when it came to this tactic, a battle one internally is not on the battlefield.

During the battle of Bunker Hill with the British Army was led by Gen. William Howe. Let's return to the story. So Gen. William Howe, who was the hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill was very depressed afterwards because he had suffered 50% casualties capturing that hill in the American system are treated to the next hill meeting.

He was good after suffer 50% casualties to get bad and so Howe believed after this great victory at Bunker Hill that the British had no chance of winning the Revolutionary war that basically all the Americans had to do was dig trenches and use that dirt to build walls in front of themselves. Palisades called him and they didn't that they could win even if they had to give up those forks, they would be giving them up like it Bunker Hill at the cost of 50% casualties on the British side and so when washing came in July 1775 to go to, Lori is his subordinates were all saying okay you can win this thing. You just have to stay on defense.

Washington was programmed for offense and so less than two months after taking over the order. This massive assault on the town of Boston Boston in those days was almost an island so the connector crosses very narrow neck of land which was very well defended okay because they could also go over water but an amphibious assault was the most dangerous thing you could do in those days and so is officers talk them out of it.

But then the Charles River Main River around Boston froze, and in that winter of 1775 to 6 and so Washington's old and now we can just run across the ice and capture Boston, but the canon were still there. There firing something called the British had something articled grapeshot sending huge chunks of metal over this broad area and and the officers again thought our soldiers are to be slaughtered if we try to walk across the river Boston so don't do that, but Washington was just feeling real pressure from the people he called chimney corner heroes. That is, people today we would call armchair general or Monday morning quarterbacks. There also come on the we can win this easily. Come on, Watson.

Let's see some seasoned stock from human he really felt that they were censored. To quote him.

They were censoring my inactivity and basically calling him a coward for not going forward, but is officers once again restrained him, but Washington was disappointed, while the British moved first to New York and then to Philadelphia by false and 77 date To date they still have both New York and Philadelphia and Winterson, two 3738 we all know think of as the Valley Forge winter and it's literally true that you could track a continental soldier about bloodied footprints in the snow. Some of them didn't have shoes. But while the soldiers were doing with that Washington was planning his assault on Philadelphia is again he was stuck on this notion. You gotta capture city doctors once again talk to mouth with glad and sure enough, in June 1778. The British voluntarily left Philadelphia just like that voluntarily left Boston until he started to get the message. But then the British really hunkered down in New York City and Washington was determined to capture New York City and is most people know New York is literally an island so this was going to have to be an amphibious assault across the Hudson River and the British had the most powerful navy in the world ever known, and they control the river and so is never going to have to first dodge British gunboats in the very wide Hudson River and then come up the cliffs, sort like what would happen years later at Normandy and the officers once again got into the habit of convincing Washington not protect exact Washington formed more than dozen plans to storm the British Army's headquarters in New York City and he never carried out any of that is every case you listen to is officers and let them talk him out of attacking New York.

This went on right up until 1781, when Washington learned that a British French fleet was coming to America.

28 battleships and he thought, okay, this is finally my chance to control the water around New York City and land troops on the island of New York and capture New York, but what he hadn't reckoned on was that his own counterparts in France was an ally of the United States and the Revolutionary war and the French commander in chief named Rochambeau and the French admiral named across the said no it's too dangerous to attack New York in the art that got 28 if they got a French army of 6000+ Washington's army of about 10,000.

Even with all of that they thought assistance seemed to attack an island in the French had a different idea, which was to attack a detachment of the British Army at Yorktown in Virginia and Washington went back and forth with his French counterparts over whether a better place to attack was in New York City or down in Yorktown and Virginia and as everybody knows, the French won that battle ironic because we think of. This is where Cornwallis surrendered as he did on October 19 17 $0.81. Washington had to surrender first. That is, he surrender to his own allies. The French because they were determined to attack Yorktown, Virginia rather than in New York City and he eventually was persuaded to move his army south with this French army to meet the French fleet and together they secured Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, October 19, 1781, wasn't the last battle of the Revolutionary war, but it's the one that persuaded the British Parliament to give up and offensive operations and begin peace negotiations that eventually led to the end of Revolutionary war and so what's striking to me about Washington was here was another area where he changed his mind from feeling like he had to be on offense to realizing that defense was the better movie never fully convinced himself that he still kept making plans to attack but that his credit he never acted on those plans and so I agree with the historians say Washington was the indispensable man winning the Revolutionary war, but he made himself indispensable in a very interesting way that we don't always think about when we think about military heroes and that is his greatest can't.

Washington's greatest contribution to the American victory in the Revolutionary war was that he restrained his own aggressive instincts and realized that the way to win the war was to stay on defense make it a war of attrition for the British would eventually lose so many men so much. Some spend so many so much money they would just give up and allow the American to have their independence and we think of of pride and self-confidence as the great qualities of a military hero, and often they are, but in Washington's case quality that really won the Revolutionary war was almost the opposite of that. It was humility.

That is, he gave up the opportunity to be the guy that leads the massive amphibious assaults on fortress New York and wins a heroic battle.

He gave up that chance for glory because he realized that wasn't the way to win the war the way when the war was to be the humble guy is a great line from Milton's palm paradise lost.

They also serve who only stand and wait. Washington is a classic example had a terrific job on the editing and production by faith.

Buchanan and Robbie Davis in a special thanks to Woody Holton, Prof. of history at the University of South Carolina and author of liberty is sweet, what a story you told us about Washington here in America.

While we were fighting an insurgency in the end it was just a straight old insurgency warfare. They've got the watches and we've got the time, very famous line about such battles. The story of Gen. George Washington's restraint and humility. In the end, his courage here on our American story beach vacation like bottomless margaritas going snorkeling whenever I want and not drink everything we need a Little beach vacation in Mexico and the Caribbean I have any money that I'm Rick Schwartz and were here for the San Diego zoo wildlife alliance where the host of amazing wildlife show iHeartRadio that deep dives into the fascinating world of the animal kingdom and our conservation efforts. San Diego zoo partnership so Rick I cannot tell the difference between a leopard and a check mark. What sets them apart. Well I'm glad you asked that. Honestly, it is challenging to be able to tell them apart get a glance, especially if you want to really get good at ago spotting the difference between a leopard and Jaguar. Remember those cluster of spots. The leopards have all episodes of amazing wildlife are available to stream now iHeartRadio at Apple podcast or where ever you get your podcast to get away but still listen to your favorite radio stations and podcasts then listen up. IHeartRadio is now the onboard music partner unselect Southwest flights. That means you can jam out your favorite local radio station even for flying coast-to-coast check out expertly curated stations that are perfect for kids and adults available on most domestic Southwest flights and perfect for a full nonstop for those pesky minutes between a movie ending in your plane, touching down so grab your headphones raise your tray table and relax with iHeartRadio and Southwest Airlines