A lesson learned from GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE CREATION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, by William Fowler

 Great leaders must always be willing to learn new things.

    This blog post will be a relatively short one, as William Fowler's George Washington and the Creation of the American Republic is a relatively short book, clocking in at under 200 pages when sources and notes are not taken into account. Although easy to read, Fowler's book is a deep-dive on a very specific period of Washington's life (the six years between him leading America to victory during the American Revolution, and subsequently assuming the first presidency of its new Constitution), and to that end it is certainly of much more interest to Washington scholars and professional historians. That said, one element I did find fascinating in Fowler's book in terms of historical lessons was Washington's private interests during this quiet era, and how his curiosity about the world around him continued to aid his evolution as one of the great leaders of his era.

    From a modern perspective, one of the fascinating elements of Washington's personality was his humility, which made him a perfect 18th-century gentlemen plantation owner but put him in stark contrast with political leaders today. A relatively quiet man whose presence could nonetheless command any room he entered, Washington on a deep level believed he was not qualified to be his country's "Founder" (so to speak), and openly said so to all those who would listen. To that end, Washington was on a constant quest to learn more about the world around him, and one of his major hobbies during the pre-Constitution years was to subscribe to modern scientific journals and learn as much as he could about new discoveries, in particular in the fields of agriculture and geography. Washington saw America as a great future empire that was in desperate need of modernization, and he tried his best to implement new discoveries in the daily work of his plantations (Bowler only touches on the subject, but Washington's faith in modernization eventually led to his declining faith in the mass enslavement that he spent most of his life profiting from, which culminated in his deathbed denunciation of slavery--a development I have my students debate to this day as to whether or not redeemed him).

    Fowler's book chronicles Washington's various experiments and discoveries as he spent a few quiet years in retirement, before ultimately being called up to put his stamp on a new American Constitution and form of government, one whose long-term viability and success remains open to debate today. There are other books that go into more detail about Washington's political beliefs and personal achievements and failures, but Fowler's book is an intriguing little window into a towering presence of his era, who also was on some level aware of his flaws and the need to always try to learn more and improve his knowledge of the world around him.

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