A man not driven by personal power. 

But his retirement didn’t last long. In 1787, appalled by the excesses of state legislatures and the ineffectiveness of the Continental - Confederation Congress, Washington ended his self-imposed retirement and began working for a new Constitution, completed in 1787 and ratified in 1789.

A man willing to work for his nation.

Once the Constitution was approved, Washington received a vote from every elector to become the first president of the United States. 

According to his Mount Vernon biography by Jack D. Warren, Jr., Washington “administered the government with fairness and integrity, assuring Americans that the President could exercise extensive executive authority without corruption. Further, he executed the laws with restraint, establishing precedents for broad-ranging presidential authority. His integrity was most pure, Thomas Jefferson wrote, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known, no motive of interest or consanguinity, friendship, or hatred, being able to bias his decision. Washington set a standard for presidential integrity rarely met by his successors, although he established an ideal by which they all are judged.”

A man determined to act with integrity and fairness.

Growing partisanship within the government concerned Washington.  He reluctantly agreed to serve a second term only after his cabinet persuaded him that he commanded the respect of “both burgeoning political parties.”

A man more in love with his country than a party or politics.

So this week, celebrate fathers and flags, and remember too the father of our country, George Washington.  Take inspiration from him, follow in his footprints, to have faith in divine providence, to act with fairness and integrity, to overcome partisanship to create a better country and to work to make things right.  These actions will create a better future for us all.