George Washington Writings example essay topic

When we take off the cloak of heroism from our historical figures, we find that they are men and women just like us. They have hopes and fears, highs and lows, and dreams and disappointments. They have done and said things that they later regretted, and many of them of changed their minds on controversial issues such independence from England and the abolition of slavery. Moreover, many have suffered from inferiority complexes, depression, and debilitating physical ailments. By reading history books and biographies, we get a secondhand account of their thoughts, feelings, and ideas of these famous figures. However, when we read their diaries, journals, letters, and other personal writings, we are afforded a unique opportunity to experience their "real" lives firsthand.

In our visits to Gunston Hall, Woodlawn Plantation, and Mount Vernon, I found that in 18th century America, writing in diaries or journals and corresponding by letter was not an art form or hobby as it is today. On the contrary, it was a necessity for those who could read, write, and afford the associated costs. For example, both George Mason and George Washington were plantation owners, and kept daily written records about what was bought, sold, produced, and grown on their plantations. Any planter who did not keep good records ran the risk of becoming the victim of theft or could overextend his finances and properties much like Thomas Jefferson and his bankrupt Monticello.

Letters were also important in obtaining goods and services, keeping in touch with friends and relatives, and communicating with fellow businessmen and politicians. Similarly, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis ("Nelly") maintained a lifelong correspondence with her friend, Elizabeth Bordley Gibson. Their voluminous correspondence helped Nelly get through many difficult times in her life, and is one of the few complete collections of letters between women of the 18th and 19th centuries. As previously mentioned, reading and writing in Colonial America were privileges that only the rich could afford. Most boys were tutored in small schoolhouses on their fathers' plantations, while girls were taught basic reading, writing, math, and home arts. Only a few of the young men received formal educations in academies, universities, or abroad.

However, many of them studied literature, politics, and often "read" law as apprentices to established lawyers. Writing supplies were also expensive, and according to E. Kay Kirkham in The Handwriting of American Records for a Period of 300 Years (1973), "If, in colonial times, the scribes used paper sparingly and resorted in their manuscripts to contractions, abbreviations and other shortcuts in handwriting, we can now understand why, because paper was imported from England and it was not an inexpensive item". Quill pens (from the Latin word penna-feather) were made from the flight feathers of geese and crows, and "pen" knives were used to cut a new point on the ever-dulling quill. The ink was made from carbon, iron, or galls (a mixture of tannic acid and gallnut's). All letters were sealed with melted wax and stamped with a monogram or other identifying symbol. George Mason (1725-1792) George Mason, the owner and master of Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, VA, did not receive a formal education, but he was well read and frequented the private library of his uncle, John Mercer, a respected and profitable Virginia lawyer.

Robert A. Rutland, in George Mason: Reluctant Statesman (1961), describes him as a. ".. bookish planter... who loved to read voraciously... legal writings, medical treatises, English magazines, Shakespeare, and [records] of Parliamentary debates". Mason is considered to have been a "reluctant statesmen" because he preferred to devote his attention to his family and his plantation. However, because of his integrity and sense of responsibility, he served in several local and national public offices. Mason wrote the Virginia Bill of Rights, which was used by his friend, Thomas Jefferson, to write the Declaration of Independence. An excerpt of the Virginia Bill of Rights reads, "That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety... That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles".

During Mason's era, most men let it be known that they were the master of their households and plantations, and that their wives, children, and servants knew their place in that patriarchal society. However, Mason was a true family man, and he loved his wife, Ann Eil beck Mason, so much that he mourned her death after he remarried and until the day he died. Mason lovingly wrote a eulogy to Ann in the family Bible on March 9, 1773, which says, in part, "In the Beauty of her Person, & the Sweetness of her Disposition, she was equaled by few, & excelled by none of her Sex... She was bless'd with a clear & sound Judgement, a gentle & benevolent Heart, a's [in cere] & an humble Mind... she placed all her Happiness here, where only it is to be found, in her own Family".

Through the writings of George Mason, we are able to see the real man, and to glimpse into his private thoughts and feelings. We also find that Mason was rather reclusive and disagreeable in his later years, because he suffered from debilitating gout (severe arthritis) that took him out of commission for months at a time. In a July 5, 1792, letter to his son John, Mason wrote, .".. for at my time of Life, my only Satisfaction and Pleasure is in my Children; and all my Views are centered in their Welfare and Happiness". He died three months later-devoted father, loving husband, and "reluctant statesman". Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (1779-1852) After the death of her father, John Parke Custis, Nelly, along with her brother, George Washington Parke Custis, were raised on Mount Vernon Plantation (Mount Vernon, VA) by their step-grandfather, George Washington, and grandmother, Martha Washington.

Nelly had a privileged childhood, and had the unique opportunity to be a part of the social and political life of the new American Republic. Nelly received a typical early education, but showed an interest in poetry, foreign language, music, and drawing, and received her secondary education at the Isabella Graham School in New York City. It was during this time that Nelly became friends with Elizabeth Bordley, daughter of John Beale Bordley, a political-appointee of President Washington. Their friendship lasted 61 years until Nelly's death in 1852.

Nelly eventually married Major Lawrence Lewis, personal secretary to George Washington, and 12 years her senior. Washington gave them two thousand acres of land on which to build Woodlawn Plantation (Dog ues Run Farm, three miles from Mount Vernon), and the nearby Grist Mill and Distillery. In Nelly Custis: Child of Mount Vernon (1993), David Ribble tt writes, that as the mistress of Woodlawn Plantation, Nelly was responsible for "feeding the family and guests; making the family's clothing and keeping it clean; keeping the home and making household essentials; serving as doctor and nurse... ; and caring for [her] children". Nelly had a large housekeeping book where she wrote recipes (receipts), home remedies, and household hints. She also kept a written inventory of spices, food, linen, and other household items.

While she wrote numerous letters during her life, she also recorded her most intimate thoughts and favorite Bible verses in a diary. Within five years after marrying Lawrence, Nelly lost her beloved grandparents, lost two of four children (she eventually gave birth to eight, but only four survived infancy), suffered almost constant ill health, and had to put up with a weak and unsuccessful husband. In a letter to Elizabeth, she wrote, "Ah my Beloved friend, how sadly times are changed to us all, but to me more than anyone, deprived of those Beloved Parents whom I loved with so much devotion, ... I look back with sorrow, & to the future without hope-it appears to be a dream long passed away, so heavily has time passed to me". Sorrow after sorrow seemed to follow Nelly throughout her life. She wrote, "I often wish that I could go back again, & live over a few of my early years-They were the golden age of our Country, as wells as ours".

Nelly went to live with her son, Lorenzo, in Audley (Clarke County, Virginia), and Woodlawn Plantation was eventually sold. She died in 1852, and was buried in the family tomb at Mount Vernon, once again reunited with her beloved grandparents. George Washington (1732-1799) George Washington was a somewhat reserved, aloof, and quiet man. Although not an intellectual or learned man, he put into written word what he found so difficult to speak in his public and private lives. In the book, George Washington Writings (edited by John Rhode hammel, 1997), Washington is revealed as "a forceful, accomplished, and at times eloquent writer... [His writing] demonstrates the keen practical intelligence that distinguished his leadership in war and peace, and the patriotism, dignity, and sense of honor that [has] won the admiration and trust of Americans".

One of the most impressive rooms at Washington's Mount Vernon estate is the study where he directed and managed his plantation, made daily entries in his diary, kept his financial books, contemplated political and military issues, and wrote many letters that helped move the country toward the establishment of a federal government. Using a letterpress, Washington made copies of all his letters and official documents, which historians have used to create extensive collections of his writings. The study also houses his 800-volume library, and several writing desks and chairs. In a June 23, 1775, letter to his wife, Martha, Washington writes, ."..

I retain an unalterable affection for you, which neither time or distance can change, my best love to Jack & Nelly, & regard for the rest of the Family concludes me with the utmost truth & sincerity Yr (Your) entire". This shows that contrary to what many historians have said about Washington, he could show affection and cared deeply for his wife, family, and beloved Mount Vernon. One of Washington's most important documents is his will, which he wrote in July 1799. In it, he made provisions for the emancipation of his slaves after Martha's death. He also stipulated that his heirs were to provide pensions for the freed slaves who became aged or in firmed, and that any orphaned freed slaves would be taught to read and write so that they could eventually provide a living for themselves. Washington died on December 14, 1799 from a throat infection.

Even though he has been dead for over 204 years, his written words continue to speak volumes about the man who became the first president of the United States of America. The writings of Mason, Lewis, and Washington allow "us not just to read about history, but to read history itself... [They allow] us to immerse ourselves in the look and feel of an era gone by, to [truly] understand its people" (Edward G. Gray, Colonial America: A History in Documents, 2003). The cloak removed, we can now see them as the men and women of our shared past who helped to shape the future of our country.