Chandler's Watch

Revolutionary Presidents

Written by Marc Stockwell-Moniz

Thursday, 28 February 2008

George Washington:

Gen. George Washington

born Westmoreland County, Virginia-February 22, 1732, died-December 14, 1797. General Washington's 276th birthday wass Friday, February 22, 2008. He was a Christian and a member of The Church of England. Since 1789, this church has been known as The Episcopal Church in The United States. General Washington was our first president under the United States Constitution. He served two full terms for a total of eight years: 1789-1797. Here are some interesting stories, facts and myths about General Washington. When young George was 17 year-old, he decided to join the British Navy. His mother Mary Ball Washington was so upset with him that he backed down and never joined the navy. Would there be a United States if he had left home to be a sailor?
Did General Washington have wooden teeth? No. This is a myth. His teeth were made out of ivory from hippopotamuses and elephants.
He is the only president not to live in The White House.

Did General Washington, as a boy, ever cut down a cherry tree and confess this to his father? No. This is a myth. But we tell this myth to portray General Washington as an honest young-man who became an honest adult. But we like to tell this story regardless.

Did General Washington shake hands when he greeted people? No. He would just simply bow to them. Two of General Washington's horses were named Nelson and Blue Skin. Blue Skin is the horse we often see in his portraits. He was white or light grey and blue.

General Washington was the commander of the American military forces twice in his lifetime. On July 7, 1798, President John Adams appointed George Washington to be the commander of all American military forces because of the threat of war with France. General Washington was the person who first suggested that people call him Mr. President after he won the first election. Some people wanted to call him "His Elective Majesty." General Washington is the only president to be unanimously elected to the presidency. The Holy Bible that he was sworn in as president has subsequently been used by other presidents and is always available for presidential inaugurations courtesy of the New York State Masons. It is known as the Washington Bible. George Washington was a Master Mason and he lived at his estate called Mount Vernon in Virginia. Our nations' capital is named after him; Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) as well as the state of Washington, many counties and cities. General Washington had no children of his own; therefore, nobody in The United States is a descendant of his. However, his legacy is that he is the Father of the Country and because of that, we Americans are all his children.

John Adams:

President John Adams

born Braintree, Massachusetts-October 30, 1735, died July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years to-the-day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He was president from 1797-1801. He was a Christian and a member of The Unitarian Church. Here is some interesting information about President John Adams our second president. He was a member of The Sons of Liberty in Boston before the revolution with other notable Bostonians such as, Sam Adams (his cousin), Paul Revere, John Hancock, James Otis, and Dr. Joseph Warren. John Adams signed the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Paris. John Adams helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence and represented The United States at the peace talks in Paris.
He defeated Thomas Jefferson in our third election to become our second president from 1797-1801. He served as Vice President to President George Washington for eight years.

Before the American Revolution, he represented the British soldiers who were charged with murder for the March 5, 1770 "Boston Massacre." He won the case. As a shrewd politician, John Adams nominated George Washington of Virginia, during the Second Continental Congress to be the Commander of the fledgling American military which was camped out in John Adams home state in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the beginning of hostilities.

John Adams instinctively knew that to keep a unified American struggle viable against the British he had to enlist the services of a "Southerner" to solidify the American military. John Adams served only one term as president, having been defeated by Thomas Jefferson. John Adams is credited with keeping The United States out of the "never ending hostilities" between Britain and France. John Adams helped create and signed into law the establishment of the Library of Congress.

He was a political rival to Thomas Jefferson for many years during his career as an American statesman and this rivalry continued after both men retired from political life. However, during his later years, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson made amends with each other and rekindled a long time friendship. His last words were, "Thomas Jefferson lives." Thomas Jefferson had actually died just a few hours earlier than John Adams, on that same July 4thday in 1826.

Thomas Jefferson:

President Thomas Jefferson

born Shadwell, Virginia-April 13, 1743, died July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years to-the-day of the signing of The Declaration of Independence. He was a Christian, having been brought up in The Church of England; however, many Christian denominations like to claim him as their own. Thomas Jefferson was our third president from 1801-1809. He was a very interesting and intelligent man and here are some interesting facts about him.

He was a writer, farmer, architect, musician, naturalist and inventor. Thomas Jefferson was the primary writer of The Declaration of Independence. He was assisted however, by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. He coined the phrase; "All men are created equal." One of his most important achievements was buying the Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars from France. It doubled the size of The United States in 1803.

He sent Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" to make scientific discoveries and initiate commercial possibilities for The United States. The present collection at the Library of Congress started with his personal library. He founded the University of Virginia which is one of his proudest accomplishments. Strangely enough on his grave-stone, there is no mention of him as being president of The United States.

James Madison:

President James Madison

born Port Conway, Virginia, March 16, 1751, died June 28, 1836. He was our fourth president from 1809-1817. He guided The United States during our 1812-1814 war with Great Britain. The war started on June 18, 1812 after Britain continued to attack American ships on the high-seas. He was a Christian and a member of the Episcopal Church. James Madison is the chief writer, thinker and philosopher who created The United States Constitution. He is known as the Father of the Constitution. His wife Dolly Madison is credited with saving a national treasure of a portrait of George Washington which was hanging in the White House. She did this when British troops were heading for and finally capturing Washington D.C. The British subsequently burned the White House and destroyed many items in the house. James Madison is the only sitting president to actively participate in a war. He directed artillery against the British during the War of 1812. James Madison wrote most of the Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers argued for the ratification of The United States Constitution. He was a protege of Thomas Jefferson and as Secretary of State under President Jefferson he supervised the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Of his many virtues, perhaps the most important was his persistence on protecting the new U.S. Constitution.

James Monroe:

President James Monroe

born Westmoreland County, Virginia, April 28, 1758, died July 4, 1831. He was our fifth president from 1817-1825 and the third to die on the fourth of July. He was a Christian and a member of The Episcopal Church. Along with General George Washington, James Monroe was the only other Revolutionary War era president who fought in the war. He was a wounded battle-field hero at the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey; December 26, 1776. This was an important victory for the Continental Army. This battle followed the crossing of the Delaware River which is depicted in the famous painting of General Washington and his troops crossing this river. He also saw action at the Battles of Brandywine, Monmouth and Germantown. He was also a staff officer to the Commander-in-Chief, General Washington. He spent the miserable winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge.

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