The Founding Fathers and the Virtue of Self-Governance

On the eve of Independence Day, July 3, 2023, Kim Monson welcomes historian Bill Federer to explore the legacy of Booker T. Washington and George Washington, followed by Princeton professor Allen Guelzo with insights on Lincoln’s statesmanship and the enduring power of the Gettysburg Address. Booker T. Washington and the Spirit of Self-Reliance Start listening at 1:42 – Hour 1 Bill Federer, founder of American Minute, opens with a powerful examination of Booker T. Washington’s philosophy of self-improvement and personal responsibility. Born into slavery in 1856, Washington walked 500 miles to attend the Hampton Institute and later founded the Tuskegee Institute, producing more millionaires in a short time than Harvard. Federer contrasts Washington’s approach with W.E.B. DuBois, who advocated demanding reparations rather than building through work and contribution. Washington’s philosophy centered on lifting oneself by lifting others. He refused to allow hatred to degrade his soul, reading a chapter of the Bible every morning regardless of how busy he became. His famous Atlanta Exposition speech used the metaphor of boats at the mouth of the Amazon River, encouraging blacks and whites to “cast down your buckets where you are” and work together rather than looking elsewhere for solutions. “There are some race problem solvers that don’t want the patient to get well. As long as the disease holds out, they have an easy way of making a living.” Bill Federer, quoting Booker T. Washington George Washington’s Extraordinary Virtue Start listening at 13:00 – Hour 1 Bill Federer explains why George Washington stands as his favorite founding father: three times he held absolute power, and three times he voluntarily surrendered it. At the Newburgh Conspiracy, when his unpaid officers plotted to overthrow Congress, Washington defused the situation by fumbling for his glasses and stating, “I have grown not only gray, but blind in the service of my country.” King George III, upon hearing that Washington would return to his farm after defeating the British, declared him “the greatest man in the world.” This was contrary to 6,000 years of recorded history where kings lusted for power, killed to keep it, and never voluntarily relinquished it. Washington’s example extended to supporting Lafayette’s efforts to free slaves in the Caribbean, and he eventually freed all his own slaves in his will. “Guns are the last thing to pick up and the first thing to put down.” Bill Federer, quoting George Washington Lincoln’s Democratic Statesmanship Start listening at 58:36 – Hour 2 Allen Guelzo, Princeton professor and Lincoln scholar, identifies the essential characteristics of democratic statesmanship embodied by Lincoln: resilience, a thirst for learning, and above all, humility. Lincoln absorbed tremendous political punishment without lashing back, writing to a Louisiana critic in 1862, “I shall do nothing in malice. What we are dealing with is too great for malicious dealing.” Guelzo notes Lincoln arrived at the presidency with less on his resume than almost any other occupant, having served only one term in Congress more than a decade earlier. Yet his capacity for learning how to operate the office was remarkable. He taught himself the nuts and bolts of the presidency and became master of the organization. His humility endeared him to ordinary soldiers, who were initially shocked by his homely appearance but...