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Washington, D.C. - An elected head of government is an American invention that took some imagination on the part of the first few men who held the job.
They lived in a world that was largely governed by monarchs. And as Americans went about the task of establishing their republic, they didn’t have models that they could consult for guidance. So they had to make it up as they went.
As we observe the national holiday now called Presidents Day (Monday, February 20), let us consider the mix of talents, circumstance, and luck – both good and bad – that have defined our direction as a nation.
We are fortunate that our early presidents entered government service out of the same sense of duty that caused them to support the Revolutionary War, despite the risks to their lives and property.
Of all our nation’s founders, George Washington had the most to lose. His 8,000-acre Mount Vernon estate on the banks of the Potomac River in Virginia nudged his net worth to what would be about $500 million today, according to estimates of the relative wealth of our nation’s presidents published last year by The Atlantic magazine.
We all owe a debt to Washington for his contributions to this nation, which included presiding over the Constitutional Convention of 1787 – two years before he became the first president of the United States.
American government operated under the Articles of Confederation created by the second Continental Congress after we gained independence from Great Britain, but the Articles had inherent problems. So Washington and 54 other state delegates met in Philadelphia to create a more perfect union – a system of law that continues to guide us well.
That is in no small part because of the brilliance of James Madison, principal architect of the Constitution, who would become our nation’s fourth president.
While the other delegates didn’t rise to that level of office, they were men of proven leadership.
Forty-one of the framers of the Constitution had been members of the Continental Congress, according to the National Archives. Nearly all of the 55 delegates had experience in state and colonial government, and the majority had also held local or county offices.
While our nation was in its infancy, our Founding Fathers weren’t novices. On the contrary, they epitomized the term “public servant.”
The 43 people who have served as president of the United States have also brought a variety of experience into the office with them. Some were lawyers, some were farmers, some had fine educations, some were self-taught.
All of them tried to do the right thing – with varying degrees of success.
I’m proud of how the United States has grown to correct its mistakes and preserve the attributes that cause people around the world to aspire to live here.
It’s testimony that American exceptionalism is a reality, not a wish.
It also demonstrates that the Constitution that has brought us to this point in our history was a product of collective genius.
This is what we, the people, celebrate.
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