Public Writings and Speeches
Unlike orthodox believers, he rarely used the word "God" except in non-religious catchphrases such as "thank God", "God knows" (i.e. no one knows), "for God's sake", or "my God!" as an exclamation. Morals were another matter: throughout his life, Washington spoke of the value of righteousness, and of seeking and offering thanks for the "blessings of Heaven". Washington more often spoke of Providence. Philosopher Michael Novak writes that though much has been made of the fact that Washington seldom wrote of Jesus Christ, among Anglican layman of the time, unlike evangelicals, the name of Jesus was not commonly invoked. The most famous reference came in a 1779 letter to a delegation of Indians. The letter was in the handwriting of an aide, and most biographers, such as Chernow, Henriques and Freeman, argue that the aide wrote it, not Washington.:
"You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do every thing they can to assist you in this wise intention; and to tie the knot of friendship and union so fast, that nothing shall ever be able to loose it."
When Congress authorized a day of fasting in 1778 during the war, Washington told his soldiers:
- "The Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to The United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd. instant to be observed as a day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, that at one time and with one voice the righteous dispensations of Providence may be acknowledged and His Goodness and Mercy toward us and our Arms supplicated and implored; The General directs that this day also shall be religiously observed in the Army, that no work be done thereon and that the Chaplains prepare discourses suitable to the Occasion."
Washington was a firm believer in the importance of religion for republican government. His 1796 Farewell Address, written by Alexander Hamilton and revised by himself, remarked that it was unrealistic to expect that a whole nation, whatever might be said of minds of peculiar structure, could long be moral without religion, that national morality is necessary for good government, and that politicians should cherish religion's support of national morality:
Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who, that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?Notwithstanding this strong endorsement of religion as a support for good government, Washington rejected an additional sentence, also written by Alexander Hamilton, with a stronger sentiment: "does it not require the aid of a generally received and divinely authoritative Religion?"
Washington is widely credited with first adding the words "so help me, God" after the presidential inaugural oath, but none of the detailed contemporaneous eyewitness accounts of the first inauguration supports this belief. These words are not part of the Constitutional oath. The first authors to state that Washington added the words were Rufus Wilmot Griswold in 1854 and Washington Irving in 1857, and neither cited a source.
In his first inaugural address, Washington stressed his belief that the new nation "was under the special agency of Providence."
Washington made several official statements as General of the Army which were filled with references to religion. Sparks quotes orders given by General Washington to his Army requiring them to attend to their religious duties and "to implore the blessing of Heaven" upon the American Army.
Early in Washington's presidency, at the request of Congress, he issued the first official National Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789. The proclamation was sent to the governors of each of the states, and assigns the day upon which "the people of these States" devote themselves in service to "that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." It exhorts the people in the young country to express their gratitude to God for: his protection of them through the Revolutionary War and the peace they had experienced since; for allowing the Constitution to be composed in a "peaceable and rational manner"; for the "civil and religious liberty" they possessed; and "in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us." The proclamation also states that "it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." It concludes by calling the people of the United States to prayer and to beseech God "to pardon our national and other transgressions"; to allow the national government to be wise and just; to "protect and guide" all nations; to promote "true religion and virtue, and the increase of science"; and to "grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best."
Read more about this topic: George Washington And Religion
Famous quotes containing the words public, writings and/or speeches:
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“[T]he late Samuel McChord Crothers, genial wit and essayist, ... after listening to the speeches at a certain Harvard Commencement remarked that he gathered that the world had been in great danger, but that all would now be well.”
—For the State of Massachusetts, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)