[War & Business] The Decision of George Washington

Statue of George Washington at Federal Hall National Memorial in Manhattan, New York City, USA [Image source: U.S. National Park Service (NPS) website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] "A man named Hwaseongdon was an extraordinary figure who, despite gaining dominion over the vast land of America, did not ascend to the throne nor pass his position to his descendants. There has never been such a virtuous person throughout history."

This is a remark made by Seo Gye-yeoran, a scholar and official from the late Qing Dynasty of 19th century China, about George Washington, the first president of the United States. Seo Gye-yeoran lavished praise on Washington for resisting the temptation of power and declining a third term, choosing instead to retire after holding full authority as a hero of the American Revolutionary War and the first president.

In fact, Washington was a man who had all the conditions to become a lifelong dictator or establish his own dynasty. As the commander who led the American Revolutionary War, he had great merits and held military power, with soldiers wanting to crown him king. Moreover, Europe was engulfed in the chaos of the French Revolution, and hostilities with Britain continued, making military dictatorship quite feasible. His popularity among the people was also very high.

However, Washington made the very difficult decision to voluntarily relinquish power. In his farewell address upon retiring in 1797, he humbly stated, "I possess the discernment to recognize my shortcomings. I hope the blemishes caused by my incompetence during the 45 years I lived for the country will fade into oblivion." Though he abandoned the throne, Washington's name remains honored over 200 years later, alongside 13 angels representing the original 13 states of American independence on the ceiling of the U.S. Capitol, revered as the first president of the United States.

The year after he delivered his farewell address and retired coincidentally was the year another war hero across the Atlantic, Napoleon, returned from his Egyptian campaign and seized power in France. Choosing a completely different path of dictatorship than Washington, Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1801 and ruled Europe for 15 years but ultimately met a lonely death on the remote island of Saint Helena in the vast Atlantic Ocean. Before dying, Napoleon predicted, "My name will vanish in the whirlpool of revolution, but Washington will remain the founder of a great empire."

Since then, all U.S. presidents have followed Washington’s exemplary decision, voluntarily stepping down even before the law limited presidential terms to two. When Democratic candidate Al Gore pushed for a recount in Florida after the 2000 presidential election and the Democratic Party declared election disputes, he still conceded the election himself, saying, "America needs unity more than division," an act respected as upholding American tradition. The tradition that even a subject of the Qing emperor admired is now hoped by the world to be upheld in this U.S. presidential election as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.