WASHINGTON — The former director of the National Portrait Gallery, who has been removed from her job, openly pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion from her position as head of a top United States museum.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Kim Sajet was removed from her position, accusing Sajet of being &#8220;a highly partisan person&#8221; and &#8220;a strong supporter of DEI.&#8221;
&#8220;Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
Sajet, a <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Kim%20Sajet">long time Democrat donor</a>, has served since 2013 as the director of the Smithsonian&#8217;s National Portrait Gallery, which contains 1,700 portraits of United States presidents and is located less than a mile away from the White House itself. A review of her <a href="https://www.kimsajet.com/post/atlantic-festival-race-justice-summit-jill-lepore">remarks to media</a> show that she was heavily focused on promoting and highlighting art based on ideology.
&#8220;Are the categories sexist, ableist, racist?&#8221; Sajet <a href="https://archive.ph/MfPtK#selection-1417.0-1421.162">said in one Washington Post interview</a> as she discussed the National Portrait Gallery&#8217;s &#8220;language justice.&#8221; &#8220;How can we be respectful of communities that have been hurt and continue to be hurt? How do we be inclusive?&#8221;
Her LinkedIn profile described the National Portrait Gallery as &#8220;not just a place to see famous Americans,&#8221; but a place that &#8220;explores identity as a social construct that has been shaped in equal measure by opportunity &amp; ability, prejudice &amp; fear, by taking a cross-disciplinary approach.&#8221;
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She was also in charge of the gallery&#8217;s &#8220;America&#8217;s Presidents&#8221; exhibit with labels summing up each man in about 140 words. She told the Guardian in late 2024 that &#8220;we try very much not to editorialise,&#8221; claiming, &#8220;I don’t want by reading the label to get a sense of what the curator’s opinion is about that person. I want someone reading the label to understand that it’s based on historical fact.”
Yet the caption under Trump&#8217;s photo reads, in part: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”
<div id="attachment_927493" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-fires-highly-partisan-director-of-national-portrait-gallery-who-pushed-dei/trumpportrait" rel="attachment wp-att-927493"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-927493" class="wp-image-927493 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-1232536102.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
Sajet&#8217;s firing comes after Trump&#8217;s executive order &#8220;Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,&#8221; a March 27 order that promised to &#8220;restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness –- igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans.&#8221;
&#8220;Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,&#8221; the order stated. &#8220;This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.&#8221;
Sajet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kim Sajet is Director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. For the Museum Issue

Trump Fires ‘Highly Partisan’ Director of National Portrait Gallery Who Pushed DEI

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Donald Trump

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George Washington

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Democrat legislators in Washington state have mounted a movement to remove George Washington’s face from the state flag.
The image of George Washington on the state flag comes from the state seal, designed in 1889 when the Evergreen State achieved statehood. Washington state law <a href="https://www.sos.wa.gov/washington-state-flag#history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declares</a>, “The official flag of the state of Washington shall be of dark green silk or bunting and shall bear in its center a reproduction of the seal of the state of Washington embroidered, printed, painted or stamped thereon.” The flag was officially adopted on March 5, 1923.
Washington state was named after George Washington and is the only state named after a president.
State Reps. Strom Peterson, Julia Reed, and Greg Nance introduced House Bill 1938, which states, “While George Washington is an important national figure, he has limited historical connection to the state itself. This makes his image less meaningful as a symbol for the state.”
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“If House Bill 1938 is enacted, the Washington State Flag Redesign Committee will work toward adopting a new design by July 1, 2028. The proposed design will then be submitted to voters for approval in a general election, ensuring that any change to the state flag reflects the will of Washington’s citizens,” My Northwest <a href="//8774653B-2CBA-42B7-A94F-69896A4B2E1B/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
A Washington blogger who is supposed to testify in favor of changing the flag authored a <a href="https://olympiatime.com/2025/02/15/the-washington-state-flag-is-deeply-and-historically-bad-and-we-should-change-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog</a> titled, “The Washington State flag is deeply and historically bad and we should change it.” “Washington’s flag is uninspired. It was not the result of a broad public process but rather something we arrived at late, 34 years after statehood,” he wrote. “While the name honors a national figure, its origins reflect a moment when the voices of the people living in the region were overlooked. I’m not saying we need to go as far as changing the state’s name (that would be crazy! looks around), but we don’t need to underline it with a state flag.”
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Washington State Flag

Washington State Dems Want To Remove George Washington’s Image From State Flag

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When American families celebrate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/thanksgiving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thanksgiving</a>, many hearken back to the Pilgrims — who braved a brutal first year at Plymouth Bay Colony and then, after a bountiful harvest, stopped everything to give thanks to God.
For years after that, many remembered those first difficult days in a new land and the years of plenty that followed — and also thanked God for rewarding their labor. But it was not until 1789, when that new land had a name and a new leader, that Thanksgiving officially became an American holiday.
Daily Wire editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro shared the decree, issued by President George Washington, in a post on X along with his own caption: &#8220;Happy Thanksgiving — and, of course, thanks to God for His blessings on the greatest nation in the history of the planet.&#8221;
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Happy Thanksgiving &#8212; and, of course, thanks to God for His blessings on the greatest nation in the history of the planet.
&quot;Whereas 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…
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1862012800572285337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Whereas 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 — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness,&#8221; Washington wrote.
The first part of Washington&#8217;s decree focused on the things for which his young nation should be thankful — beginning with the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War and the peaceful implementation of a new form of government under the U.S. Constitution, which would complete the ratification process the following year.
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&#8220;Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks — for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation — for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war — for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed — for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.&#8221;
Washington went on to lay out that which he believed the American people should be praying for, beginning with forgiveness for &#8220;our national and other transgressions&#8221; and extending to continued safety and prosperity, not only for the newly-formed United States, but for &#8220;all Sovereigns and Nations.&#8221;
&#8220;And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions — to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually — to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed — to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord — To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us — and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.&#8221;
The official date for the Thanksgiving holiday changed from year to year until President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, designated the last Thursday in November to be the permanent day of celebration. Only one president since — Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1939 — has deviated from that schedule, opting to move the holiday from November 30 to November 23 in order to extend the Christmas shopping season.

Holiday feast

READ IT: George Washington’s Decree That Made Thanksgiving A National Holiday

READ IT: George Washington's Decree That Made Thanksgiving A National Holiday

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Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced a statue of George Washington on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
The statue was draped with a Palestinian flag and covered in stickers, and a black and white scarf was wrapped around its neck.
The stickers read, “End the Genocide Free Palestine,” “The Students United Will Never Be Divided,” and “Anti-Fascist Action.” The statue&#8217;s face is covered by a pink sticker reading, “Rise Love Resist.”
&#8220;Genocidal Warmongering University,&#8221; was spray-painted on the base of the statue.
A second George Washington statue depicting the president riding a horse also appears to have been defaced during the protests.
&#8220;Free Gaza&#8221; was spray-painted on the base along with, &#8220;DC stands for liberation.&#8221;
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Protesters have draped a Palestinian flag around a statue of George Washington on the GWU campus in DC.
“Genocidal Warmongering University” is written in paint on the base of the statue. <a href="https://t.co/ks3H9HuRZl">pic.twitter.com/ks3H9HuRZl</a>
&mdash; Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virginia_Allen5/status/1785000867294261751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Sent from <a href="https://twitter.com/GWtweets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GWtweets</a>: Protesters have defaced the statue of George Washington at the edge of campus. <a href="https://t.co/tWW2LDJ8Py">pic.twitter.com/tWW2LDJ8Py</a>
&mdash; Zach Kessel (@zach_kessel) <a href="https://twitter.com/zach_kessel/status/1784615007080100068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The pro-Palestinian protests began on Thursday and stretched into their sixth day on Tuesday.
Protesters have set up an encampment on the lawn of the university where the statue is located. The demonstrators pitched dozens of tents including food and medical tents. They also knocked down metal barricades put up by police and threw them into a large pile, sticking signs and Palestinian flags on top.
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👀A quick tour of the pro-Palestine encampment on the campus of George Washington University in D.C. <a href="https://t.co/rHrj1j5AG1">pic.twitter.com/rHrj1j5AG1</a>
&mdash; Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) <a href="https://twitter.com/Virginia_Allen5/status/1784999576790880435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This group of approximately 200 protesters from across the DMV, including professional organizers, activists, and university students, have joined the unauthorized encampment on our campus,&#8221; George Washington University <a href="https://www.fox5dc.com/news/gwu-protest-organizers-vow-to-stay-on-campus-until-demands-are-met" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sunday in a statement.
&#8220;This is an egregious violation of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest. The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions,&#8221; the university said.
Final exams begin next week for the university, and graduation is scheduled for May 19.
Anti-Israel protests have roiled college campuses across the country over the last two weeks. In many cases, the protesters are calling on the schools to divest from investments that support Israel.
The protesters at George Washington University are also <a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2024/04/gw-university-enters-sixth-day-of-israel-hamas-war-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding</a> the school lift a suspension against a pro-Palestinian student group.
Dozens of protesters have been arrested across multiple campuses, including at Northeastern University in Boston, Emerson College in Boston, Emory University in Atlanta, Virginia Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Mary Washington in Virginia.
The protests have been particularly tumultuous at Columbia University in New York City, although the tensions have been more between the students and Columbia&#8217;s administration.
Protesters at Columbia took over a building on Tuesday morning, prompting school administrators to threaten to expel them.

Palestinian flag and Keffiye are wrapped around the statue

George Washington Statue Defaced By GWU’s Pro-Palestinian Protesters

George Washington Statue Defaced By GWU's Pro-Palestinian Protesters

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Over the years, the United States has produced many remarkable generals and admirals, but only a few have stood out as world-class strategists and leaders of troops. As Veterans Day approaches on November 11, let’s remember and celebrate them. Here is my list of America’s finest 11 commanders.
<h2>George Washington 1732 &#8211; 1799, (Revolutionary War)</h2>
At Washington’s funeral in 1799, “Lighthorse Harry” Lee famously said of his beloved commander that he was “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” As our new nation’s “indispensable man” one simply cannot imagine the American victory over the British, and thus gaining her independence, without the towering figure of George Washington as leader of the Continental Army and the face of the rebellion.
<div id="attachment_651877" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651877" class="size-large wp-image-651877" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-474x576.jpg" alt="Digitally restored vector painting of General George Washington. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army against the British Empire and the first President of the United States. John Parrot/Stocktrek Images. Getty Images." width="474" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-474x576.jpg 474w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-247x300.jpg 247w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-768x934.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-1263x1536.jpg 1263w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-158653274-1684x2048.jpg 1684w" sizes="(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px" />John Parrot/Stocktrek Images. Getty Images.</div>
Unlike Lee, MacArthur or Jackson, Washington’s skills were not those of a tactician. There are no masterpieces of the military arts comparable to Chancellorsville or Inchon in Washington’s repertoire. Indeed, few great generals have actually lost more pitched battles than did His Excellency. In 1776, he was out-maneuvered and almost trapped during the Battle of Long Island. Then, after an American mini-Dunkirk to ferry men across the East River while the British slept, he was repeatedly pushed up and then off of Manhattan Island.
He allowed the losses of Forts Washington and Lee, and watched helplessly as 2,800 of his men were taken prisoner. He then retreated across New Jersey with his disintegrating rag-tag army wherein he hatched a desperate Hail Mary plan to save the flagging rebellion. In trying to protect the capital of Philadelphia from the invading British the following year, he suffered back-to-back defeats at Brandywine Creek (September 1777) and then Germantown (October 1777), allowing the King’s soldiers to march into America’s largest city. In fact, he really only decisively won two outright battles: Trenton in 1776 and then Yorktown in 1781. Monmouth in 1778, was technically a draw, even as the Continentals got the upper hand in the fight.
So, if not for tactical brilliance, what made Washington so indispensable?
One would have to look into the character of the man. He was not just the right man at the right time; he was the only man at the right time. And he was absolutely committed to his cause, even though as one of the wealthiest colonists he stood to lose his fortune, even his life, should the revolution fail.
<div id="attachment_651891" style="width: 785px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651891" class="size-large wp-image-651891" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-775x576.jpg" alt="Old engraved illustration of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War in 1776." width="775" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-775x576.jpg 775w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-300x223.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-768x571.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-1536x1142.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/3-GettyImages-1277000207-copy-2048x1523.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px" />Old engraved illustration of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. Getty Images.</div>
The war lasted an exhausting eight years. And in that time, through seemingly one crisis upon another, Washington through sheer force of will and displays of leadership managed to keep his often ill-clothed, sick, and starved army functioning, and thus keep the cause alive. And though at times he privately despaired about his situation, he never showed this side to his men. In fact, when planning his most desperate attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton in December 1776, he privately worried that should the attack fail “the game is pretty well up.” The password was “Victory or Death.” It was victory. And through successes in New Jersey at the end of 1776 into the first week of 1777, Washington showed an uncanny ability to revitalize his army, his officers, and the country when it was needed most. His victory at Trenton could be the most important in U.S. history. Indeed, it has been said that never in history has such a small group of men in such a short window of time engaged in fighting that has so changed the course of the world. And that victory would simply not have been possible, or even conceivable, without Washington.
<div id="attachment_651893" style="width: 809px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651893" class="size-large wp-image-651893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-799x576.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-799x576.jpg 799w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-768x554.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-1536x1108.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1133100220-2048x1477.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px" />George Washington on horseback looking back at troops crossing the Delaware River on the evening previous to the Battle of Trenton, December 25th, 1776.</div>
Washington’s growth from an inexperienced former colonel of colonial militia to a formidable leader of a disciplined and formidable army is evident. By 1780, he was conducting a continental war. His skill at picking the right men under him, often from unlikely stock, be they a Massachusetts bookseller in Henry Knox or Rhode Island Quaker mill owner in Nathanael Greene, showed a valuable willingness to shed military convention and bias towards professional soldiers in cobbling together such a unique fighting force. His choice of Greene to lead the Southern District of the Continental Army was perhaps one of his most important and inspired of the war given the results that led to Yorktown.
<div id="attachment_651885" style="width: 693px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651885" class="size-large wp-image-651885" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-683x576.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-683x576.jpg 683w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-300x253.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-768x647.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-1536x1295.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/2-getty-washington-2048x1726.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />Painting of Siege of Yorktown by Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder</div>
Washington was also flexible enough to listen to counsel. By 1781 he’d become fixated with retaking New York, but when the chance to bag Cornwallis’ entire army at Yorktown in conjunction with the soon-to-arrive French Fleet arose, he wisely took his French counterpart Rochambeau’s advice and abandoned his plans to retake city and march his entire army south. The rest, as they say, is history.
<div id="attachment_651899" style="width: 815px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651899" class="wp-image-651899 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-805x576.jpg" alt="Old engraved illustration of Surrender of Charles Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown.mikroman6. Getty Images." width="805" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-805x576.jpg 805w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-300x215.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-768x550.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1273470668-2048x1466.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 805px) 100vw, 805px" />Old engraved illustration of Surrender of Charles Cornwallis to George Washington at Yorktown. mikroman6. Getty Images.</div>
Washington is known as the “father of the country” but he is also the father of the U.S. Military that arose out of the nascent Continental Army. Commanding men from all over the nation and bridging sectional/cultural divides as well as anyone from the Virginia planter elite could, that he simply managed to keep his unique army together for so long, through so much hell and turmoil and struggles and seemingly hopeless situations, is a feat beyond all but the greatest of men. His troops, in the end, fought for him as well as the cause. And he, in turn, fought not for himself, but for his country, one he’d hoped would be better for those men in the ranks than the one they’d left behind.
As is a common theme of this series, Washington led from the front, often dangerously so.
At the battle of Princeton in January 1777, Washington rallied his men by conspicuously riding his white charger down the lines between his own and the British. When the redcoats, just 30 yards away, leveled their muskets and fired a volley, one of the general’s aides confessed he averted his eyes to not see Washington fall. But his 6’2” commander, who would often confess that he was actually exhilarated by the whizzing of deadly bullets around him, remained astride his horse as he would for the entire long, bloody, and seemingly endless war, until the final triumph at Yorktown ensured American independence. Because he never gave up. And because of this one man more than any other storied figure of the American Revolution, a most improbable victory was won, and a new country was born.
Of all the remarkable feats of arms I have listed here, however, none of them are as impressive and as important as what Washington did after the guns fell silent. On 23 December, 1783, to the shock of rulers the world over, this man who had been given almost unlimited power during the war, and who with a loyal army of veteran troops behind him could have installed himself as King of America, resigned his commission and turned command of the Continental Army back over to the civilians in Congress.
<div id="attachment_651903" style="width: 791px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651903" class="wp-image-651903 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-781x576.jpg" alt="Vintage illustration depicts General George Washington leaving Whitehall Ferry on December 4, 1783, to the cheers and waves of his officers. Earlier that day, Washington left his fellow generals, Knox, Steuben, Greene, and then-Colonel Hamilton, at New York's famed Francis Tavern where he informed them that he will be resigning his commission and returning to civilian life. However, in 1789, Washington was coaxed out of retirement and elected as the first president of the United States, a position he held until 1797. Keith Lance. Getty Images." width="781" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-781x576.jpg 781w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-300x221.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-768x566.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-1536x1133.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1302883679-2048x1511.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px" />General George Washington leaving Whitehall Ferry on December 4, 1783, to the cheers and waves of his officers. Earlier that day, Washington left his fellow generals, Knox, Steuben, Greene, and then-Colonel Hamilton, at New York&#8217;s famed Francis Tavern where he informed them that he will be resigning his commission and returning to civilian life. Keith Lance. Getty Images.</div>
Washington, therefore, established the most important military tradition of all and a bedrock concept of the Republic adhered to by his successors ever since, that is the firm control of the civilian authorities over the military. Supposedly, King George III was incredulous when hearing from a portrait artist that Washington would resign his commission after the war, offering: “If he really does it he’ll be the greatest man in the world.”
He really did it. And he really was.
<div id="attachment_651907" style="width: 469px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651907" class="wp-image-651907 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-459x576.jpg" alt="Portrait of George Washington, first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797" width="459" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-459x576.jpg 459w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-239x300.jpg 239w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-768x964.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-1224x1536.jpg 1224w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-1632x2048.jpg 1632w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/4-GettyImages-1286214786-copy-scaled.jpg 2040w" sizes="(max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" />Portrait of George Washington, first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. mikroman6. Getty Images.</div>
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America’s Top 11 Generals
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-11-curtis-e-lemay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #11 Curtis E. LeMay</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-10-matthew-ridgway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #10 Matthew Ridgway</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-9-nathanael-greene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #9 Nathanael Greene</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-8-george-patton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #8 George Patton</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-7-robert-e-lee">RELATED: #7 Robert E. Lee</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-6-admiral-chester-nimitz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #6 Admiral Chester Nimitz</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-5-thomas-stonewall-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #5 Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-4-william-t-sherman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #4 William T. Sherman</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-3-ulysses-s-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #3 Ulysses S. Grant</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-2-douglas-macarthur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #2 Douglas MacArthur</a>
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Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, columnist, and author of two acclaimed novels. His newest book, the fact-based <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Pits-Rough-Tumble-Exchange/dp/B0CKPNCMQW/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1331509151681009&amp;hvadid=83219665089301&amp;hvbmt=bp&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=97755&amp;hvnetw=o&amp;hvqmt=p&amp;hvtargid=kwd-83219680392082%3Aloc-190&amp;hydadcr=18892_13467888&amp;keywords=brad+schaeffer&amp;qid=1698162015&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time as a Trader on the Rough-and-Tumble Exchange Floors</a> will be published in December and is currently available for pre-order. You can also find more of Brad’s articles on <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Digitally restored vector painting of General George Washington. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army against the British Empire and the first President of the United States.

America’s Top 11 Generals: #1 George Washington

America's Top 11 Generals: #1 George Washington

American General

Presidency

Revolutionary War

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

Over the years, the United States has produced many remarkable generals and admirals, but only a few have stood out as world-class strategists and leaders of troops. As Veterans Day approaches on November 11, let’s remember and celebrate them. Here is my list of America’s finest 11 commanders.
<h2>Nathanael Greene, 1742 &#8211; 1786 (Revolutionary War)</h2>
A Rhode Island foundry-owner by trade, Nathanael Greene was emblematic of the citizen-soldier. At age 33, he was the youngest general in the fledgling Continental Army; unlike his peers, the Quaker Greene had had no military experience prior to his arrival with his Rhode Islanders in the burgeoning Patriot camp outside Boston in 1775. His knowledge of military dicta came almost entirely from books. 
<div id="attachment_647043" style="width: 451px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647043" class="size-large wp-image-647043" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-441x576.jpg" alt="Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775. From an original by Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)" width="441" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-441x576.jpg 441w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1-768x1003.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985762-1.jpg 784w" sizes="(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px" />Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 &#8211; 1786) of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775. From an original by Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)</div>
Indeed, Greene had little formal education of any kind, given his Quaker father’s “prejudices against literary accomplishments.” So, he educated himself. Still, he would confess, “I lament the want of a liberal education. I feel the mist [of] ignorance to surround me.” But this was no impediment to the resourceful Greene. With his intuitive understanding of military matters and protocols, including the importance of discipline and drilling as well as proper hygiene in the field, something much overlooked in Washington’s army when it first formed, Greene’s troops stood out as among the most reliable and professional in the still rag-tag Continental Army. Washington identified Greene right away as “an object of confidence.” 
<div id="attachment_647047" style="width: 755px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647047" class="size-large wp-image-647047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-745x576.jpg" alt="Engraved scene depicting George Washington contemplating in from of a fireplace, watched by General Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1780. Engraved by H B Hall. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)" width="745" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-745x576.jpg 745w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-300x232.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779-768x594.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-537106779.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px" />Engraved scene depicting George Washington contemplating in front of a fireplace, watched by General Nathanael Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1780. Engraved by H B Hall. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)</div>
It was, therefore, the steadfast Greene whom Washington turned to both for counsel as well as holding the line at particularly difficult places. It was Greene’s stout fighters who held off British bayonets to cover the Continentals’ retreat from the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, preventing a withdrawal from degenerating into a rout. A selfless patriot, Greene also reluctantly served as Washington’s quartermaster, a role as vital to keeping any army in fighting condition as field drills. His capacity for organization and attending to detail he learned from business served the country well. There was little the enterprising and energetic Greene could not accomplish. Washington so respected the Rhode Islander that he made it known that should he fall, Greene was to take command of the Continental Army.
Greene’s true military talents blossomed when he took command of the southern detachment of the Continental Army during the campaign of 1780-1781. Sent by Washington to give teeth to the flagging southern cause (Charleston had been captured in May 1780 along with its 5,500 patriot defenders), the wily Greene led the aggressive British Lord Cornwallis, Banaster Tarleton and others on a wild chase through the Carolinas and southern Virginia. Defying military convention, Greene often split his forces to stay ahead of the pursuing British. When he did stand and fight, even if eventually ceding the field as at Guilford Courthouse in March 1781, Greene’s army nonetheless often inflicted higher casualties on the British, draining their strength and morale in pyrrhic victories. “We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again” was Greene’s mantra. 
<div id="attachment_647039" style="width: 761px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647039" class="size-large wp-image-647039" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-751x576.jpg" alt="Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army receives unexpected funds from innkeeper Elizabeth Maxwell Steele at her tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War, 2nd February 1781. Engraved by J. B. Hall after a painting by Alonzo Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)" width="751" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-751x576.jpg 751w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-300x230.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1-768x589.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-150985763-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 &#8211; 1786) of the Continental Army receives unexpected funds from innkeeper Elizabeth Maxwell Steele at her tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War, 2nd February 1781. Engraved by J. B. Hall after a painting by Alonzo Chappel. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)</div>
Understanding that he was fighting a hybrid conventional and guerilla campaign, Greene managed to integrate his Continentals with local militia to create a cohesive fighting force that kept Cornwallis off balance —giving local commanders like Lafayette and Dan Morgan much latitude while offering advice without direct interference — and eventually compelled the British general to remove his army to Yorktown, Virginia —where it met its ultimate destruction. By the time Greene’s operations in the South were completed, the British, who once held deep tracts of territory, had been reduced to a scattering of coastal toeholds. 
Says historian Russell Weigley of Greene’s campaign in the South: &#8220;Greene&#8217;s outstanding characteristic as a strategist was his ability to weave the maraudings of partisan raiders into a coherent pattern, coordinating them with the maneuvers of a field army otherwise too weak to accomplish much, and making the combination a deadly one&#8230;. [He] remains alone as an American master developing a strategy of unconventional war.”
After Yorktown, Greene struggled to finance the southern army under his command. By the war’s official end in 1783 he’d incurred heavy debts to personally pay for his men’s provisions and equipment. As with Washington, Greene resigned his commission and set about rebuilding his lost fortune. Debts prompted him to leave Newport and re-establish himself in Georgia on a plantation outside Savannah that had been granted him by a grateful government. The northern Greene succumbed to heat stroke and died at age 43.
Nathanael Greene was by no means infallible. He was the one most responsible for persuading Washington to try and hold the Hudson River Forts Washington and Lee, only to see the entire garrison, some 3,000 men who were invaluable to the rapidly dwindling Continental Army, surrender and be marched off into captivity. 
While lamenting the fate of his soldiers languishing in the sweltering holds of disease-ridden prison ships anchored in the Hudson, Washington agonized over the loss. 
Yet, Washington never lost confidence in his most talented subordinate whose fierce desire to close with the enemy belied his Quaker roots. Greene rewarded Washington’s continued trust in the subsequent years, becoming one of the United States’ great generals. Defense analyst Robert Killebrew calls Greene “The second-best American general of the Revolutionary War” behind Washington himself.
<div id="attachment_647037" style="width: 887px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647037" class="size-large wp-image-647037" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-877x576.jpg" alt="Cancelled Stamp From The United States Featuring George Washington And Nathanael Greene Along With Mount Vernon. Getty Images." width="877" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-877x576.jpg 877w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-300x197.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-768x504.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-1536x1009.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-175504967-2048x1345.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 877px) 100vw, 877px" />Cancelled Stamp From The United States Featuring George Washington And Nathanael Greene Along With Mount Vernon. Getty Images.</div>
Although Greene was known for his robust physique, a childhood accident left him with a stiff right leg and a limp. But that did not impede the indefatigable Greene. When a dancing partner once complained that he danced stiffly due to his old injury, Greene confidently replied: “Very true, but you see I dance strong.” It is hard for a man like that to not succeed. And fortunately for the Revolution, Greene turned out to be just the man Washington needed to help bring about victory and, just as important during some very desperate days, stave off defeat.
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<h4>America’s Top 11 Generals</h4>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-11-curtis-e-lemay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #11 Curtis E. LeMay</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-top-11-generals-10-matthew-ridgway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: #10 Matthew Ridgway</a>
* * *
Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, columnist, and author of two acclaimed novels. His newest book, the fact-based <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Pits-Rough-Tumble-Exchange/dp/B0CKPNCMQW/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1331509151681009&amp;hvadid=83219665089301&amp;hvbmt=bp&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=97755&amp;hvnetw=o&amp;hvqmt=p&amp;hvtargid=kwd-83219680392082%3Aloc-190&amp;hydadcr=18892_13467888&amp;keywords=brad+schaeffer&amp;qid=1698162015&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time as a Trader on the Rough-and-Tumble Exchange Floors</a> will be published in December and is currently available for pre-order. You can also find more of Brad&#8217;s articles on <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

natgreene12bcd copy

America’s Top 11 Generals: #9 Nathanael Greene

American Revolution

Readers Pass

Rhode Island

A committee of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York City</a> Council is set to vote Tuesday on a proposal that could result in monuments to figures like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/george-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Washington</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-columbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Columbus</a> being taken down. 
The proposal before the NYC Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations stipulates that public art that depicts someone who has a connection to slavery or “crimes against humanity” be taken down or have an “explanatory plaque” put up. 
“This bill would require the Public Design Commission (PDC) to publish a plan to remove works of art on City property that depict a person who owned enslaved persons or directly benefitted [sic] economically from slavery, or who participated in systemic crimes against indigenous peoples or other crimes against humanity. If PDC determines a work of art depicts a person who fits these criteria and decides not to remove the work of art, PDC would be required to include in the plan steps it will take to install an explanatory plaque next to the work of art,” the <a href="https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6252793&amp;GUID=8AE3AFA6-B96B-4AF2-AEBF-CF4870C824AE&amp;Options=&amp;Search=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> says. 
Republican officials said the proposal is an attempt to erase history and dishonor the individuals who created America. 
“This is little more than an attempt by the radical left to rewrite our nation’s history,” said Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola of Queens, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/09/18/nyc-council-advances-bid-that-could-yank-monuments-honoring-washington-jefferson-columbus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the New York Post. “These men all had an enormous impact on this country, and these statues commemorating their achievements have been in place for decades.&#8221;
“The radical left has been trying to reframe our nation as one born from evil, and it is time we put our foot down and say enough is enough,” she said. “The Founding Fathers and the others who worked so hard to establish this great country should be celebrated, not eliminated from memory.”
There are multiple statues of Washington, the nation’s first president and military commander during the war for independence throughout the city, including one in front of <a href="https://www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Hall</a>, which served as the home to the nation’s first Congress, executive branch offices, and Supreme Court. There are also monuments to Washington in <a href="https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/union-square-park/monuments/1676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Union Square Park</a> and a <a href="https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lafayette-square/monuments/1650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statue</a> of Washington and Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette who fought with the Americans during the American Revolution. 
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Columbus, attributed with first establishing a link between Europe and the Americas, also has several monuments throughout the city, including a prominent statue in Central Park. The explorer has been a major figure for the Italian-American community, which has held him up as a key tie between Italy and the U.S. 
Monuments to Dutch explorer and settler Peter Stuyvesant, Founding Father John Jay, and prominent early New York political figure and Erie Canal proponent DeWitt Clinton could also be on the chopping block.
New York City Officials have already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thomas-jefferson-statue-officially-booted-from-new-york-city-council-chamber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed a statue</a> of Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson from the city council chambers and a statue of President Teddy Roosevelt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/problematic-theodore-roosevelt-statue-to-be-removed-from-nycs-museum-of-natural-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from in front</a> of the city’s Natural History Museum.

The statue of Washington in Union Square Park, New York city

NYC To Consider A Proposal That Could Mean Taking Down Monuments To George Washington, Columbus

Christopher Columbus

monuments

New York City

At the Constitutional Convention, the specter of monarchy cast a long shadow over the discussion of the presidency.
The failures of the Articles of Confederation notwithstanding, everyone still remembered King George, and a unified executive power left a foul taste in many mouths. Reasonable voices could point out that while a body of disparate interests might fight amongst itself, a unified power is in an ideal position to grasp even more power — a president can act quickly and decisively during a crisis, and then refuse to relinquish those powers once the emergency had passed.
However, a strong executive could also do things, which deliberative bodies tend to struggle with. Some situations, like an invasion or rebellion, required quick and decisive action.
Cognizant of history, a <a href="https://csac.history.wisc.edu/document-collections/constitutional-debates/executive-branch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handful of delegates</a> tried to square this circle by following the example of the Roman Republic — like America, Rome had thrown off tyrannical kings and loathed monarchy ever since, but unlike America, Rome had extremely powerful magistrates — the consuls — who held the power of life and death over their citizens and were immune from legal prosecution while in office. However — there were TWO consuls, and each had unlimited veto power over the activities of the other.
This has some advantages: the executive can act quickly and decisively when necessary, but if one consul gets power hungry the other consul could check him.
However, the plural executive solution comes with its own suite of problems. What happens when the two consuls disagree? Well, mutually assured vetoes mean nothing happens, in which case we&#8217;re right back where we started.
Worse, when a consular army was deployed in the field, with command alternating between the two, the results proved disastrous.
Take the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Cannae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Battle of Cannae</a> in 216 BC when the Carthaginian Hannibal played the two consuls against one another. One consul was reticent, suspicious that Hannibal was leading them into a trap, while the other was aggressive, eager for battle and glory.
Hannibal wisely made the simple move of holding a strong position while the cautious consul was in charge and then baiting the other Consul into a trap while the commander who was wise to his shenanigans couldn’t do anything about it — killing one-fifth of Rome’s fighting aged men in the process.
Anachronistically observing that a house divided against itself cannot stand, the framers tabled the “plural executive” almost immediately.
Of course, the Romans had a different office they could fall back on in extreme emergencies, where the Senate could appoint one man whose word was law — a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-dictator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dictator</a> — but if you’ve ever heard the name Julius Caesar you know exactly where that story goes.
Terrified that their Frankenstein creation might turn into a dictator despite their best efforts, the Convention quibbled over the specifics — should the president be selected by the states, or Congress, or popular election? Should he be elected for life contingent on good behavior, or should he only be eligible to serve one limited term?
Ultimately, the convention took a cue from the Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu and decided that the executive and legislative branches should be <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_powers_0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">separated</a>, and, alongside the judiciary, their powers could be turned against one another to check ambition with ambition.
Congress would have no role in selecting the president but would have the power to confirm or deny the appointment of his most important underlings, and his desired judges. Impeachment was left on the table as an “in case of tyranny, break glass” safeguard, with a further safeguard of a two-thirds threshold for conviction in the Senate so the House couldn’t get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-controlled-house-votes-to-impeach-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impeachment-happy for political purposes</a>.
The president could veto legislation, but Congress could override that veto. The president commanded the military, but only Congress could declare war. And the smorgasbord electoral college gave the people and states the power to reward or replace the chief executive quite regularly.
All this wasn’t enough to satisfy the detractors, and according to the anti-federalists the power of the presidency was one of the major deficits of the Constitution, but supporters would point out that George Washington would inevitably be the first proper president and that his administration would set the standard for all his successors. Washington had already walked away from absolute power after relinquishing his command at the end of the Revolutionary War, and is perhaps unique in American history for the unique admiration and trust Americans of all political backgrounds had for him — if anyone could paper over ambiguities or deficiencies in the office, it would be him.
Washington would set the tone for the presidency in many ways. He supported the adoption of a Bill of Rights which would further limit the federal government’s powers. In an age of regal titles, instead of “his highness” or “his majesty,” he settled on the simple honorific of “Mr. President.” He treated his veto power not as a stamp of approval but as a tool of constitutional review — he would veto only two bills on the grounds that he thought they were unconstitutional.
Crucially, after being unanimously elected and widely popular, he stepped away from power after two terms, setting a precedent that would be voluntarily observed by his successors, a precedent that the office was greater than any one man — until the Roosevelts came along and ruined that.
Unfortunately, America would peak early and hard. John Adams, our second president, would overreach his authority by pushing through the Alien and Sedition Acts, which led to the jailing of some critics of his administration — although he did admirably set the precedent for a peaceful transition of power. Jefferson, who famously said that “government is best that governs least” admittedly “stretched” his own powers to secure the Louisiana Purchase.
The power of each subsequent president would ebb and flow, but the trend line was clear almost immediately: Over time the president would wield ever greater influence.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-american-presidency-part-1-humble-beginnings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: A Brief History Of The American Presidency, Part 1: Humble Beginnings</a>

A Brief History Of The American Presidency, Part 2: ‘In Case Of Tyranny, Break Glass’

Bill of Rights

Congress

The President, more than any other figure, has become emblematic of the American experiment. From humble beginnings, the office has become synonymous with august power itself.
The Commander-in-Chief of the greatest military force in human history. The ‘Leader of the Free World’ and America’s representative on the world stage. The de facto leader of whatever party he belongs to. The Chief Executive of the largest employer in the country, who can mold and bend countless federal policies with a stroke of his pen.
Their faces dominate our currency, their figures tower over our most famous national monuments. They loom large in our imagination — they dominate casual discussions of our politics. The average American <a href="https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/political-communication/civics-knowledge-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may not be able to name the three branches of government</a>, but even the most politically illiterate citizen can usually name the sitting president.
But for all that pomp and circumstance, I’d wager that almost no one would be able to tell me the name of America’s first president.
Don’t believe me? Well, if you say it’s George Washington, you are mistaken.
The United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776, yet Washington did not take office until April 30, 1789. The Continental Congress that would declare independence was formed on September 5th, 1774.
Washington would serve as America’s first Commander-in-Chief for the duration of the Revolutionary War, but during those formative years <a href="https://history.house.gov/People/Continental-Congress/Presidents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14 men</a> would preside over the fledgling government as it stumbled, fled, and failed to supply Washington and his army, leaving the nation’s soldiers frozen and half-starved at Valley Forge. Yet, for all its dysfunction, this was the government that would best the British, win the critical favor of the French and Dutch, and emerge victorious over the greatest empire the world had ever seen.
So, on this Presidents&#8217; Day, I would like to take a moment to salute the valiant efforts of the forgotten Presidents, whose existence has largely been confined to the realm of trivia.
Peyton Randolph, Henry Middleton, John Hancock, Henry Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKeen, John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Richard Henry Lee, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair and Cyrus Griffin.
Why, then, have the memories of these men been confined to the pedantic ramblings of overeducated columnists?
Well, the President of the Continental Congress was not anything like the modern office of the President.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the President was not the head of a separate branch of government — he was selected by the Congress from among the Congress, and his role was largely ceremonial. He presided over the Congress, and moderated debate, and seldom served for more than a year at a time. He did not set the agenda, he had no control over committees assignments, and he certainly was not given control of the troops.
The members of the founding generation were extremely skeptical of strong executive authority — after all, weren’t they rebelling against a corrupt and tyrannical king, and a system that concentrated far too much power in the hands of a single man? These were people who deeply feared the dangers posed to liberty by the <a href="https://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24671">mere existence</a> of a standing army, the last thing they were going to do was vest the entire federal bureaucracy in one person.
The Articles, to be fair, didn’t have many powers to vest. It had no power to tax, and relied on the voluntary contributions of its member states. It had virtually no power to regulate the internal affairs of the states, no power to regulate commerce between them, no power to amend its basic bylaws without the unanimous consent of all states. It could raise armies would sometimes finance, take on debt which the states may deign to repay, and negotiate treaties with any foreign government that would take them seriously. Barring some existential crisis, the first federal government couldn’t do much of anything.
The Presidency was a do nothing job in a do nothing organization.
And in fairness, for a while it sort of worked. But, as the fledgling republic came of age in a time of peace, the wartime pressures that had held to ramshackle structure together faded away and the hollow edifice threatened to crumble. America couldn’t pay back its debts, America couldn’t provide benefits to its former troops, America couldn’t prevent legal disputes between rival states.
 Economic dislocation and open rebellion threatened to bring the whole thing down.
So, in the summer of 1787, the beleaguered Continental Congress authorized a Constitutional Convention to iron out some reforms and see if the Articles of Confederation could be salvaged.
The Convention was a mess. One state, Rhode Island, refused to send any delegates at all. About a third of the delegates who were appointed didn’t show up. The 55 men who did show up, however, were among the most highly educated, politically seasoned, materially successful men in the country: most of them had served in Congress, several had been state governors, and many had been in government since the Revolutionary days.
Described by their contemporary, Thomas Jefferson, as a ‘Council of Demigods’, these titans of law, commerce, finance and industry crowded together in a small assembly hall in Philadelphia, with the windows closed so that eavesdroppers couldn’t listen, and over the course of an <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/hot-hot-hot-summer-1787-101008791.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMWEt9VGTANmrFJbvQwQbpicQblq43Cc2TR4Dl2-t5GsM6f8Ar3QStzhWGS5rz_xpEBuhy8r9mDdPx8K2PWdVjbbQ6NtA6mr7dJnerlufqqIbiuWDMhcJCNyPnv8dXWYwBXmYpWvs-hTAf_n07fqKf4fo-Hwr4R-oIw_-3uQlR5u" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agonizing hot and muggy summer</a> with no air conditioning, tried to see if they could salvage this thing.
Tensions were high. One of the first conclusions drawn by the convention was that the Articles were broken beyond salvation and the only way forward was to start over from scratch. To be clear, these men who had spent years of their blood, sweat and tears to create this nation looked at the first draft of the American Republic and said ‘we can keep the name.’
There were many controversial issues debated at the convention — the structure of Congress, the balance of power between the federal government and the states, and that ever fatal issue of slavery. 
But the nature of the executive, and what would become the Presidency, was among the most loaded issues of all.

Statue of George Washington Stands by Columns

A Brief History Of The American Presidency, Part 1: Humble Beginnings

Federal Government

Founding Fathers

Hollywood often <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/christians-used-to-have-a-seat-at-the-table-director-of-american-underdog-on-christian-comeback-in-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">avoids the spiritual themes</a> which have defined the country since its inception.
The 2005 biopic “Walk the Line” downplayed singer Johnny Cash’s deep, abiding faith, leaving longtime fans flustered. The 2014 drama “Unbroken,” directed by Angelina Jolie, did the same to its subject. Jolie honored the remarkable story of Louis Zamperini, the World War II prisoner who overcame insurmountable odds, but neglected to include the faith journey found in Laura Hillenbrand&#8217;s bestselling book by the same name.
The team behind “<a href="https://watch.salemnow.com/series/lK3lF10cUf4r-washingtons-armor?channel=new-releases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington’s Armor</a>,” however, refused to whitewash George Washington’s belief in a higher power.
The new film, showing at SalemNOW, is set 20 years before the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/human-remains-artifacts-found-at-revolutionary-war-battlefield-site-in-new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Revolutionary War</a> and is based on the book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-George-Washington-David-Barton/dp/1932225005/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=1932225005&amp;psc=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Bullet Proof George Washington</a>” by historian David Barton.
A young Washington (Willie Mellina) as both English and French forces battle over land soon to be part of the grand American experiment.
“History needs to be told and preserved,” says “Washington’s Armor” director Tammy Lane in a statement. ”[George Washington] wasn’t perfect, but he was a man of faith who persevered during difficult circumstances. Those around him knew there was something different about him, but Washington knew it was God who kept him protected. He lived out his faith in a remarkable way.”
Salem Media Group CEO David Santrella tells The Daily Wire the movie’s faith focus made it a snug fit for his young streaming platform.
“We don&#8217;t want to ignore important spiritual elements of a person&#8217;s life like some studios do-especially when it&#8217;s so important to the overall story of that person and what motivated them,” says Santrella.
The film explores Washington’s love of country and faith, as well as a humility which set the foundation for a nation that could have embraced royal-like leadership.
Washington is hardly an unfamiliar figure to most Americans. The new film touches on the sense that the country’s first president had a “God-given destiny,” Santrella says, a part of his legacy most mainstream movie studios likely wouldn’t touch.
<a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/religion/8-facts-about-george-washington-and-religion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington visited churches during the Revolutionary War,</a> attending places of worship whenever possible during his travels. He later declared that he would not have signed the Constitution had it not embraced religious freedom.
Tinsel Town often uses history to preach about the present. It might be the talent behind a fact-based story blasting current GOP leaders or projects like David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” which suggests a new wave of fascism is cresting over America’s shores.
“Washington’s Armor,” according to Santrella, sticks to the historical facts. That doesn’t mean the nation’s first president doesn’t offer lessons we all could absorb.
“As Christians we believe in some sense that all of our leaders — the good and the bad ones — are all chosen by God. Sometimes he gives us good leaders that we don&#8217;t deserve and sometimes he gives us bad ones that we do,” says Santrella. “So in one sense God is always guiding human affairs, but George Washington had a civility that we can all learn from today.
Like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/browse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire+</a>, SalemNOW is just one of several newer platforms to offer faith-friendly, woke-free content for consumers exhausted by mainstream Hollywood messaging. Santrella’s platform offers films, videos and exclusive content, like Salem radio star Dennis Prager’s series on Rosh Hashanah services.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/browse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire+</a> offers exclusive content like original movies, groundbreaking documentaries, podcasts from leading personalities like Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Andrew Klavan, Michael Knowles, and leading public intellectual Dr. Jordan Peterson.
Santrella says major platforms are opening up opportunities for newer platforms to draw a bigger crowd. Big tech censorship, and platforms that ignore Red State denizens, only help his platform.
“If Netflix and Amazon continue down the paths they&#8217;re on, of censoring content and limiting points of view, we&#8217;ll have an abundance of riches,” he says. “In the mean time we&#8217;re enjoying their censorship and benefiting from it.”
<a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/04/08/denied_equal_opportunity_in_the_market_conservative_filmmakers_are_starting_to_fight_back_771685.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon temporarily blocked “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words”</a> in 2021. The platform also declared “<a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/04/08/denied_equal_opportunity_in_the_market_conservative_filmmakers_are_starting_to_fight_back_771685.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Killed Michael Brown</a>,” a documentary featuring black conservatives like author Shelby Steele, unfit for the platform before backpedaling.
Platforms like SalemNOW still have an uphill battle competing against entrenched studios with gargantuan budgets.
Santrella isn’t afraid.
“We like where we are,” says Santrella, who promises a blend of original content and aggregating existing video on the platform heading into 2023. “We&#8217;re nimble and can respond quickly to events and content … the more they ignore their fans and the heartland, the more they create openings for us.&#8221; 

Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/04/08/denied_equal_opportunity_in_the_market_conservative_filmmakers_are_starting_to_fight_back_771685.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/04/08/denied_equal_opportunity_in_the_market_conservative_filmmakers_are_starting_to_fight_back_771685.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Washington Crossing Delaware

‘Washington’s Armor’: New Biopic Explores The Faith Of A Young George Washington

Movies

University Archives is slated to auction off dozens of letters, documents, and other artifacts related to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/american-history">history</a> of the United States in a massive auction next week.
The organization will hold its largest auction ever online on August 17, with 537 lots featuring artifacts from as far back as the first days of the American republic up for grabs, according to a <a href="https://www.universityarchives.com/blogs/news/university-archives-is-excited-to-announce-the-launch-of-its-late-summer-sale-rare-autographs-manuscripts-books">press release</a>.
From the early American collection, the organization is selling a promissory note from Benedict Arnold, a Revolutionary War general who infamously defected to the British. The receipt recorded a transaction that included building supplies, boards, and “parcell staves,” and was most likely penned in New Haven, Connecticut. University Archives will also sell an “enormous pay receipt” signed by Daniel Boone, a frontiersman and folk hero who served in the Virginia General Assembly from 1781 to 1791.
Earlier this month, a team of more than 100 volunteers from the Gloucester County Archeological Society and nearby Rowan University <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/human-remains-artifacts-found-at-revolutionary-war-battlefield-site-in-new-jersey">discovered</a> what appeared to be a mass grave of Revolutionary War soldiers at Red Bank Battlefield in New Jersey. The remains appeared to come from Hessian soldiers, who were German mercenaries hired by the British to battle the Continental Army. “This find is a remarkable discovery because a mass grave was a rarity on battlefields during the American Revolution,” South River Heritage Consulting principal archaeologist and dig site supervisor Wade Catts told reporters.
At its auction, University Archives will also sell a letter written by Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America, to Confederate John Taylor Wood, during the former’s exile in Canada after the Civil War. Davis discussed the plight of African Americans in the Deep South.
“The negroes have to a great extent become vagrant and the common complaint was that neither crop or stock could be protected from their thieving,” the letter reads. “The poor creatures are however much to be pitied for their destitution and we who knew their utter inability to govern themselves may well question whether they or those who forced them into their present condition are most responsible for the crimes they commit.”
Among other artifacts up for sale include a document in which President George Washington appointed Irish immigrant Thomas Lowry to serve as the first United States Marshal of New Jersey; a personal check from the early political career of President John F. Kennedy; a receipt signed by Benjamin Franklin on behalf of the Pennsylvania Gazette; a signed first-edition copy of The Babe Ruth Story; and checks signed by Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio.
In another auction to be held in October and November by Holabird Western Americana Collections of Reno, Nevada, artifacts from the wreck of the S.S. Central America — which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gold-pistols-and-gold-rush-pants-heres-what-you-can-buy-from-a-pre-civil-war-shipwreck">sank</a> during a hurricane off the coast of North Carolina in 1857 — will go under the hammer. Among the items are jewelry made from gold discovered during the California gold rush, gold miner pants, photographs, bottles, and pistols.
“These incredible artifacts that were in secure storage in three different states are now giving us a glimpse of Gold Rush-era daily life for passengers and crew in the 1850s,” remarked Dwight Manley, of the California Gold Marketing Group of Brea, the organization that owns the objects.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a Holabird Western Americana Collections auction had already taken place. The auction will occur later this year.

Let Us Have Peace by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Here Are The American History Artifacts Up For Sale In A Massive Auction Next Week

Hundreds Of American History Artifacts Up For Sale Next Week

United States

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-washington-is-the-greatest-president-of-all-time-and-we-need-him-now-more-than-ever">George Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/thomas-jefferson">Thomas Jefferson</a>, Joe Biden: Which president is not like the others? Not a joke, as the latter might say.
According to far-left online magazine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/salon">Salon</a>, they’re all similar. In an article whose headline assured readers it was not a joke, writer Matthew Rozsa said Biden, like the founding fathers, is a “visionary” whose greatness is missed by his peers.
&#8220;From the start of his administration, he has pushed for an ambitious economic program: expanded access to health care, major investments in job creation, financial assistance to parents, accelerated development of green energy and other steps to address climate change,&#8221; Rozsa wrote. &#8220;To this point, the political fates have cursed Joe Biden with the same bad luck that afflicted Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and other founding fathers at their most ambitious but least effective — but without granting him anything close to their storied accomplishments or historical legacy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As a historian, I can find no similarities among Jefferson, Washington and Biden. This is pure fiction on the part of the Salon reporter. Biden has no leadership skills and has been in government service for 47 years with no progress for the people but enriched himself.
&mdash; Jimmy Williams (@JimmyW_CFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyW_CFP/status/1543746911324225537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The headline of the article, &#8220;How Joe Biden is like America&#8217;s Founding Fathers &#8211; and no, I&#8217;m not kidding,&#8221; seems to anticipate some skepticism from readers. Many conservatives consider Biden, whose approval rating is below 40%, to be at least the worst American president since Jimmy Carter, and possibly of all time.
Rozsa got clobbered on Twitter for the comparison.
“I’m getting nauseous!” <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeffkirsh1/status/1543775728185081857?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">wrote Jeff Kirsh</a>. “It’s July 4th and you’re putting Biden in the same sentence with Washington &amp; Jefferson!”
“Washington and Jefferson were great leaders,” <a href="https://twitter.com/gpettisusa/status/1543754831235620866?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">tweeted Gary Pettis</a>. “Can you deny that? History will remember Joe Biden to be a weak leader who handled self-created crises ineptly. He&#8217;s like Carter, which proves that Progressive Democrats talk a good game to the middle class but they can&#8217;t govern.”
Rozsa charitably admits that without the founding fathers, “the United States would not exist today,” and acknowledges that Jefferson was a “complicated genius.” But just like Biden, he writes, Jefferson had many progressive ideas that got shot down by small-minded contemporaries.
&#8220;Jefferson&#8217;s inability to realize his economic vision doesn&#8217;t detract from his overall legacy, but it certainly offers some perspective on how even revered statesmen can have important ideas that go nowhere,&#8221; Rozsa writes.
One Twitter user said Rozsa should spend more time reading and less writing.
“Far left Salon writer should read the Federalist Papers before making a fool of himself saying Biden comparable to Jefferson &amp; Washington,” <a href="https://twitter.com/JackBones10/status/1543763892551053312?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">wrote Jack Bones</a>.
A <a href="https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2021/?page=overall">2021 survey of historians by C-Span</a> rated Washington as the second-greatest U.S. president, behind only Abraham Lincoln. It ranked Jefferson seventh. Biden was not included in the survey.

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