America's Forgotten Revolution of 1789 - And Its Meaning for Atlantica Now
Abstract
Much as the names London and Paris, in news dispatches are taken to mean Britain and France, the name of our capital often means to the world our government and people. This was true even before this city and this government existed or we formed one people. They all resulted from the Federal Union whose advent we commemorate today and George Washington's leadership was decisive in this achievement. But even before this vast creation, his virtues had made his name renowned through the civilized world, a symbol of the free principles the 13 States had declared in l776, the most potent yeast that freedom then possessed with which to transform a world far more sodden with oppression than is ours today. Today, the name Washington stands for the world's strongest power. But does this name now have the revolutionary fermenting force for our ideals it had when its power came from moral virtues, rather than from missiles and money? In his Farewell Address, Washington asked: "Can it be that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a people with its virtue?" To assure to Washington now the power for freedom and union it had when that name stood also for a living man, must we not have the virtue to remember the great creators and creative acts that gave us our present material power?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- ADB241059
Entities
People
- Clarence K. Streit
Organizations
- Center for Strategic and International Studies