Conclusion
|
B |
etween
two and three in the morning, December 13, 1799, George Washington woke his
wife, complaining of severe pains. Martha Washington called for an overseer,
who inserted a lancet in the former president's arm and drew blood. Over the
course of that day and the next, doctors arrived and attempted to ease General
Washington's pain by applying blisters, administering purges, and additional
bloodletting‑‑altogether removing perhaps four pints of
Washington's blood. Medical historians generally agree that Washington needed a
tracheotomy (a surgical operation into the air passages), but this was too new
a technique to be risked on the former president, who died on December 14.
During
the early weeks of 1800, every city in the United States commemorated the death
of the former leader. In Philadelphia, an empty coffin, a riderless horse, and
a funeral cortege moved through the city streets. In Boston, business was
suspended, cannons roared, bells pealed, and 6000 people‑‑a fifth
of the city's population‑‑stood in the streets to express their
last respects for the fallen general. In Washington, Richard Henry Lee
delivered the most famous eulogy. He proclaimed that Washington was "First in war, first in peace, and
first in the hearts of his countrymen."
In
1789, it was an open question whether the Constitution was a workable plan of
government. For a decade, faced bitter party conflict, threats of secession,
and foreign interference with American shipping and commerce.
By
any standard, the new nation's achievements were impressive. During the first
decade under the Constitution, the country adopted a bill of rights, protecting
the rights of the individual against the power of the central and state
governments; enacted a financial program that secured the government's credit
and stimulated the economy; and created the first political parties that
directly involved the enfranchised segment of the population in national
politics. In the face of intense partisan conflict, the United States became
the first nation to peacefully transfer political power from one party to
another as a result of an election. A nation, strong and viable, had emerged
from its baptism by fire.