Travels with George, Talk by Nathaniel Philbrick
On March 26, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., multiple cultural organizations based in Uxbridge, MA collaborated to host award winning author Nathaniel Philbrick as he talked about his latest book Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy. The talk was hosted at Community House of the First Evangelical Congregational Church, near the Town Common and across the street from Unitarian Church, now the home to the Uxbridge Historical Society (UHS). The Uxbridge Free Public Library, also located by the Common, assisted with registration, while the Samuel Slater Experience, a museum in nearby Webster, MA, had a booth at the event. Vice President of the UHS, Jim Beauchamp, read opening remarks, also acknowledging his wife, Mary Beauchamp, as the Chairperson of the Uxbridge Historical Commission. This event was truly a community effort with an impressive turnout to match.
Philbrick began his talk by recalling on a phrase used by American politician Tip O’Neill (D-MA), who said “All politics is local”, and altered the phrase to say, “All history is local.” When writing Travels with George, Philbrick visit over a hundred towns throughout the Eastern Seaboard. A emailed and called as many libraries and historical societies as possible, then traveled to towns to receive tours from local historians. Washington’s method of travel was vastly different. In 1789, he passed through Uxbridge on his way back to New York City, the temporary capital of the United States. (As evidenced by the below tweets, I had first read about Washington’s travels to Uxbridge back in 2016.)
|
|
Washington stayed at Taft Tavern in Uxbridge only after the proprietor denied him lodging at Ammidon Tavern in Milford and again at Solomon Wood Tavern in Uxbridge. When he finally ended up at Taft Tavern, he noted in his diary that while “people were obliging… the entertainment was not very inviting”. He was kind enough to send a letter to the family with pieces of chintz for each of the tavern keepers two daughters, Patty and Polly, along with an extra five guineas for Patty. The family kept the bed where George Washington slept, and the historical society has it in their collections, a fact that greatly excited Philbrick. While this exchange entertained the audience in Uxbridge, Philbrick explained he could not include this episode in the book due to limitations in length. He aimed to create a narrative story and not overwhelm the general audience reader with comprehensive details.
Philbrick’s research took him to another prominent part of the Blackstone River Valley, John Brown House of Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS). Philbrick reminded the audience that this was not the John Brown who raided Harper’s Ferry—in fact, this John Brown was a slave owner—but a member of the wealthy Brown family of Providence, RI who founded Brown University. (In contrast, Brown’s brother Moses Brown became an abolitionist, converted to Quakerism, founded a co-ed school, and funded the building of Old Slater Mill.) At the time of Washington’s visit, Brown had commissioned the construction of a ship named after the general. He took Washington down to the harbor via chariot to see the ship, and the chariot is currently on display in the house.
Philbrick explained the political situation during Washington’s presidency so audience members could better understand the president’s reason for traveling throughout the country while Congress was on recess. The Constitution had divided the states, as the document supported a strong, central, federal government, which the North preferred except for Rhode Island. In contrast, the former Articles of Confederation had given more power to the states, which the South preferred. At the time of Washington’s inauguration on April 30, 1789, North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution and needed to be convinced.
Washington had a specific method of rallying townspeople during his tours through the young United States. He dressed up in his military uniform and road a white horse down the main street of the town. People immediately noticed his size at six feet and four inches tall with large hands. (According to Princeton professor James Trussel in an article for the New York Times, the average height of American soldiers in the 1790s was about five feet and eight inches tall, while British soldiers stood five feet and five inches tall.) Many towns have legends of Washington standing under a towering elm to praise the beauty of the area. However, the trees involved in these stories would have been saplings in 1789, and Washington traveled in October and November, much too cold to be standing in the shade. A common entry in his diary described the local taverns as “Beds terrible. Food worse.” Despite these conditions, Washington managed to visit about sixty towns throughout New England during his trip.
Philbrick took inspiration not only from Washington but also from John Steinbeck, author of the travelogue Travels with Charley, along with many other fiction titles. In 1960, Steinbeck journeyed across the West with his poodle, Charlie, despite his failing health. Years later, in May of 1992, Philbrick and his wife Melissa met Elaine Anderson Steinbeck, widow of the author, at a conference called Steinbeck and the Environment held in Nantucket. Philbrick had written a paper for the conference and found himself seated on one side of Mrs. Steinbeck, with his wife on the opposite side. Mrs. Steinbeck explained that she had come to Nantucket in 1951 during the 100th anniversary of the publication of Moby Dick by Herman Melville at the same time Mr. Steinbeck was writing East of Eden. The Philbricks were inspired to travel with their own dog, Dora, who greeted fans after the presentation.
The talk changed directions as Philbrick described the complicated and evolving views of Washington on political issues, especially slavery. Like many Founding Fathers, Washington was a wealthy slave owner, having inherited a plantation upon the death his father when he was eleven years old. His views on slavery changed throughout his life and were influenced by the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who served as a military officer during the American Revolutionary War and became like a son to Washington. Lafayette was an abolitionist quoted by a contemporary as saying, “I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America, if I could have conceived that thereby I was founding a land of slavery.” Lafayette repeatedly encouraged Washington to free his enslaved workers, which he did upon his death. During the brief Q&A, Philbrick further explained Washington’s relationship to the enslaved people that he owned. In his will, Washington gave an annual allowance to William “Billy” Lee, an enslaved man who served as a valet to Washington became disabled after experiencing accidents that severely damaged his knees. Contemporary accounts describe members of the free Black community assisting in the cleanup of Washington’s gravesite, a sign that they respected him.
Plantations like Washington’s were found throughout the South, and Washington visited many during his travels. Hampton Plantation, now a state historical site located an hour northeast of Charleston, SC, underwent extensive renovation before the visit from the President. The property owners had previously built a porch facing the river but reoriented the entrance to face the road. No one could use on the newly painted porch until Washington arrived. The owner had planned to cut down a live oak near the house, but Washington asked that they keep it, and the enormous tree grows beside the plantation to this day.
Despite Washington’s efforts to unite the young country, differing political opinions kept the states deeply divided. He was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City, now a National Memorial in the National Park Service. While Washington had a cabinet along with other political advisors, they were not all helpful. Benjamin Franklin, who had a drastically different personality to Washington but served as a friend and political ally, died during Washington’s first term in office. Members of the cabinet like Alexander Hamilton aided the Federalists in creating better policies to strengthen the government, but Anti-Federalists like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr collaborated to create deeper division. Philbrick explained that Washington did not have extreme political opinions. Although he supported a federal government, he did not “need to be right all the time”. Despite his work to make the office of President into a legitimate position, he died bitter about the future of the United States.
During the Q&A, Philbrick discussed the daily regimen of Washington. While traveling, Washington woke up at 4:00 a.m. and traveled seven miles before eat breakfast. He regularly spoke before huge crowds and endured many “rubber chicken” dinners. While at Mount Vernon, Washington woke at dawn, wrote letters for three hours, rode the grounds of his plantation for six hours, and ate dinner at 3:00 p.m. The presidency proved nearly fatal for Washington. He endured thigh surgery, then almost died of influenza. Instead of an active lifestyle, he spent all day at his desk, feeling obligated to establish the role of the President.
This personalized and engaging talk offered a new perspective on one of the most studied figures in the United States. The history buffs of Uxbridge and nearby communities greatly enjoyed the presentation and look forward to reading the book if they have not already! I look forward to seeing further events hosted by these local historical organizations.