Backstabber Report

George Washington – Backstabber To The British

“History is written by the winners.” ~ George Orwell

“History is the polemics of the victors.” – Wm. F Buckley, Jr.

FBI Definition of Terrorism
The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

I know, I know!

It’s sacrilege to call George Washington, “Father of Our Country,” Patriot, 1st President of The United States, and most adored historic figure in the United States a backstabber, but as the quotes above indicate, history books are written by those who hang others’ heroes and a terrorist is determined by the ruling power.

To the British, George Washington is arguably, “Patriot or Traitor.”

By the FBI’s own definition, shown above, he would be considered far worse than a backstabber or traitor to His Majesty, if he led a Continental Army today.

Imagine, if you can, that George Washington was captured after the Battle of Long Island. The American Revolution of 1776 would have collapsed within days. Washington have been hung as a traitor (along with every signer of the Declaration of Independence) and his name would be mentioned in our still British history alongside Guy Fawkes.

George Washington was a citizen of the British Empire and a subject of King George III to whom all the colonists owed their allegiance. By many accounts, the revolution against The King was sparked more by taxation concerns of the rich land owners and successful businessmen, most all being members of various Masonic Orders (that contributed to their unity), than by the resulting great parchments and government that followed their decision to seek independence.

These men, being quite literate and well spoken were the driving force behind the taking up of arms against the King, rather than by a dissatisfied populace of colonial citizens who wanted independence. The colonists were quite divided in their loyalties with many documented cases of residents attacking each other in their own communities, as they took sides in the conflict.

Also, it wasn’t only the British who were vicious looters and pillagers depicted in many American films. At the direction of Washington, Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton conducted a scorched earth campaign against Loyalists (“Tories”) and the four nations of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War. The devastation resulting from that campaign created great hardships for the thousands of Iroquois refugees that winter, and thousands starved or froze to death. The survivors fled to British regions in Canada, or the Niagara Falls and Buffalo areas.

This makes George Washington no less the brilliant man and great leader. His accomplishments in keeping a poorly fed and supplied army intact, successfully winning the Revolutionary War against a far superior force, holding together a precarious union of independent states as  it’s 1st U.S. President, and all that followed afterward is not in doubt.

Politics and personal need however, allows none of us to be perfect. George Washington performed a couple more backstabbing incidents that isn’t found in school textbooks.

Benedict Arnold may have been driven to his decision to join the British when Washington gave him a bad review of his performance after he indicated to Arnold it would not be written, thus ending the career of the most successful commander against the British. Many believe Washington succumbed to political pressure, offering Arnold up as a sacrificial lamb in order to appease many in the Continental Congress who had a personal dislike for Arnold.

During Washington’s presidency the Federal government was located in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania had begun an abolition of slavery in 1780, and prohibited nonresidents from holding slaves in the state longer than six months. If held beyond that period, the state’s Gradual Abolition Act gave those slaves the power to free themselves. Washington argued (privately) that his presence in Pennsylvania was solely a consequence of Philadelphia’s being the temporary seat of the federal government, and that the state law should not apply to him. On the advice of his attorney general, Edmund Randolph, he systematically rotated the President’s house slaves in and out of the state to prevent their establishing a six-month continuous residency. This rotation was itself a violation of the Pennsylvania law, but the President’s actions were not challenged. Call it what you may, he backstabbed his slaves and the law at the time.

In George Washington’s defense, Washington was the only prominent, slave holding Founding Father who emancipated his slaves. He did not free his slaves in his lifetime, however, but included a provision in his will to free his slaves upon the death of his wife.