So you think you know George Washington? Godfather of Liberty, brave soldier who loved the American people, American hero. Or a political idealist who would have hated the current state of America? As with any historical actor, the truth has become irrevocably linked to a mythological history designed to further political agendas. Just like the other Founding Fathers a few uncomfortable truths have been forgotten; Thomas Jefferson famously kept slaves and made extremely racist comments, yet he is seen as a figure Americans should somewhat emulate. Here are 10 Things which might very well blow your mind in contrast to the standard mythological perception of a man who undoubtedly played a key role in the birth of America.
10. He Hated Party Politics
Given the dire state of political deadlock with which America currently finds itself trapped in, it is worth remembering that Washington believed: "However may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." Democratic and Republican propaganda both attempt to claim Washington as a figure of their own, yet the selective quotation and even more selective memory of Washington shows the extent to which he exists as an image, not as a true historical figure.