Acceptance and Rejection of the Public Will & Joe Versus the Volcano
Courage. Courage interests me.
Joe Versus the Volcano
Remember that movie with Tom Hanks Joe Versus the Volcano? I love that movie.
The protagonist, Joe, is a former firefighter known for his heroism. After quitting the fire department for health reasons, he devolves into a depressed hypochondriac. A strange series of events finds him on a sailboat headed for the South Pacific with a beautiful woman, Patricia, played by Meg Ryan. One evening the two are lounging on the deck of the boat chatting and getting to know each other.
A few interesting comments are made in the conversation as they describe themselves and their interests. “I have no interest in myself. I start thinking about myself and I get bored out of my mind.” Patricia asks Joe, “What does interest you?” — Here is the crux of the conversation and the premise of what we will talk about today. Joe responds, “Courage. Courage interests me.”
Republican versus Democratic Ideals (Not Referring to Party Politics)
What made George Washington and John Adams great? What do we remember them for? Responses might include leadership, sacrifice, integrity. But keep courage in mind.
In my mind they made a couple of decisions in particular that made them courageous. Let’s go back to the latter half of the 1780s and look at what the Founding Fathers were trying to accomplish. We tend to think of our nation as a democracy but they wanted to establish something more, something greater, than a democracy. In actuality, what they sought to create was a republic.
A prominent complaint the colonials had with England and King George III was that the colonials’ interests and needs were suppressed in favor of the English. They had a similar fear of a democracy. A democracy is a system of government wherein the whole population is led or governed by a group of elected officials. In a true democracy, laws are made directly by the voting masses. Thus, a majority group could leave the rights of a minority group unprotected and vulnerable.
The fear of democracy was that a majority interest or a majority party, for example, could create laws that would suppress the minority interests. The result would be similar to a monarchy wherein certain people are suppressed or ruled by an opposing group of people.
Their goal was a republic. A republic differs in that the rights of the minority are protected from the will of the majority. Laws are made by representatives chosen by the voters. The laws instituted by the elected representatives must comply with a written constitution. The will of the people is a guiding principle in our government.
The Courage of Washington and Adams — Acceptance and Rejection of the Public Will
We have established that in our nation the will of the people is imperative to the operation of our government. Key point: it is one thing to profess the importance of the will of the people but it is another thing altogether when it comes to accepting the will of the people when it goes against your own will.
George Washington
When the war ended in 1783, George Washington was 51 years old and wanted nothing more than to return to Mount Vernon and see to his own interests. He remained at Mount Vernon for several years, then reluctantly participated in the Constitutional Convention as its president in 1787. When the Constitution was ratified and the need for a new president became a grand topic of conversation throughout the union, the public clamored for Washington to become the first president.
Washington did not want to be president. He wanted to continue his retirement. In a letter to his friend Henry (Light-Horse Harry) Lee, Jr. (future father of Robert E. Lee), he wrote that he would only serve as president if he became convinced that “very disagreeable consequences” would result if he did not accept the presidency. A few months later he wrote to another friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, “I shall assume the task with the most unfeigned reluctance and with a real diffidence.”
Washington accepted the will of the people and assumed the presidency. Eight years later, Washington refused widespread appeals to pursue a third term and left the presidency, setting a precedent of two-terms. Washington left behind military power in 1783 and political power in 1797. Of Washington’s return to Mount Vernon and leaving behind his power, King George III stated, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
John Adams
John Adams taught school for a time as a young man but realized he wanted more. He returned to school, became a lawyer, and later wrote of himself that he felt drawn to gain “Honour (sic) and Reputation” and that he had a desire to be “a great Man.”
In 1770, Adams was asked to defend the British soldiers accused of killing five colonials in what became known as the Boston Massacre. These soldiers represented and upheld the current tyrannical ruler so they were considered in ways to be the enemy. Adams had been told that no other lawyer would take the case, so, firm in his principles, he agreed, believing that no man should be without representation and a fair trial.
Many years later, even after having a hand in the writing of the Declaration of Independence, serving as an ambassador, a vice president and the president of the nation, Adams referred back to this case stating that his defense of the soldiers was “one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country.”
Thirty years later, Adams was nearing the end of his first term as president and had a great desire to continue as president but found himself on the losing end of the election to Thomas Jefferson.
So, the situation with Adams leaving office was different from Washington. We have seen throughout history what happens when a people, or a nation, or an upstart group or even a military seeks to unseat a ruler, regardless of whether or not he be a tyrant. The result is always the same: bloodshed, revolution, war.
Some predicted this as the result of the election of 1800 if Adams lost. One New York newspaper assured the people that a Jefferson victory would result in civil war. Ever the patriot, Adams accepted the defeat. David McCullough wrote, “However crushed, disappointed, saddened, however difficult it was for him to bear up, he expressed no bitterness or envy, and no anger.”
Courage
Adams peacefully relinquished leadership of the union. He accepted the will of the people. Courage can mean so many things. Washington exhibited courage as a soldier and leader, and accepted the will of the people in becoming president. But he also exhibited courage in rejecting the will of many and relinquishing the presidency to another.
Adams exhibited courage in agreeing to defend British soldiers against the will of many of his countrymen. Adams also exhibited courage by submitting his own will to the will of the people and in living his republican ideals by giving up the highest seat in the land. Washington’s desire and willingness to step down and give up power was great but, to me, Adams willingness to step down when he didn’t want to was even greater.
Thank you and God bless America!
