On April 16, 1789, George Washington left the comforts of Mount Vernon to make the trek to our new nation’s capital in New York City. Two weeks later, he was to take the oath of office as our nation’s first president. In his journal on that day, he humbly wrote:
About 10 o’clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity, and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express, set out for New York in company with Mr. Thompson, and Colonel Humphries, with the best dispositions to render service to my country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of answering its expectations.
Washington was mindful of his limitations and appreciated the burdens of such responsibility.
In the first line of his inauguration speech on April 30, President Washington stated the following as he trembled in the Senate Chambers of Federal Hall: “Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month.” He went on to admit that he was “peculiarly conscious of his own deficiencies.”
Washington’s words consistently demonstrate a man filled with reverent humility as he accepted the mantle of responsibility that came with his new office. This battle-hardened veteran realized that leadership was a weighty burden no single person could shoulder alone. Thus, he entered this leadership position with a spirit of subservience.
Humility prompts leaders to question their assumptions. It urges leaders to seek outside opinions and lean on wise counsel. It causes leaders to look outward and upward instead of inward. It fosters a reliance on others instead of oneself. It nudges a leader to prioritize relationships. It inspires the elevation of an organization’s needs over personal needs. It motivates leaders with the thought that a single leadership shortcoming can cause an organization to stumble.
Humility prevents complacency. It stirs up passions that abhor stagnation. It suppresses self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency. It halts power-hungry careerism and cronyism. It clips the tendency to strive for personal gain.
In the end, humility carefully guides a leader and an organization towards an excellence that elevates everyone. It was such excellence that weighed heavily on the anticipatory mind of our first president.
The events of the first inauguration day were orchestrated to convey a spirit of reverent humility.
Robert Livingston, the Chancellor of New York, administered the oath of office to Washington on the balcony of Federal Hall. Importantly, President Washington added a key phrase to the end of his oath – “So help me God!” This short phrase has since become the standard for all forms of public office. On that day, Washington recognized that he could only faithfully execute his office, and only preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution if he relied upon a Higher Power.
President Washington’s inauguration speech followed the oath, and is one that every American should read on its anniversary. It is filled with resolute humility and prayerful hopefulness. It begins and ends with words of fervent and humble supplication in appreciation of the new nation’s revolutionary success and hope for peace, prosperity, provision, and protection. It’s what the government did after Washington’s speech that is even more remarkable.
On April 27, 1789, the Senate approved a resolution that was adopted two days later by the House of Representatives that would guide inaugural activities.
In obedience to this Joint Resolution, congressional records document the following as the first act of the new government after Washington’s inaugural speech: “The President, the Vice President, the Senate, and House of Representatives, then proceeded to St. Paul’s chapel, where divine service was performed by the chaplain of Congress.”
With a quorum of U.S. Constitution signatories present, the new government’s first act, as required by congressional resolution, was to attend a church service to pray and worship. With a healthy dose of reverent humility, these Founders acknowledged that the nation’s future hinged on the favor of Providence.
In 1789, America stood on the brink of history. As the constitutionally based government was forming, the world was watching. After a long-fought battle against the world’s superpower, and a stumbling of government under the Articles of Confederation, could this new experiment work? Much was riding on the outcome, and the important ramifications demanded a leader and an inauguration day that was bathed in reverent humility.
Our great nation desperately needs to rediscover that same spirit in our public life and among our political leaders today.
United States Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert (Ret.) is a leading expert on foreign affairs and military strategy. He served as commander of Joint Base Andrews and Edwards Air Force Base, was the U.S. senior defense official to Iraq, and recently retired as the assistant deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs. A prolific author and speaker, he can be followed at johnteichert.com and on LinkedIn.
