Republican Simplicity

            For George Washington, his home at Mount Vernon embodied “his vision of republican simplicity, and his personal statement of independence.” After years of studying the humanities, especially American history and political science, I have found Washington himself to be the person that embodies republican simplicity most precisely and the way of life and structure of society that it facilitates. Andrea Wulf’s rare glimpse into Washington’s life as a gardener leaves the reader with no doubt that republican simplicity, whatever it is, is the accurate description of our first president. However, defining republican simplicity, what it means, how it is attained, and what it represents, is not easy to articulate.

            Merriam-Webster defines republic as “1: a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and is usu. a president… 2: a government in which supreme power is held by the citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives governing according to law.” So to be republican is, not only to support this system of government, to be one who is in command of his own life and lives free and independent of coercive forces, functioning in his own capacity in a virtuous way. To be republican does not mean to only look out for ones own needs and individual expression. By living a life of virtue, a natural by-product will be a positive impact on the whole of society. This is by no contract between peoples or the government, but simply through living a life that seeks what is good and repels vice. George Washington, at his home in Mount Vernon, lived this life by, not only revolutionizing agricultural practices, seeking plants that provided sustenance and resources, and striving for independence through self-reliance, but by appreciating the “sheer beauty of American flora”, thereby fusing “beauty and utility in a fresh and original way.” Though he lived (or longed to live) as a simple farmer, his actions carried larger implications that would eventually establish the United States as an independent, thriving nation. So for him, living a life of republican simplicity simply meant to live the life of which he fantasized. He wanted to be left alone at his estate to cultivate the masterpiece that was Mount Vernon, while experimenting with new methods farming, collecting the vast species of native plants, and searching for his budding nation’s identity through gardening.

            Mount Vernon was the symbol of the new independent nation for Washington, but the way in which he crafted his landscape was just as symbolic. When he was selecting plants to include on his grounds, he did not pay attention to impressing visitors by having only rare, expensive, or exotic plants. On the contrary, he threw this old convention out and strove to include all native species. Our nation’s motto, E pluribus unum, “out of many, one”, is embodied in his landscape by his diverse foliage. “The plants were American and that was all that counted because this part of the garden celebrated America…” Not only did his selection of plants directly correlate with the nation’s motto, but his hands-on role in the process was the genesis of American patriotism and the American Dream. Though he had people in charge of the grounds and crews of slaves, he often would work along side them and labor himself. He saw no shame in this, but “talked proudly of the trees ‘which my hands have planted’.” He may have alarmed other members of Virginia or Maryland society who frequented Mount Vernon as visitors, but he reveled in the fact that he was able to work in unison with nature and sculpt the landscape to his amusement and benefit. He loved his life of gardening at Mount Vernon, and this is perhaps what most defined his republican simplicity.

            

Lastly, he was an innovator. The section of land that he set aside as his Botanical Garden allowed him to experiment with cutting edge agricultural practices and technologies. He saw that farmers in America were using antiquated farming methods, and instead of maintaining the status quo tasked himself with finding new and improved methods. This entrepreneurial spirit has defined American success, and can be seen clearly in Washington’s character. Innovation and advancement has allowed society to progress to where it is today, but has sadly caused much of society to loose sight of the very ideals that Washington embodied. This nation has a lot to be proud of, but much room for improvement. A renaissance of republican simplicity would surely be a good step in setting society back on course to the path that George Washington laid before his great nation.