George
Washington, the nation’s first president, had a growing desire to establish a
national institution where students from across the country could expand their knowledge
in hopes that they would take this knowledge back with them to enrich their
respective hometowns and spheres of influence.[1]
During Washington’s lifetime, this dream was never seen to fruition. However,
with efforts from subsequent Presidents Jefferson and Madison and later a
Baptist group of men, Washington’s lifelong dream was turned into reality.
Washington had brought the country
from loosely aligned colonies to a new, fledgling union of states. He had led
the Revolutionary troops through miraculous victories, frustrating
disappointments, and ultimately freedom from British authority. Now that the
states were governed by the United States Constitution, all that was left was
ensuring that the nation be given the best possible opportunity for advancement
and thriving growth once he came out of office. One way Washington sought to
strengthen the union was through agriculture, as seen in Andrea Wulf’s Founding Gardeners. She states, “Like
Benjamin Franklin, Washington saw in the cultivated soil the country’s wealth
and independence.”[2] She
also explains that many of Washington’s plants at Mount Vernon were
specifically planted with economic purposes in mind. Washington hoped to find
new sources of revenue in addition to the common tobacco industry that was so
harsh on the land by depleting it of necessary nutrients, and so he
experimented with nuts, cherries, pears, grapes, hay, and grass from all over
the world.[3]
While his gardens served aesthetic purposes, they were highly economical as
well.
Through agriculture, Washington
surmised that the tiny nation would grow and develop into a larger, stronger
version of itself. Using a plant analogy, Washington saw the nation as a small
seed at the time, but he dreamt of the day that the nation would mature into a
full grown tree—thriving and leading the world.[4]
In order for the nation to progress in this manner, Washington believed in the
establishment of a national institution, which would later be named The George
Washington University. Washington envisioned the institution being settled in
the nation’s capitol city, the District of Columbia, since the city was a
symbol of the union’s combined strength and patriotism[5]
Here, Washington hoped that scholars from all over the United States could
gather. As explained in Historical Sketch,
Washington states:
The assimilation of the
principles, opinions, and manners of our countrymen, by the common education of a portion of our
youth from every quarter…. The more homogenous
our citizens can be made in these particulars, the greater will be the prospect of permanent
union.[6]
Washington’s
greatest hope was for the continued wellbeing of the nation he fought so hard
to liberate. He knew that the key to survival and continued growth lay in an
institution for higher learning and the combined wealth of experience of all
different scholars. And so he used the rest of his time on earth not only to
tend to his beloved gardens at Mount Vernon, but also to the development and
establishment of a national institution. In this way, he demonstrated his
strong belief in the way forward for the United States—through agriculture and
education.
It all started on February 18, 1795,
when the Commissioners of the District of Columbia selected land in the
District of Columbia for the proposed college.[7]
Washington had previously offered up a monetary gift to help start the college,
and so this land proposal was a positive step toward establishing a national
institution. He appealed to Congress twice, asking for them to consider the
establishment of a national university. Even in his will, Washington specifically
allocated his fifty shares of the Potomac Company to initially fund the
university.[8]
While Jefferson was not as enthusiastic about the institution, he supported
Washington’s proposal and kept the idea moving through Congress long enough for
Madison to take notice and lend his support. In his speech to Congress as
President, Madison exclaimed:
Such an institution,
though local in its legal character, would be universal in its beneficial effects. By enlightening the opinions, by
expanding the patriotism, and by
assimilating the principles… to be re-distributed in due time through every
part of the community,
sources of jealousy and prejudice would be diminished, the features of national
character would be multiplied, and greater extent given to social
harmony.[9]
Madison
strongly supported Washington’s hopes for a national institution. In 1815, he
once again appealed to Congress. In this address, he reiterated Washington’s
initial desire for students to be educated in a manner that would enable them
to go to every part of the union and share their acquired knowledge. He boldly
said that the strength of the union depended on its educational foundation,
which he believed would be greatly enhanced by founding this university.
Overall, his sentiments mirrored Washington’s—both men hoped for an institution
that would equip students from every walk of life in order to enhance their
part of the union.
Several colleges had been established
throughout this period of appealing to Congress. Georgetown University,
Catholic University, and American University were among the newly founded
colleges, and Washington’s vision of a national institution was once again
stalled. His shares in the Potomac Company, which he had donated to fund the
institution, were valueless, as the company had failed. Jefferson and Madison
had grown wary of the stagnated plan. Finally, during President Monroe’s term
in office on February 1, 1821, Congress granted power and authority to a group
of trustees for the future Columbian College.[11]
And on February 9, President Monroe signed the Act of Congress.[12]
A group of Baptist patrons and church members ultimately started the school
since funding was lacking elsewhere, and the different colleges were
organized—law, medicine, and theology.[13]
The national institution was beginning to take root, and Washington’s vision
was finally coming to fruition.
President Monroe stated that, “There
is good reason to believe that the hopes of those who have so patriotically
contributed to advance it to its present stage will not be disappointed.”[14]
Washington was the first to “patriotically contribute,” and there is no doubt
that he would be incredibly proud of the college today.
The college has had two name
changes—first in March 1873 when its name was changed from Columbian College to
Columbian University and finally in 1904 when its name was changed to The
George Washington University, solidifying its namesake’s legacy as the original
creator and financial contributor towards the project.[15]
Students from over 130 countries and all 50 states attend this institution,
enriching their minds so that they can change their small part of the world.[16]
These hundreds of graduates continually contribute to the academic field and
their communities around them, which then impact the broader United States and the
world. And most importantly, the United States has continued to benefit from
this institution’s work in producing world-class graduates whose education has
helped strengthened the nation and is responsible for the continued positive
projection of the country.
Washington
would, indeed, be proud of the university which bears his name and its
commitment to “provide an environment where knowledge is created and acquired
and where creative endeavors seek to enrich the experiences of the global
society,” as outlined on the website in the GW Overview section.[17]
In Washington’s mind, the current state of the nation would be that of thriving
growth like a tree, and this university plays the important role of educating
citizens that are committed to this continual growth.
[1]
Charles Herbert Stockton, “Historical Sketch of George Washington University,
Washington, D. C., Formerly Known as Columbian University and Columbian
College, Accompanied by a Sketch of the Lives of the Presidents,” Records of the Columbia Historical Society
19 (1916): 99, accessed November 18, 2013.
[2]
Andrea Wulf, Founding Gardeners: The
Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
(New York: Random House Inc., 2011), 17-32.
[3]
Wulf, Founding Gardeners, 32.
[4]
Wulf, Founding Gardeners, 17.
[5]
“History,” The George Washington University, accessed November 21, 2013, http://www.gwu.edu/history.
[6]
Stockton, “Historical Sketch of George Washington University,” 101.
[7]Stockton,
“Historical Sketch of George Washington University,” 101.
[8]
Ibid.
[9]
Ibid.
[10]
Stockton, “Historical Sketch of George Washington University,” 102.
[11]
Stockton, “Historical Sketch of George Washington University,” 105.
[12]
“History.”
[13]
David G. Anderson, “Columbian College: The Early Years,” The GW and Foggy
Bottom Historical Encyclopedia (2006): accessed November 21, 2013.
[14] Stockton,
“Historical Sketch of George Washington University,” 106.
[15]
“Past Presidents,” The George Washington University,” accessed November 21, 2013,
http://www.gwu.edu/past-presidents.
[16]
“GW Overview,” The George Washington University,” accessed November 23, 2013, http://www.gwu.edu/gw-overview.
[17]
“GW Overview.”
Bibliography
Anderson,
David G. “Columbian College: The Early Years.” The GW and Foggy Bottom Historical Encyclopedia (2006). Accessed November 21, 2013.
Stockton,
Charles Herbert. “Historical Sketch of George Washington University,
Washington, D. C., Formerly
Known as Columbian University and Columbian College, Accompanied by a Sketch of the Lives of the Presidents.”
Records of the Columbia Historical
Society 19 (1916): 99-106. Accessed
November 18, 2013.
The
George Washington University. “GW Overview.” Accessed November 23, 2013. http://www.gwu.edu/gw-overview.
The
George Washington University. “History.” Accessed November 21, 2013. http://www.gwu.edu/history.
The
George Washington University. “Past Presidents.” Accessed November 21, 2013. http://www.gwu.edu/past-presidents.
Wulf,
Andrea. Founding Gardeners: The
Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation. New York: Random House, Inc. 2011.
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