The Death and Legacy of George Washington

Although Washington had accumulated many enemies during his eight years as president, when he resigned, everything was forgotten. People hailed him as a hero. He attended the inauguration of new President John Adams in a simple black coat. He was sitting in the corner. Adams was superbly dressed, ready to take office, but no one seemed too interested in Adams, everyone was looking at Washington.
Washington returned home to Mount Vernon and again found himself abandoned in his absence. He went to work trying to fix it. And yet, he lacked the energy he possessed. It also seemed that he had lost some of his judgment, where he had always been polite and gentlemanly, now Washington sometimes got very angry. He realized that his behavior was getting worse.
President Adams soon faced an emergency situation: war with France seemed inevitable. The Congress passed a resolution on the convocation of the army. There was no doubt about who would lead it. Washington reluctantly took command. However, he soon began to quarrel with Adams over who would be his generals. His behavior was strange. Fortunately, the threat of war was over, and before Washington had a chance to fool itself, the army disbanded.
In his last days, Washington was lonely. Marta was ill and could not provide a large company. Many of his best friends were dead or worried. He felt that the end was near. It happened on December 12, 1799. Washington traveled in bad weather and returned feeling unwell. He was soon bedridden. His doctors bled to death, a common practice at the time that only made him weaker. Washington died on December 14.
The whole nation mourned his death. The new country has never seen such an outpouring of grief. Almost every one of Washington's former enemies has come forward to affirm this man's greatness. Henry Lee, a planter from Virginia, uttered the words that have since become famous at the funeral. Washington, he said, was "the first in the war, the first in the world, and the first in the hearts of its compatriots."
Even after his death, Washington managed to become unusual. In his will, George ordered that his slaves be freed and ordered that the elderly slaves receive a pension from his estate. The children were supposed to be educated in local schools. It was radical: the entire economy and society of the south depended on slavery. Famous patriots like Jefferson and Madison spoke loudly about freedom while owning slaves, but none of these people freed their slaves. transescort.org