Most people know who George Washington was and what he accomplished, such as being the 1st President of the United States. Most people also know that he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. I’m sure you’ve even heard the tale of chopping down his fathers cherry tree. Although he is known for all of these things, he has never been someone I thought was that great of a President. Until recently . . .

The Legacy of Cinncinnatus

Lucius Quinctius Cinncinnatus lived in the early days of the Roman Republic before there was such a thing as a dictator or emperor singlehandedly ruling. He served as a consul to Rome when the Senate and People of Rome (SPQR) ruled the streets. Before the Caesars and Augustus’ took a hold of Rome, the patricians and plebeians (mobs) were the ruling force and Rome was truly a Republic for the people governed by the Senate. Moving on, Cinncinnatus served as a consul in 460 BC where he was heavily involved in the politics of the day and relentlessly resisted plebeian proposed laws. After serving one year as a consul, he retired from politics and went back to his farm life.

However, the early years of Rome were filled with much violence as wars were a commonplace in the outlying regions around the Tiber River. Rome was at war with the local tribe, the Aequians, and after a major defeat against them at the Alban Hills, the Senate made the decision to appoint a dictator to lead the fledgling Republic to a victory. They appointed Cinncinnatus as dictator of Rome in 459 BC, pulling him out of retired farm life and asked him to lead their armies to defeat the Aequi. Cinncinnatus engineered a double pronged attack, utilizing his infantry and cavalry. Taken aback, the Aequi were defeated and surrendered to Cinncinnatus. After the war was won, Cinncinnatus disbanded his army and resigned as dictator, when he easily could have stayed on as the sole ruling power. Cinncinnatus was appointed dictator once more in 439 BC to put down a plebeian revolt, and once again resigned as dictator. He provides a great legacy in that he realized that the Roman Republic was not meant to be built upon the shoulders of emperors, dictators, or tyrants. He very well could have stayed on as dictator and appointed himself the emperor with the strength of his army and popularity, but he did not.

The Legacy of George Washington

Fast forward to 1776, the Revolutionary War, when the Continental Congress, headed by John Hancock, appointed General George Washington as Commander-in-Chief over the Continental Army. Due to George Washington’s rising popularity with his victories over the Red Coats, he won the respect and admiration of the 13 colonies and was elected as the United States first President, a title he held with much hesitation.

After serving two 4 year terms as President of the United States, George Washington gave up his elected seat and retired to quiet life in Mount Vernon. He very easily could have stayed in the White House as the Commander-in-Chief of the fledgling nation, but he knew that doing so would be counterproductive to the free nation that they had just fought for and won. To me this is the greatest legacy that George Washington left behind, as he could have very easily been the first king or emperor of the U.S. However he opted out of the office, such as Cinncinnatus did, and retired to quiet life. After Washington set the precedent of a two term limit on the presidency, no president broke that precedent until Franklin D. Roosevelt. After Roosevelt’s death, the 22nd Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution that set the traditional 2 term limit to the President’s seat.

Popularity: 12% [?]