My latest venture into the world of books comes in the form of a new book called
"The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers" by Thomas Fleming. The books takes a look at the private lives of some of men that helped make American what it is today. The book divulges into the personal lives of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. What the book does is examine the family life of these famous men and sees how they may have effected their politics, and personality.
So far the book has been really interesting. I know many of the basics about each man, but I have never really gone into depth with some of them. I also have never really looked at their personal lives. Because of this, I have decided to give you readers some fun tidbits about each founding father once I am done with their section. I will point out things that I thought were particularly interesting. The first founding father on the list is George Washington. So, here it is, some interesting facts about the private life of "the father of our country," the first president of the United States, George Washington.
-Before his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis, George was madly in love with his best friends wife, Sally Cary Fairfax.
-The love affair between George and Sally was discovered when a letter written by George to Sally was published in a newspaper on March 3, 1877. The letter was dated September 12, 1758. George had already proposed to Martha on June 5, 1758.
-Trying to forget about Sally, George sought out a wife, eventually he married Martha Dandrige Custis. She was the richest widow in Virginia at the time.
-Many historians agree that their marriage was one of convenience. George needed to get over Sally and wanted to move up in the ladder of life, and Martha needed a level-headed man to oversee the money, house, and farms. But, the marriage grew into a love deeper than anyone could ever imagine.
-The perception of George to most Americans is that of a composed, level-headed leader. What many people don't know is that George was known to have a bad temper, and he would sometimes lose it when confronted with a problem.
-George admitted that the hardest thing to do when going off to fight the American Revolution was leaving his beloved wife Martha behind at Mount Vernon where she was all alone. He would write to family members pleading with them to visit Martha as often as possible to help soothe her loneliness.
-George and Martha never had any children together. Historians argue that this could be attributed to George being sterile after a bout of small pox or Martha being unable to conceive after the troubling births of her 4 children (only 2 survived).
-Like most Virginians, George thought the Boston Tea Party was an act of vandalism.
I have a ton more facts and info for you all, but I don't want to bore you. After reading about George Washington's personal life I can say that I was surprised he held himself with such composure and dignity. At times his home life was a mess. Most of his relatives ended up penniless or dead, which forced George to take care of their estates and children. He provided the children with money and an education and always strove for them to do better for themselves. Since George had come from humble beginnings, he wanted his family to be the epitome of what a rich family should be, classy, educated, and graceful. For the most part they weren't. Lets just say, he definitely had some family drama. The only real beacon of light was Martha, and he loved her till the very end. She also loved him just as much. I must say, I had never been a huge George Washington fan until I read this. I still don't think I am George's #1 fan, but I do have a new respect for him. He was a poor boy, who rose through the ranks, and ended up leading our nation as the first president. I recommend anyone to read further into the miraculous life the George Washington held.
