I wish my parents could have heard that. It would have made my father very proud and my mother actually would have believed you. So there you go. For me as you suggested, this lecture concludes an amazing year that began just a year ago when the library the fred w. Smith library for the study of George Washington opened and i was able to take a seat as one of the inaugural fellows. During that year, i learned what a treasure always of you have in mount vernon led by kurt brands and with library led by Doug Bradburn the staff here is simply extraordinary. They are extraordinaryily loyal. For 150 years, the mount vernon ladys association has kept this place special. With the new library the orientation and education center, no crop of those women have done a better job than the current one, at least since martha did it alone. Among those remarkable women, of course let me thank gay gains and ann petri. Well let me begin tonight with a question. Retirement. Today we think of retirement as golf. Lets see if i can get these things to move. There. We think of retirement as golf, bridge, a condo in florida with no grass to mow. But what would it mean to George Washington . He used the world often in 1783 as the revolutionary war was winding down and he prepared to resign his commission as commander in chief of American Forces in december. Mount vernon would be im quoting here the seat of my retirement from the bustle of the busy world, washington wrote in one typical letter. Yet what did he envision . What did he envision that retirement to be . He was only 51 years old. And the most celebrated man in america, if not the world. The master of one of virginias largest plantations and both deeply committed to and profoundly concerned about the future of his newly independent country. If by to retire one means to rest, he knew that would not be the case. First he had plenty to do on plantation. An almost entire suspension of everything which related to my own estate for near nine years has accumulated an abundance of work for me, washington observed in 1784. He was a hands on manager by nature. But conditions at mount vernon accented this trait. I made no money from my estate during the nine years away from it, washington explained and he needed to right this situation. He rode the circuit of his five farms, which i think we can see there. Famous map of them. He rode those the circuit of those five farms that surround here and are all the subdivisions around here every morning, monday through saturday observing his 200 workers, most of them black slaves. Afternoons were spent planning ways to improve his livestock and soil productivity through new methods of scientific farming. And entertained a study stream of visitors who arrived often unannounced to greet the celebrated general and inevitably stay for dinner and the night. Unless someone pops up unexpectedly, washington noted in 1798 mrs. Washington and myself will do what i believe has not been done within the last 20 years by us that is to sit down to dinner by ourselves. This period of course, covered his years at mount vernon following his retirement in 1783. Second, no matter how much he hoped to unload it, he still carried the weight of a country on his shoulders. Washington knew from experience that the articles of confederation did not confer enough power on the Central Government to preserve the union and protect the people. In some of his last major acts he sent a letter to the states urging them to revise the articles and he offered a plan for a peacetime army. He never stopped championing those themes in public and private. A strong Central Government was needed to promote prosperity at home, gain respect abroad and expand westward. Ongoing developments under the confederation, as the states pulled apart at the economy deteriorated, reconfirmed his fears. As early as 1782, he was complaining about the deranged state of Public Affairs to one governor and writing to another about expanding National Powers. Have i no fears arriving from that source but i have many and powerful ones which predict the worse consequences from a half starved limping confederation. In such letters he showed little signs of settling into a quiet retirement. Washingtons two retirement concerns establishing his own estate and the United States combined in his vision for the american west. Intent on securing his fortune and land, prior to the war washington obtained large undeveloped tracts on the frontier in western pennsylvania and virginia. With peace he sought to capitalize on that investment. Like so many other americans, he viewed the west as key to the countrys future as being both an outlet for individual opportunity and a source for economic expansion. Thus, after sending spending first nine months of his socalled retirement trying to restore order to his plantation washington headed west to inspect his Frontier Holdings. This trip, it turned out, crystallized his hopes and his fears for the country and drew washington back into the public sphere. In a sense, his long journey back from retirement to the Constitutional Convention and the presidency began with his trip west in 18 in 1784. Now, i will talk about washingtons role at the constitution in the First Federal election during my next two lectures. Tonight, let me focus on his grand western adventure. The trip began well enough. Washington set out by horse back. He followed this is a map from the period. You can see mount vernon and the chesapeake and potomac. He will cross here towards pittsburgh and the west. Washington set out on horseback on september 1 with three slaves or servants and his friend and physician james craig for a planned sixweek over land trek. Craigs son and washingtons nephew joined them. Washington knew roughly what to expect. He had crossed the territory several times as a young surveyor during the 1740s and as a militia officer fighting the french in the 1750s. On those trips, he sometimes traveled light and often slept under only a blanket. Not this time. Although the party planned to stay in public houses or private homes where possible, for nights without lodging, and there would be many, they carried an officers marquis or grand tent for four gentlemen and a horsemans tent for the attendants. Other baggage was bedding, sheets silver cups and spoon ss, port wine for the gentlemen, two kegs of rum for the frontier folk, all manner of cooking equipment, assorted spices, extra horseshoes and washingtons fishing gear. The partys route followed the pa Potomac River in a westerly direction from mount vernon to cumberland maryland. And then leaving the river took a more northerly tack across the Allegheny Mountains towards pittsburgh. The potomac, which cuts through a parallel series of low ridges before turning south at cumberland, marks the upboundary between virginia and maryland. Washington favored the virginia side where he owned tracts that he leased to farmers. Trotting at his horse at five miles per day, he reached cumberland on the tenth day. Open for settlement prior to the revolution, the Potomac Valley below cumberland had become a part of the Eastern States by 1784. Many settlers had cast their lot with the patriot cause in 1776 and now gave washington a heros welcome. His tenants, strained by a decade of war and recession, paid what they could toward their long past due rents and cheered him on his way. To this point, the trip went well. The troubles began after he left the settled lands east of the allegheny and began ascending into southwestern pennsylvania. As a colonial militia officer serving under Edward Braddock during the french and indian wars, washington had helped cut a pathway through the wilderness to supply and support a massive British Assault on french positions in the ohio valley and had retreated in terror across it after braddocks crushing defeat. 12 days after leaving mount vernon, the road took him past great meadows, which washington had surrendered to the french in 1754 and later privately acquired as investment property. The rains had begun by this time, turning the road into a muddy trough. His tenements here, washington noted was little improved though capable of being turned to great advantage. In reality it was as much aed soen then in 1784 as when he surrendered to the french 30 years earlier. Washington had posted it for lease but so far no takers. With his baggage bogged down in the rain and mud, washington rushed ahead with a single intent to reach his larger tract at a place called washingtons bottom. In time for the scheduled auction of a grist mill we can see it there, old picture of it, that he owned with gilbert simpson. Since 1772, simpson had been washingtons agent in managing this 1,644 acre tract and his partner in developing a farm and mill, this mill on part of it. Washington advanced the capital this will sound familiar to some of you investors. Washington advanced the capital. Simpson provided the labor. And they would share the profits. But there were no profits or none that simpson ever reported. Rarely charitable when it came to business by 1775 washington dismissed simpson as a man of extreme stupidity. But he was soon he was too preoccupied by war to wind down the partnership. By wars end, washington suspected simpson of something much worse, fraud. More than anything resolving this long festering dispute with simpson prompted washingtons trip west. In july washington advertised the farm for sale its stocks and slaves for his farm for lease, the stocks and slaves for sale and the mill, this mill, for auction. He went to see those matters through. Accustomed to having his way washingtons frustrations only mounted when he encountered his partner in simpsons home turf. On inspection the water mill built by simpson with washingtons money, without washington ever seeing it or approving it lacked sufficient water power or head even to operate. The plots leased by simpson as washingtons agent to individual settlers, while washington was at war, offered little promise. The tenants struck washington as people of a lower order. He collected what he could in rent and arranged new leases. When he tried to auction the mill, there were no bidders. It was worthless. Simpson tried to get him to invest more and make it better. Washington said, i will not throw bad money after good. Washington wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible after the auction. But a settled rain forced him to stay with simpson for three more nights. If this seemed like washingtons perg tory, then hell awaited at the next stop. A foretaste of the coming torment arrived while he was with simpson. It came in the form of seeders they were seeders from washingtons 2,813 acre tract at millers run. Here is a picture of some of their descendents. The american frontier always attracted more than its share of religious groups seeking their zion in the wilderness. Members of one band, the seeders, a poor but ernest secretary of scotch irish, had had the misfortune of staking their claim to the frontier on land already claimed by the father of their country. Having known for a decade that washington claimed the land where they squatted, upon learning that he was on his way to assert his rights, they sent a delegation to deter and dis dissuade him. The seeders came to set forth their pretensions he under lined that. He wrote in his diary about this meeting and to inquire about my rights. He saw through their pretext of reasonableness and would not concede anything without visiting the tract himself. When the two sides met at millers run, both asserting their rights, the trouble ensued. Such conflicts were common at the time. At the time, claimants to undeveloped land could base rights on a government grant, survey and some improvement or on occupancy, whichever happened first. Washington, and most speculators used the former method. The seeders and many frontiersmen used the latter. For the millers run tract washington had purchased a warrant, then hired a local agent to survey the land in 1771 and build a small cabin, unoccupied cabin on it in 1772. The tract being otherwise empty the seeders moved in in 1773 and claimed the land by occupancy. One of the cabins they built was built to close to the previous cabin that you couldnt open its door. Washingtons cabin. At their confrontation, washington insisted that the seeders lease the land from him. They refused but offered to pay a modest price to, as washington put it, to avoid contention. Washington favored renting over selling of his Frontier Property because he wanted to oversee its development. As the seeders recounted their hardship in clearing the land and explained the religious convictions against leasing it, at least from anyone who wasnt of a similar religious view washington softened somewhat. He offered to sell but then they could not agree on a price. Rather than pay much, the seeders would fight the validity of washingtons claim in court. Washington devoted considerable time over the next two years to assembling evidence to substantiate his warrant and survey. Both were shaky. In the end though thanks to a good lawyer, washington won the case and the seeders moved on with the frontier. It did not hurt that the judge hearing the case was a signer of the declaration of independence and an old friend of washington. A former governor of two states. Delaware and pennsylvania. From millers run, washington planned to proceed southwest to his largest Frontier Holdings. Nearly 30,000 acres near the confluence of the ohio and the konowa river in what is now West Virginia. Word had spread of danger ahead however. There you see where the tract is. Word had spread of danger ahead, however. Washington wrote in his diary, the indians, it is said were in two discontent a move for me to expose myself to their insults. They were provoked by incursions into their land northwest of the ohio river which they claim as their territory and failure of congress to negotiate a peace treaty with them following the revolutionary war. Two years earlier, while leading attack on a native village northwest of the ohio, washington washingtons then local agent was captured beaten, scalped and slowly roosted to death. Washington did not want to suffer a similar fate or risk a kidnapping for ransom. His new local agent later informed washington that some of the natives had actually heard about his intended visit and were waiting to trap and capture him. Think of how that might have changed American History. Well the trip as we have recounted it disoriented and disconcerted washington. It was as if the frontier and its people were conspireing to frustrate his plans. Even before turning back, the cascading setbacks forced him to confront issues on his in his personal finance and in the countrys future that he might have put off had he stayed home. On a personal level his plans for a comfortable retirement relied on energy from his Land Holdings at washingtons bottom, millers run. With americans at peace washington had gone west to make these three assets profitable in the postwar economy. He found though no present potential for revenue from the first, obstinant settlers occupying the second and hostile native tribes restricting access to the third. Any investor seeking profits in frontier would face similar obstacles. Removing them, washington decided, would require government action. A lack of National Power and resources lay at the heart of the matter. A year had passed since britain recognized sovereignty over the region. Yet british trips continued to occupy northwest of the ohio river. Set aside by britain for those tribes by the proclamation of 1763, which you can see the line there, this district later known as the Northwest Territory remained under the control of probritish tribes with virtually no funds or forces the United States government was powerless to secure this frontier. More over, virginia had seeded its claim over the region in 1784 making its defense a national problem. If congress could open sell and settle those lands, it could Gain Authority and revenue. If not it risked losing them to a foreign power and with them americas future. This became washingtons fear. As he saw it it the danger was not limited to the territory northwest of the ohio river but encompassed the entire frontier. He wrote shortly after returning from this trip the western settlers, i speak for my own observation, the western settlers stand as it were on a pivot. The touch of a feather would turn them any way. Spain controlled the mouth of the mississippi. And the transmississippi west he noted. And settlers couldnt turn to it for access to trade. Britain controlled the Saint Lawrence river. Native tribes occupied west of the appalachian mountains. He detected little loyalty to the United States in settlers that he encountered on frontier. He wrote, the ties which are weakening every day will soon be no bond. If then the trade of that country should flow through the mississippi or the Saint Lawrence, if the inhabitants should form commercial connections which lead we know to intercourse of other kinds then in a few years be unconnected with us all together. For the good of the country and his own finances he concluded america should secure the frontier. He knew that the this would require both military presence and tranappalachian commercial ties. Washington had one such tie in mind Potomac River navigation. Washington had dreamed of a Potomac River navigation long before independence made it a cause. There you see where the navigation would go. Not only could such a waterway improve access to his Frontier Holdings, it would channel western trade through the mouth of the potomac near here, near mount vernon. Both would increase his wealth, following independence, he promoted it on public as well as private grounds. Little had actually changed in w