Oh Washington! I thought thee great and good,
Nor knew thy Nero-thirst of guiltless blood!
Severe to use the pow’r that Fortune gave,
Thou cool determin’d Murderer of the Brave!
— from ‘Monody on Major André’ by poet Anna Seward, 1781
Certain media outlets have been making a big deal out of a recent trial in New York City, which concluded late last month with a former U.S. President convicted of 34 felony counts. The alleged crime: fraud.
Reporters covering the story were tempted — and many gave in to the temptation — to claim that no other former U.S. President had ever been convicted of a felony.
As if conviction were some kind of determining factor. Ha!
Students of history (among whom I count myself) are well aware that many of our American Presidents were criminals. They just never got convicted.
I’m thinking about a famous quote attributed to the man on the $100 bill, Benjamin Franklin. At the official signing of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, purportedly declared: “There must be no pulling different ways. We must all hang together.”
According to historian Jared Sparks, Franklin replied: “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Franklin’s reference to “hanging separately” alludes to the fact that he, and the other signers of the Declaration, were committing treason against the established government of British Empire and King George III — to which Franklin and Hancock and the rest of the members of the traitorous Continental Congress owed their allegiance.
Perhaps the biggest traitor of all: George Washington.
Although Washington didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, he did something far worse — organizing an illegal army of farmers and merchants to engage in a war against the government.
And he wasn’t alone, in terms of treasonous acts. In 1973, historian Richard B. Morris identified seven figures as key revolutionaries, based on what he called the “triple tests” of leadership, longevity, and statesmanship: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.
As we might notice from this list, four of these conspirators — John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington — later served as U.S. Presidents.
If British Major John André hadn’t been captured by three ruffians while in possession of details about West Point’s defenses, provided by the general in charge of that important garrison, Benedict Arnold…
…and shamefully executed by hanging on a hill in Tappan, New York in 1780…
…we can hardly doubt that Benjamin Franklin and his buddies would have suffered that very same fate — criminals that they were, in the eyes of the established government.
Which is to say, it’s not your actions that determine whether you are a criminal or not; it’s whether you can get elected President afterwards.
It helps, too, if you write the history books yourself. It also helps to own newspapers and other media outlets, or be good friends with the people who own them. (Incidentally, I am good friends with Daily Post publisher Bill Hudson.)
From the perspective of the established British government, the new U.S. government in 1789 was designed and managed by criminals and traitors. The key mistake the British made was neglecting to control the history books, and the newspapers.
We’ve now had a total of 46 Presidents since George Washington stepped up to head the syndicate, and I bet half of them were criminals. For sure, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, if telling lies is a crime. But I’m pretty sure they were all lying, at least part of the time.
Paying off a porn star and writing it off as business-related “legal expenses” is definitely fraud. (Unless maybe the porn star was also a lawyer? Be tactful in choosing your porn stars, is my recommendation.)
But signing a few fraudulent checks… compared to starting a war against the established government? Who are we trying to kid?
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.