By Áine Cain
George Washington hated ingratitude, to put it mildly.
In a May 29, 1754 letter to Virginia Governor Dinwiddie, he wrote that, “Nothing is a greater stranger to my breast, or a sin that my soul more abhors, than that black and detestable one, ingratitude.”
So on a day especially devoted to gratitude, let’s take a cue from our forefathers.
Forget the minor inconveniences, like slow WiFi or a salad overloaded with lackluster dressing and hone in on the good stuff.
So as a reminder to stop and smell the roses on Gratitude Day, here’s a list of things that made such an impact on the founders of the United States of America that they were inspired to write them down. Discover what Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and the Adamses valued the most — and find out which founder thought that gratitude was a bit overrated.
Safe travels
Sitting at home while loved ones are off traveling is a nerve-racking prospect in any era. For future First Lady Abigail Adams, the concern was doubled as she waited to hear from her husband John and her eldest son John Quincy. John Adams was on a diplomatic mission in Europe and had taken John Quincy along with him.
In a March 20, 1780, letter to her son, Abigail noted that receiving word confirming the safety of the traveling parties “… gave ease to my anxiety, at the same time that it excited gratitude and thankfulness to Heaven, for the preservation you all experienced in the imminent dangers which threatened you.”
Abigail was keen to spread this gratitude around. While she detected a “degree of thankfulness” in letters from John and John Quincy, she expressed her hopes that this thankfulness would amount “… to more than words, and that you will never be insensible to the particular preservation you have experienced in both of your voyages.”
In other words – count your blessings, boys.
Friends and allies
This is an easy one. Who isn’t grateful to have friends? Well, imagine that your friends sailed across the Atlantic in order to help you capture more than 7,000 enemy soldiers and secure a decisive victory over British Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis in Virginia. Now you know how Washington felt toward the French after Yorktown.
In a letter to Thomas Jefferson on Nov. 30, 1781, Washington thanks the then-governor of Virginia for his congratulations on Yorktown and asserts that… “The very important Share which our great Allies have taken in this Event, ought to endear them to every American, and their Assistance should be remembered with perpetual Gratitude.”
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette… also known as the Marquis de Lafayette
“The services of Monsr. LaFayette are acknowledg’d with gratitude by Congress,” James Monroe wrote to Jefferson on Aug. 19, 1786. From the very beginning, the United States of America was indebted to the young French nobleman, who enthusiastically risked his life and reputation in pursuit of freedom for the American colonies. However, when the revolution first broke out, King Louis XVI had forbid French officers from serving in the conflict. A royal edict did not dissuade Lafayette, who presumably brushed off his shoulder and sailed from France to America in 1777.
Over the course of the war, Lafayette bonded with Washington, got shot at the Battle of Brandywine, returned home in order to secure much-needed support from the same French monarch he previously offended, and played a critical part in the Siege of Yorktown. Not bad for a teenager working for no pay. Lafayette was 19-years-old when he first arrived in the rebellious colonies that he would help to free, for free.
The United States House of Representatives
Let’s give thanks for the government branch that grants state representation based on population! At least, that’s what James Madison indicated about the House of Representatives in the 57th essay of the Federalist Papers.
“Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the cords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people,” Madison wrote on Feb. 19, 1788.
The Father of the Constitution seemingly failed to foresee the most recent Gallup poll from Aug. 10, which pegs Congress’s approval ratings at an ominous 13%.
Thanksgiving… no, not the one you’re thinking of
On Oct. 3, 1789, President George Washington made the first national thanksgiving proclamation in New York City. He did not follow up his speech by carving a turkey or watching giant balloon cartoon characters bob through Manhattan. The Thanksgiving Day celebrated today wasn’t established until Lincoln’s presidency.
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
This overtly religious proclamation is particularly interesting, considering the fact that Washington hardly ever spoke about his personal religious beliefs.
Modern medicine
It goes without saying that Thomas Jefferson loved science, which he described as his “supreme delight.” Jefferson’s interests and hobbies expanded across disciplines, spilling over into paleontology, botany, and astronomy. He greatly admired Sir Isaac Newton for his contributions to the field of physics. On May 14, 1806, Jefferson got the chance to convey his gratitude regarding a more modern scientific development.
In a letter to Dr. Edward Jenner, the father of immunology, Jefferson expresses thanks to the doctor for pioneering the smallpox vaccine in England. Jefferson wrote that he wished to convey “…a portion of the tribute of gratitude due to you from the whole human family…” to Jenner for his role in combating the “loathsome” disease.
Today, with diseases like smallpox all but extinct, it’s easy to forget about the contributions of individuals like Jenner to the field of medical science. Living at the beginning of the 19th century, Jefferson certainly did not take Jenner’s groundbreaking vaccination for granted.
Lack of debt
Weighing in at a casual $17,763,622,515,183.73 as of Sept. 17, the national debt is a contentious political issue. Little has changed since the dawn of the republic. United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton first established a national debt by assuming state debts in order to increase the power of the federal government.
Thomas Jefferson wasn’t exactly crazy about this economic strategy (or its architect, for that matter). In fact, towards the end of Jefferson’s presidential term, he encouraged his own Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin and Secretary of the State James Madison to work towards eventually dismantling the debt, asserting that doing so was “…vital to the destinies of our government, and it hangs on Mr. Madison and yourself alone… Were either of you to be lost to the public, that great hope is lost.”
Still, Jefferson went further, explaining that leaving the nation debt-free would earn Gallatin the citizens’ undying gratitude:
“I had always cherished the idea that you would fix on that object the measure of your fame, and of the gratitude which our country will owe you.”
That pesky judicial branch
Jefferson was no fan of meddling judges, like his political opponent Supreme Justice John Marshall. In a March 25, 1825, letter to Edward Livingston, he indicated that he felt everyone would agree.
“One single object… [will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation,” Jefferson wrote.
The concept of Judicial Review is central to our system of checks and balances, but Jefferson would have been grateful for the chance to tip the scales back on the side of the executive and legislative branches.
An attitude against gratitude
One founder in particular was not entirely convinced that gratefulness was such a wonderful trait, at least not in the realm of international relations. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton wrote extensively to President Washington on the subject of gratitude’s negative impact on the relationship between France and the United States.
After the Bourbon monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution, Hamilton saw no need to preserve an alliance with the chaotic state of France. Republican-Democrats like Jefferson disagreed, arguing that the United States should back the new republic as a token of gratitude for support received during the American Revolution.
In a letter from July 10, 1793, several months before the Reign of Terror began, Hamilton argued that, “It is not very often that between nations it can be pronounced with certainty that there exists a solid foundation…” for gratitude. In a letter to Washington dated Sept. 15, 1790, Hamilton established his thoughts on gratitude:
“Gratitude is a word, the very sound of which imposes something like respect. Where there is even an appearance upon which the claim to it can be founded, it can seldom be a pleasing task to dispute that claim. But where a word may become the basis of a political system, affecting the essential interests of the state, it is incumbent upon those who have any concern in the public administration, to appreciate its true import and application.”
Basically, in Hamilton’s mind, gratitude was nice and everything, but not worth getting dragged into another war with Britain over. Especially considering the whole creepy guillotine situation starting in France. …
Gratitude itself
Jefferson was never one to agree with Hamilton on anything, certainly not on the subjects of taking or leaving France — or the virtue of gratitude.
“When any original act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also,” Jefferson wrote on Aug. 3, 1771.
He especially loved that gratitude beget good deeds and more gratitude. If they’d had a Starbucks in 18th-century Williamsburg, Jefferson would have been down to buy the stranger in line behind him an iced caramel macchiato and start one of those massive “pay it forward” chains.
Now it’s your turn. Get out there and be grateful.
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