Quote · The Rest Is History
683. Washington: Hero of the Revolution (Part 1)
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Washington the Man: Character, Origins, and the Marble Facade
At 15:44 · chapter starts 10:20
Drawing on Ron Chernow's prize-winning biography, Dominic introduces Washington as the most elusive figure in American history — more revered than truly loved, an impossibly stiff figure carved from marble. Tom Holland then delivers perhaps the best anecdote in the episode: Alexander Hamilton's bet that Gouverneur Morris would not dare slap Washington on the shoulder [1] — Tom Holland "The icy quality of Washington's stare as he greeted this slap on the shoulder was so terrifying that he would not do it again for a thousan…" 11:16 . Morris did it; Washington's icy glare was so terrifying that Morris vowed he would not repeat the act for a thousand dinners. Dominic then builds a physical portrait of the man: 6 feet tall, hugely powerful, hands so large he had special gloves made, a thin breathy voice (caused by pleurisy — 'he speaks like Marilyn Monroe'), and teeth rotting from as early as 1760. The cherry tree story is immediately labelled a lie, invented by the wonderfully named Parson Weems — a recurring villain in Washington mythology who 'basically goes around making stuff up.' The key to Washington, Chernow argues and Dominic agrees, is his extraordinary self-discipline: a man of fierce hot passions and a volcanic temper, all kept under glacial, inflexible control.
Alexander Hamilton bet Gouverneur Morris a dinner that Morris wouldn't dare slap Washington on the shoulder. Morris did it. The icy quality of Washington's stare was so terrifying that Morris said he would not do it again for a thousand dinners. The dinner must have been ruined.
Washington wasn't the saintly monument he became. He was a 6-foot Virginian with enormous hands, terrible teeth, a thin breathy voice, a ferocious suppressed temper, and a deep chip on his shoulder after being denied a royal commission. The marble exterior was real — but so was the man inside it.
Washington stood 6 feet tall, exceptionally large by 1740s standards, with a powerful frame and hands so large he needed specially made gloves.
The cherry tree story is a lie. The kneeling-in-the-snow scene is a lie. Both were invented by a single man — Parson Weems — who made a career of fabricating Washington hagiography. Reagan repeated them with gusto; historians have been trying to undo the damage ever since.
Washington's teeth were already decaying as early as 1760, long before the war, and by 1789 he had just one working tooth remaining.
