A democracy’s peaceful transfer of power is a remarkable occurrence.
The president of the United States, arguably the most powerful person on Earth, honors their citizens’ choice and surrenders their authority to someone else. That’s true regardless of whether the next person is a political ally or adversary.
After 250 years of the American experiment, it’s easy to take this consistent changing of the guard for granted. This practice deserves persistent commitment from its citizens and a debt of gratitude to George Washington, who set it all into motion.
The musical Hamilton captures how incredible Washington’s example was through the disdainful puzzlement of King George III.
In the closing acts, Washington bows to the crowd as he prepares to ride off into the sunset, so to speak, by returning to private life. At that moment, King George steps into the spotlight, responding to this news that would have sounded bonkers to any leader of that era, particularly one who still maintained significant popular support.
“They say George Washington is yielding his power and stepping away. Is that true?” the monarch asks incredulously. “I wasn’t aware that was something a person could do.”
There was justifiable curiosity if this transfer would actually work. It wasn’t the standard practice of the day or the bulk of human history up until that point.
“I’m perplexed,” the king says, thinking on it further. “Are they going to keep on replacing whoever’s in charge? If so, who’s next?”
There’s more to that skepticism, however, than the idea of regular elections determining a country’s political leadership. Washington was such a pivotal – some say indispensable – figure in founding the country that you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering if he was inextricably tied to the republic’s survival.
Washington himself didn’t think so. Undoubtedly, he feared for the young nation to which he had dedicated much of his life – namely the threats posed by factionalism and foreign influence. Still, that didn’t stop him voluntarily “retiring” from public service at a time when there were no rules or expectations for him to do so.
“The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive government of the United States being not far distant … it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made,” Washington announced in his 1796 Farewell Address.
With that bombshell, Washington demonstrated for all future leaders that even the most revered national hero had a duty to surrender power.
As President George W. Bush wrote in an essay for the In Pursuit Substack, “George Washington’s humility in giving up power willingly remains among the most consequential decisions and important examples in American politics.” That precedent was ultimately enshrined in U.S. law as the 22nd Amendment, which defined presidential term limits.
Upon learning that John Adams would succeed Washington, the Hamilton version of King George’s eyes widen as he exclaims, “That poor man – they’re going to eat him alive … next to Washington they all look small.” Then, smiling wickedly, he revels how much fun it will be when his former subjects “tear each other into pieces.”
Spoiler alert: They didn’t. In fact, Americans surpassed the difficulty of that first peaceful transfer of power when Thomas Jefferson defeated Adams in 1801. It was one thing for Adams to succeed Washington, as they belonged to the same “party.” Jefferson’s victory showed the peaceful transfer of power was possible between bitter rivals and opposing political factions – both of which were true for Jefferson and Adams.
These two elections immediately following Washington weren’t the only times in American history when the peaceful transfer of power was tested. Still, our democratic republic has endured without descending into widespread violence or regime change. This is in contrast with many places around the world where the transfer of power can be synonymous with sustained bloodshed or an illegitimate coup.
Two hundred and fifty years later, the theatrical King George has been proven wrong. Americans haven’t torn each other into pieces – though at times we’ve come close – and we should remain committed to proving him wrong by continuing to peacefully transfer power.
And if Washington’s example isn’t enough to maintain that commitment, look to President George H.W. Bush. Following a contentious election in 1992, President Bush left a handwritten note in the Oval Office for his rival and incoming President Bill Clinton.
The final line read, “Your success is now our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you.”
