Library of Congress
Map of George Washington ’ s farm at Mount Vernon , based on his own drawings .
commodities for trade throughout America , the West Indies , and Europe . Hard work — for he viewed industry as both a natural and a moral quality — built his fortune . But so did practices he learned through instruction and experience : prudence , attention to detail , transparency , clear and active communication , honesty , experimentation and boldness tempered by thrift . Washington ’ s progress to ward personal wealth — he left behind a sprawling estate of over 50,000 acres and almost achieved millionaire status at a time when the distinction was rare indeed — makes up part of his story .
Even as he grew personally wealthy , Washington set the course for national prosperity . His personal experiences and abilities as an entrepreneur inspired his policies both as general and as President . Such was the case with his dread of debt . Unfortunately for posterity , Washington never kept a dream journal . In his nightmares , he was probably pursued by hordes of bayonet-wielding redcoats or hounded by Thomas Jefferson and his baying minions of the press . More frequently , Washington must have woken up drenched in sweat after dreaming that he had opened up his account books to discover his estate swamped by unsustainable debt . He spent the balance of his life straining to keep this dreadful experience from becoming reality for either himself or his country . Other principles guiding his economic policies included fiscal stability , national unity and peace . Never , though , did he aspire to command prosperity . He thought of the economy as a kind of self-sustaining machine .
Government ’ s job was to keep it clean , well-oiled and secure . The people fueled it , set it in motion and — after a tithe to the government to fund its expenses — reaped the benefits . The operation was both natural and simple . Always , though , he exhorted the people to keep one principle in mind : work together , or perish separately . Washington was the unifier to guide them .
Edward G . Lengel is an American military historian and professor at the University of Virginia . He is the director of the Washington Papers documentary editing project in Charlottesville , VA . Adapted excerpt from First Entrepreneur : How George Washington Built His — and the Nation ’ s — Prosperity by Edward G . Lengel . Copyright © 2016 . Available from Da Capo Press , an imprint of Perseus Books , a division of PBG Publishing , LLC , a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group , Inc .
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