Times have certainly changed since the days of George Washington’s youth. Sometime before the age of 16, Washington transcribed 110 “Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation” into his school copybook, now part of the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress. Imagine assigning your students this exercise today.
Some of these “Rules of Civility” address basic etiquette, which may be recognizable to students in spite of the wording: “Shift not yourself in the Sight of others nor Gnaw your nails.” Other rules may be more difficult for students to understand but familiar once their meaning is interpreted: “Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust.” Still others may seem nonsensical in light of modern social norms: “Eat not in the Streets, nor in the House, out of Season.”
Did Washington live his adult life according to these rules? Students might investigate this question by analyzing Washington’s correspondence for evidence of how he responded to difficult circumstances. One intriguing example—although certainly Washington must not have thought so at the time—is a letter dated December 2, 1791, addressed to Pierre Charles L’Enfant. In this two-page document, President Washington addresses an incident that took place on November 20 of that same year. Major L’Enfant, selected as planner of the new capital city at Washington’s recommendation, had ordered the demolition of a partially-constructed house that stood in the way of one of his planned avenues. He acted under his own authority and without the owner’s consent. Complicating matters, the homeowner, Daniel Carroll, was a prominent citizen who was related to one of the Commissioners in charge of the District of Columbia.