VOICE ONE:
Millions of people have visitedthe beautiful country home of the first president of the UnitedStates. It is Mount Vernon in the state of Virginia. I’m Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Today we take you to the beloved home ofGeorge Washington on the VOA Special English program, THIS ISAMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
The woman who welcomes you to Mount Vernon wears a long dress. Onher head is a small white hat that was popular hundreds of yearsago. This guide looks like a picture from the eighteenth century.But then, so does almost everything else at the country home ofAmerica’s first military hero and president. Visiting here is liketraveling more than two centuries into the past.
Everything seems quiet and calm on the green Virginia hillside ofMount Vernon. The long wooden building looks over the Potomac River.The home is only twenty-four kilometers south of Washington, D-C.But here, you feel far from the busy city. The warm afternoon sun isstarting to sink lower in the sky. Before too long, darkness willfall on the white house that George Washington helped design.
VOICE TWO:
The woods around the home show the deep green of summer leaves.Birds sing, but there are few other sounds. No boats sail by on thePotomac River. On the hill leading down from the home to the river,goats sleep in the grass.Farming still takes place at Mount Vernon,just as it did when George Washington and his wife Martha livedhere. The guide urges you to think what life was life for them inthis place, so long ago.
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VOICE ONE:
Mount Vernon was home to George Washington for more thanforty-five years. But he spent many years away from his home. Inseventeen-seventy-five, he commanded the Continental Army of theAmerican colonies in their war of independence from Britain. Afterthe war he was the most famous leader of the new nation. He waselected president two times without opposition. And he was offered athird term. But he refused. He wanted to return to the life he hadled at Mount Vernon before the war.
George Washington returned to live on his large farm afterserving as president. Mount Vernon tells us about his informal,unofficial life. During those last years, he led the life of a richfarmer. He planned and directed the work of the five farms. Hesupervised Mount Vernon’s crops and animals. As a farmer, he wasalways interested in new ideas and methods.
He and his wife Martha provided meals for many friends in theirbeautiful dining room. The Washingtons also provided sleeping roomsand food for many travelers. Very few hotels existed then. So Georgeand Martha Washington offered shelter to about six-hundred visitorsa year. Many were strangers.
VOICE TWO:
Sadly, George Washington was able to enjoy retirement at MountVernon for less than three years. He died there inseventeen-ninety-nine. The sixty-seven-year old American hero becamesick with a cold and throat disease. Modern doctors believe he diedof a severe infection.
When George Washington died, citizens throughout the new nationmourned. The United States was a very young country at that time.The American people felt a terrible loss at the death of theirrevolutionary war hero and first president. George Washington wasoften called “the father of his country.” Historians say the UnitedStates might never have been created or survived long without him.More than seven-hundred speakers throughout the country honored him.Small towns and villages held funeral marches. Businesses wereclosed for days. Bells rang without stopping.
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VOICE ONE:
There is much to see on more than two-hundred hectares at MountVernon. You can walk through the great house, two museums and morethan twelve small buildings. You can also see four gardens, the farmarea and guided nature paths.
The guide suggests we start in the main house. It has threelevels. George Washington was responsible for much of the design.His office is on the ground level. It contains many of his books.This is the room where George Washington planned the activities ofhis farm. It also is where he wrote to other political leaders. Onewriter called this room “the center of political intelligence forthe new world.”
Another guide leads you up thesteps to the two higher levels of the main house. Mount Vernoncontains eight sleeping rooms. George and Martha Washington neededall these bedrooms for their visitors. Above the bedrooms is one ofWashington’s own inventions – a cupola. This small room has glass onall sides. Hot summer air from inside the house escaped throughthese windows.
VOICE TWO:
More than one-hundred-twenty-five black people from Africa workedas slaves at Mount Vernon. They played an important part in itsoperation. Slaves and some paid workers operated the five farms.Each farm had its own buildings, supervisor, workers, equipment andanimals. Together, the farms covered more than one-thousandhectares.
Other slaves built houses and furniture. Still others cooked andperformed many services in the house. You can see the burial placesof George Washington’s slaves on Mount Vernon property.
Historians say George Washington must carry the blame anddishonor of having kept slaves. Still, as he grew older he came todisapprove of slavery. He ordered that his slaves be freed after heand his wife died.
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VOICE ONE:
After George and Martha Washington died, Mount Vernon was givento other family members. By the eighteen-fifties, the person whoowned it did not have enough money to keep it in good condition. Heoffered to sell Mount Vernon to the state of Virginia or to thefederal government. Both refused the offer.
That is when an organization called the Mount Vernon LadiesAssociation rescued the home. The group was able to buy the propertywith gifts of money from citizens.
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association still operates the propertytoday. It manages the home, farm and museums. It also operateslibraries and teaching and research centers.
VOICE TWO:
Mount Vernon officials recently began a campaign to add threemore buildings. They are working to raise eighty-three-milliondollars for new learning centers and technologies. The officialswant visitors to have a better idea of George Washington’s personallife. They say Mount Vernon should better describe him as a man.They also say Mount Vernon needs technology that will increase itsinterest among young people. This means devices that young visitorscan operate to get information.
One new building would be a visitors’ center. There, people couldsee a film about the life and times of America’s first president. AGeorge Washington Education Center would present exhibits. Theexhibits would show the first president’s life in the military, inpolitics and in business. A new museum would show documents andpersonal goods linked to George Washington’s life.
Also included in the plans for Mount Vernon are educationalprograms for schools and communities across the nation. Publishedmaterials, C-D-Roms and Internet Web sites would tell aboutPresident Washington’s life and work.
VOICE ONE:
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has made a number of changesover the years. Many visitors praise the organization for keepingthe historical spirit of Mount Vernon while improving theproperty.Now, however, some experts question if that spirit willsurvive the planned changes. They express concern that the changescould make Mount Vernon seem too modern.
As you end your visit to Mount Vernon, the sun is setting. Youturn around for one more look at George Washington’s home. You closeyour eyes and picture George and Martha Washington reading in theirlibrary. Then you walk away, into the gathering darkness and thetwenty-first century.
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced byCaty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.