Tring has an unlikely connection to the birth of America, as the great-grandfather of the first president and revolutionary George Washington was born in Tring.
John Washington grew up in Hertfordshire. He emigrated to the colony of Virginia to become a member of the planter aristocracy and owned several slave plantations.
Arriving in 1657, John was also a politician in colonial Virginia and a lieutenant colonel in the local militia.
By laying down his roots in America in his search for a better life, he unwittingly created a foundation for his great-grandchild to change the course of history.
A line could thus be drawn between Tring and the land of the free; if John Washington had never left Tring, America would be very different today.
You could even indulge in the idea that if John had not moved to America, Trump would have never been in power – but this may be a stretch.
George Washington is heralded as the political saviour who freed America from the bondage of Great Britain and its empire.
He led the American Revolutionary Army to victory and went on to become the country’s first president. He was assumed by many to rule over America in a similar manner to a king, however he stepped down after two terms.
In doing this, he introduced the principle that a president should be limited to two terms as he believed that no leader should take more power than was due – this went on to become the 22nd Amendment.
He had a farsighted vision of what the republic should look like, and what it should stand for – gifting the principles of freedom, liberty and a restricted government to the nation.
He said: “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government.”
The US election has shone a light on the American political process, much of which can be attributed to George.
Photo credit: Bequest of William H. Huntington, 1885
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