Plain Mister President

Originally Aired: February 19, 1941 Cavalcade of America #214, "Plain Mister President," follows George Washington on his reluctant journey from Mount Vernon to New York for his inauguration as the first president of the United States in April 1789. As his coach departs, Washington confides to his companions, Colonel Humphreys and Mr. Thompson, that he feels "almost like a culprit going to his execution" rather than a man embarking on great days. The journey becomes an opportunity for reflection as Washington recalls the long road that brought him to this moment, from the first reading of the Declaration of Independence to his soldiers in 1776 to the contentious Constitutional Convention where jealous states struggled to unite. Along the route through Alexandria, Baltimore, and beyond, crowds gather to cheer their new president, while Washington wrestles with the weight of his responsibilities. When the coach wheel breaks, representatives from different states quarrel over who will repair it, yet ultimately work together to fix it. Washington observes this as democracy itself in action: chaos giving way to order, yesterday's rebels and loyalists standing together as Americans. The episode captures Washington's deep ambivalence about leaving his beloved Mount Vernon and shouldering the unprecedented burden of the presidency.