Free The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming Page B

were still a substantial number of Americans, loosely called anti-federalists, who feared and disliked the Constitution and the new government it had created. Much of this hostility focused on the presidency, which they regarded as an office fraught with menace to American rights and liberties. Thousands of eyes were on Washington, suspecting him of being ready to turn into an American version of George III.
    When Martha arrived in New York on May 27, 1789, these critics were growling because the president, after being overwhelmed with impromptu visitors ten hours a day, announced he was restricting such time-wasting encounters to two hours a week so that he could get some work done. Others carped at his weekly receptions, which were too formal, they thought, and smacked of an audience with a monarch. Still others complained about the poor quality of the dinners he served. Martha took charge of the kitchen, and soon guests were telling friends how deliciously they had dined and wined. Next, she launched her own weekly receptions, at which ladies were welcomed, and everyone was charmed by her relaxed, cheerful style. She also acquired a title that she neither sought nor liked: “Lady Washington.” It was the invention of well-meaning people who felt a need for something better than “Mrs. President.” 12
    Equally important was the way Martha made friends with the wives of cabinet members and other VIPs, above all, the vice president’s wife, Abigail Adams. “A most becoming pleasantness sits upon her countenance,” Abigail declared. She was particularly pleased by Martha’s insistence that Abigail sit beside her and join in greeting the guests at her receptions. 13
    In little more than a month, Martha discovered another important role: nurse. Washington began complaining about a severe pain in his left thigh. Doctors discovered a growth that swelled and festered, making them fear it was malignant. Another physician suspected anthrax, a disease common among farm animals and sometimes contracted from people who sorted newly sheared wool. The president ran a high fever, and a rumor swept the city that he was dying. Two doctors operated without anesthesia, a discovery still far in the future. The pain was agonizing, and afterward Washington’s head ached so intensely he could not tolerate the slightest noise. His secretary roped off the street around his house to eliminate passing carriages and bawling peddlers with creaky carts. It took him the entire summer to recover his strength.
    Most of the time the Washingtons enjoyed New York. The city was full of exhibits of exotic animals, sometimes stuffed, often alive. A waxworks on Water Street featured “The President of the United States, sitting under a canopy, in his military dress.” Martha seems to have found this an especially enjoyable sight. She took the children and several other “young misses” and persuaded Washington to go for a private viewing.
    The Washingtons’ favorite recreation was the John Street theater, which they attended so often that the proprietor created a presidential box, with the coat of arms of the United States in gold across its front. They particularly liked plays such as Sheridan’s School for Scandal , which was considered racy in its day. Their attendance was usually advertised in advance to drum up business. As they entered their box, often with a party of friends, the band struck up “The President’s March” and the audience gave them a standing ovation. 14
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    Politics absorbed most of the president’s attention. Congress was torn by wild wrangles over how to create a workable government. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton had proposed a financial plan to cure the nation’s chronic bankruptcy. The government would assume the wartime debts of both the states and Congress and utilize a new entity, the Bank of the United States, to gradually repay them. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and his friend Congressman