'Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation' presents a compilation of guidelines and principles on etiquette and manners that were handwritten by George Washington. This collection offers a fascinating insight into the social norms and expectations of the 18th century. Providing advice on how to conduct oneself with grace and respect in various social setting.
This is a SoundCraft Audiobooks production featuring digitally enhanced performances of some of history's greatest speeches - all presented as they might have originally been heard.
The immersive audio experience presented here - complete with sound effects, music and atmospherics - allows the listener to feel as if they were in attendance when these speeches were first delivered. The orations are performed by a select group of amazing actors who uniquely capture the essence, power and complexity of these magnificent addresses, universally acknowledged as some of the greatest speeches in world history.
Volume I features such disparate historical characters as the philosopher Socrates, Jesus Christ, Queen Elizabeth I, President George Washington and the abolitionist Sojourner Truth, among others.
This collection is part one of a series. Search for 'History's Greatest Speeches' to discover more from SoundCraft and Fort Raphael Publishing.
George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation is a set of 110 precepts or maxims on such matters as how to dress, how to walk, how to eat in public, and how to behave correctly in the company of superiors and equals. While containing the clear guidance in propriety, the rules also address moral issues, albeit somewhat indirectly. The rules are based on a set of precepts found in a treatise “Bienseance de la Conversation” prepared by Jesuit instructors in the 16th century. They were translated into Latin and English, and eventually were translated by the precocious eight-year-old Francis Hawkins into an English version that was published in 1649 and went through eleven editions by 1672. The rules appear on ten pages at the end of the second volume of schoolboy exercises included among the hundreds of Washington manuscripts located in the Library of Congress. Washington copied out these rules at about age 16 as both an exercise in handwriting and as a means to master topics worthy of consideration in the building of character, and thus important to a young man on the verge entering into adulthood.
- From the “Origin of the Rules of Civility”, by Charles Moore, 1926
George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation is an amazing book composed by Washington. It is based on a set of rules put forth by French Jesuits in the late 16th century.
Copied out by hand as a young man aspiring to the status of Gentleman, George Washington's 110 rules were based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. The first English edition of these rules was available in Francis Hawkins' Youths Behavior, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men, which appeared in 1640, and it is from work that Washington seems to have copied. The rules as Washington wrote them out are a simplified version of this text. However much he may have simplified them, these precepts had a strong influence on Washington, who aimed to always live by them. The rules focus on self-respect and respect for others through details of etiquette. The rules offer pointers on such issues as how to dress, walk, eat in public, and address one's superiors.
'It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one."
"It is better to be alone than in bad company."
"If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.' George Washington
George Washington was America's foremost political leader, military general, statesman and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. He commanded Patriot forces in the new nation's vital American Revolutionary War and led them to victory over the British. Washington also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the new federal government. For his manifold leadership during the American Revolution, for all of this and more he has been called the 'Father of His Country'. This is his story.
GEOFFREY GIULIANO is the author of thirty two internationally best selling books published by the biggest publishers in the world from 1984 to today. He is also an acclaimed Hollywood film actor, director, designer, and is the voice on over 500 popular audiobooks.
Series producer Avalon Giuliano in New York
Produced by Alex Franchi in Milan
Edited and mixed by Macc Kay in Bangkok
ICON intern Eden Garret Giuliano
Music by Audionautix
George Washington was America's foremost political leader, military general, statesman and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. He commanded Patriot forces in the new nation's vital American Revolutionary War and led them to victory over the British. Washington also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the new federal government. For his manifold leadership during the American Revolution, for all of this and more he has been called the 'Father of His Country'. This is his story.
GEOFFREY GIULIANO is the author of thirty two internationally best selling books published by the biggest publishers in the world from 1984 to today. He is also an acclaimed Hollywood film actor, director, designer, and is the voice on over 500 popular audiobooks.
Series producer Avalon Giuliano in New York
Produced by Alex Franchi in Milan
Edited and mixed by Macc Kay in Bangkok
ICON intern Eden Garret Giuliano
George Washington gained a reputation for military excellence for his service in the French and Indian War. This experience, combined with his unique situation as a relative outsider, made him an obvious choice to lead the Continental Army. Washington managed to get a ragtag army into fighting form, leading them to victory against all odds. Yet he remained humble; in this acceptance speech, he said, "I am truly sensible of the high Honor done me in this Appointment... I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with."
The act of dedicating a time to be thankful preceded the Thanksgiving holiday. It even preceded what most think of as the "First Thanksgiving" in Plymouth. This act became an official holiday only after a committee introduced a resolution on the matter to the House and Senate in 1789. President Washington instituted the holiday, stating that it would be "devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."
In 1790, Moses Seixas of the Touro Synagogue wrote a letter to President Washington. Representing a people who had been escaping persecution for generations, he wanted confirmation that Jews would be given full freedom in the United States. Washington assured Seixas, and those of all religions, that "the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support." Thisletter provides insight into two founding principles of America: freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
As the Revolutionary War came to an end, Congress had failed to pay many of its soldiers. In response, a group of officers from the Continental Army planned a mutiny. When they met to discuss their plans, George Washington arrived on the scene to have his say. In this emotional speech, he acknowledged their concerns but condemned their methods.
Before George Washington was president, he was a great general. He understood not only how to lead men into battle, but also how to keep them fighting when things became bleak. After the brutal Battle of Long Island, Washington wrote to the president of the Continental Congress. In his letter, he described the distressing nature of the situation and how best to maintain an army when morale was low.
