Craig Bruce Smith

The American Revolution was revolutionary. That’s the deceptively simple claim to which Gordon Wood, the historian who was tragically killed at the age of 92 on Sunday, devoted his career. The Revolution, of course, overthrew a monarchy—but the freedoms it advanced were unequally enjoyed, and the Founders left a great deal undone. But Wood insisted that, even so, we not lose sight of its fundamental character.

On July 4, Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first pilgrimage to Mount Vernon. The former California governor was there to congratulate 100 individuals from nearly as many countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, as they became American citizens. In doing so, he joined a long line of distinguished individuals who have come to pay homage to a man whose leadership was defined not by how he wielded power, but by how he gave it up.