Review: ‘Young Washington’ reminded me what patriotism actually looks like
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Every Fourth of July, we celebrate America. Fireworks. Flags. Barbecues. Parades.
And somewhere along the way, we usually end up debating what it means to love this country.
That’s one of the reasons I found myself unexpectedly moved by “Young Washington”.
Not because it’s a flawless movie, because it isn’t.
The pacing takes its time. Some performances are stronger than others. It occasionally feels like it’s trying to find its footing.
But by the end, I realized it wasn’t really telling George Washington’s story.
It was telling the story of becoming the kind of person worthy of leading something bigger than yourself.
And maybe that’s exactly the story we need this Fourth of July.
America has never been perfect
Sometimes we talk about America’s founding as if everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to.
History tells a different story.
The founders argued. They disagreed. They made mistakes.
Some of those mistakes had consequences that generations would spend centuries trying to correct.
“Young Washington” doesn’t ignore Washington’s ambition. It doesn’t present him as someone who always had the right answer.
Instead, it shows a young man learning, sometimes painfully, that leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about being willing to grow. That feels refreshingly honest.
Seeing this near-mythical figure, George Washington, as a young and flawed character chasing glory and praise helped me see the man in a new light, a better light. He was flawed, he had a life full of mistakes, just like you and me. But he saw those mistakes as lessons and became that hero.
We’re human, and it was inspiring to see he was too.
The American experiment was always messy
One of my favorite parts of the movie is that it quietly reminds us of something we often forget: America wasn’t built by people who all thought alike.
It was built by people who argued fiercely, challenged one another, and somehow managed to build something together anyway.
That’s always been the miracle. Not that everyone agreed. That they believed the conversation was worth having.
Today, it can feel like disagreement itself is the problem.
But disagreement has always been part of the American story. The goal isn’t to eliminate different opinions. The goal is to keep moving toward something better together.
Patriotism isn’t pretending we’re perfect
I don’t think patriotism means pretending our country has never failed.
I think it means believing it’s worth improving.
Washington grows throughout the movie because he learns from failure, accepts responsibility, changes, and ultimately chooses service over personal glory.
Those aren’t just leadership qualities. They’re citizenship qualities.
A healthy nation isn’t one that never makes mistakes, but one that’s willing to learn from them.
A birthday worth celebrating
This year marks America’s 250th birthday.
That’s remarkable.
Few nations have sustained an experiment in self-government this long.
We’ve endured wars, depressions, disagreements, political shifts, and cultural revolutions.
Through it all, the story has continued – not because we’ve always gotten everything right, but because each generation has been given another chance to make the country a little better than they found it.
That’s an idea worth celebrating.
Movies don’t usually change the way I feel about America, but “Young Washington” reminded me why I love stories like this.
Not because they ask us to worship the past. Because they encourage us to become better in the present.
Maybe that’s what patriotism has always been. Not believing America is perfect. Believing it’s worth helping become the best version of itself.
“Young Washington” is not a perfect movie. It is not going to become the quintessential film about the American Revolution, but it stands as a fantastic start to celebrate the Fourth of July and 250 years of this great nation.