[494] Lee's words became the hallmark by which Washington's reputation was impressed upon the American memory, with some biographers regarding him as the great exemplar of republicanism. He set many precedents for the national government and the presidency in particular, and he was called the "Father of His Country" as early as 1778.[495][u]
In 1879, Congress proclaimed Washington's Birthday to be a federal holiday.[497] Twentieth-century biographer Douglas Southall Freeman concluded, "The great big thing stamped across that man is character."Modern historian David Hackett Fischer has expanded upon Freeman's assessment, defining Washington's character as "integrity, self-discipline, courage, absolute honesty, resolve, and decision, but also forbearance, decency, and respect for others".[498]
Washington became an international symbol for liberation and nationalism as the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire. The Federalists made him the symbol of their party, but the Jeffersonians continued to distrust his influence for many years and delayed building the Washington Monument.[499] Washington was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on January 31, 1781, before he had even begun his presidency.