he told james madison in 1785, if we are not, let us no longer act afarce by pretending to be it. subsequent events confirmed his worst fears, the pitchfork uprising in western massachusetts left washington mortified beyond expression. so did congress' anemic response to the rebel on, symptomatic of the confederation's inability to raise troops or levy taxes or provide for the common defense. the united states it appeared were sadly misnamed. a daily rebuke to the commanding general who's citizen armies suffered unimaginably to fulfill the promise of self-government. he was holding to such crew views, conspicuous among them, saw in washington the key to american unity and political self-respect. with so much hanging in the balance, would this reluctant retireee risk his prestige in a long shot attempt to establish a government worthy of the name? washington had personal as well as political reasons to hold back. the washingtons were a short lived breed and in his mid-50s the general regarded himself as living on borrowed time. life at mount vernon was good. freed from the public e