George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are two of the greatest men this nation has produced. Both had flaws, too. Scratching the surface, Washington had faults as a military tactician and Jefferson in dealing with trade. But the most obvious stain on their legacies is that they owned slaves. The greatness of both men is based on their work to found the nation. Washington, a so-so military strategist, managed to keep the Continental Army together long enough, and to win or at least accomplish enough draws in battles, that he at last cornered British Gen. Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, where French ships and troops helped secure the stunning victory that led Parliament to acknowledge the United States as a separate country. Without Washington, there might have been no United States. Washington deserves respect. Jefferson took a leading role as part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. He wrote the first draf...