Washington's task was to transform the improbable into the inevitable. Author: Joseph J. Ellis Copy Quote More from Joseph J. Ellis “In Jefferson's mind great historical leaps forward were almost always the produ…” “Burr had the dark and severe coloring of his Edwards ancestry, with black hair …” “Some models of self-control are able to achieve their serenity easily because t…” “Antislavery idealists might prefer to live in some better world, which like all…”