American Patriarch
The Life of George Washington
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
From historian and Pulitzer Prize–finalist H. W. Brands comes a vivid portrait of George Washington, an iconic leader who steered the American army to victory and set our nation on its path to democracy and freedom.
“With this masterly volume, Brands has further solidified his standing as one of our nation’s greatest historians. American Patriarch is by turns brilliant and bold.”
—Justin Vaughn, founder and director of the Presidential Greatness Project
George Washington was a singular figure in American history, and he remains unmatched. In his military career, Washington was more than just a leader; he was the embodiment of the American Revolution. As the first president of the United States, he established expectations that have shaped the presidency ever since. Other men gained military fame; some of these became president. But in American Patriarch, scholar and master storyteller H. W. Brands argues that none so towered above his contemporaries in both war and peace as Washington.
In a compelling narrative that confounds expectations, Brands portrays a Washington who perseveres through a series of failures and setbacks, attributing to him a resolute will and uncovering qualities that made him a model of American virtue. With its dazzling cast of characters—from the French and Indians on the Ohio frontier; to the Marquis de Lafayette, Benedict Arnold and Baron von Steuben on the revolutionary battlefield; to Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton locked in conflict during Washington’s presidency—American Patriarch shows that it is Washington above all who wrested America free from British control, gave credibility to the Constitution and crafted the norms of governing that would steady America as a nation for generations to follow. Drawing on diaries, letters, speeches and broadsides of the day, American Patriarch brings to startling life the man who was called on time and again by his peers to lead.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
There’s a remarkably steady guiding theme that runs throughout H. W. Brands’ captivating biography of George Washington: consistency of character. As Brands describes him, the first U.S. president began securing his place in history well before there was even a country to lead. Paying particular attention to his long and pivotal military career, Brands explores Washington’s thoughts and personality through the eyes of those around him. The resulting portrait reveals not a genius but a man of his time, a doer rather than a thinker who was more prepared than others to act as a trailblazing force in the formation of a new nation. The vision that Brands offers of Washington’s presidency, complete with its flaws and fractures, is also a fascinating origin story for American democracy. Whether or not you’re already familiar with Washington’s life, you’ll be compelled by this look at him as a person who was uniquely suited for his role in history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Brands (America First) examines George Washington's life with an eye to uncovering what gave him his unique character in this immersive biography. Brands tracks how the resourcefulness, bravery, decisiveness, and diligence of a talented young officer who " war invigorating and seductive" morphed into the signature mix of authority and modesty of the general who famously accepted command of the Continental army while proclaiming his unworthiness, and who possessed an almost preternatural ability to inspire while exhibiting an extreme devotion to duty. These traits led Washington to relinquish power not once but twice—first giving up his command of the army at the end of the war, and then again giving up the presidency after two terms—inspiring the fledgling nation with confidence in the soundness of its republican ideals. In Brands's assessment, Washington was painfully self-aware that his every move set a precedent—he wasn't a creature of pure instinct—but, on the other hand, the gentlemanly disinterest at the bedrock of his persona was partly a product of his aristocratic upbringing. A passage depicting Washington's idle handling of the fates of his slaves showcases the unsettling side of such a disinterested persona, though Brands doesn't peer too far into those depths. This detailed character study reveals a Washington who manifested his own myth.
