His Excellency: George Washington
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- Notes: Stigmatize New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Shape: NEW
- ISBN13: 9781400032532
Description
To this landmark biography of our first president, Joseph J. Ellis brings the exacting scholarship, shrewd analysis, and lyric prose that have made him one of the premier historians of the Revolutionary era. Training his lens on a figure who sometimes seems as remote as his effigy on Mount Rushmore, Ellis assesses George Washington as a military and political leader and a man whose “statue-like solidity” concealed volcanic energies and emotions.
Here is the impetuous young officer whose miraculous survival in combat half-convinced him that he could not be killed. Here is the free-spending landowner whose debts to English merchants instilled him with a prickly resentment of imperial power. We see the general who lost more battles than he won and the reluctant president who tried to float above the partisan feuding of his cabinet.
His Excellency is a magnificent work, indispensable to an understanding not only of its subject but also of the nation he brought into being.
As commander of the Continental army, George Washington united the American colonies, defeated the British army, and became the world's most famous man. But how much do Americans really know about their first president? Today, as Pulitzer Prize-winner Joseph J. Ellis says in this crackling biography, Americans see their first president on dollar bills, quarters, and Mount Rushmore, but only as "an icon--distant, cold, intimidating." In truth, Washington was a deeply emotional man, but one who prized and practiced self-control (an attribute reinforced during his years on the battlefield).
Washington first gained recognition as a 21-year-old emissary for the governor of Virginia, braving savage conditions to confront encroaching French forces. As the de facto leader of the American Revolution, he not only won the country's independence, but helped shape its political personality and "topple the monarchical and aristocratic dynasties of the Old World." When the Congress unanimously elected him president, Washington accepted reluctantly, driven by his belief that the union's very viability depended on a powerful central government. In fact, keeping the country together in the face of regional allegiances and the rise of political parties may be his greatest presidential achievement.
Based on Washington's personal letters and papers, His Excellency is smart and accessible--not to mention relatively brief, in comparison to other encyclopedic presidential tomes. Ellis's short, succinct sentences speak volumes, allowing readers to glimpse the man behind the myth. --Andy Boynton
Amazon.com Exclusive Content
Curious about George?
Amazon.com reveals a few facts about the legendary first president of the United States.
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Washington bust by Jean Antoine Houdon.
Courtesy of the Mt. Vernon Ladies' Assoc. |
1. The famous tale about Washington chopping down the cherry tree ("Father, I cannot tell a lie") is a complete fabrication.
2. George Washington never threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River--in fact, to do so from the shore of his Mount Vernon home would have been physically impossible.
3. George Washington did not wear wooden teeth. His poorly fitting false teeth were in fact made of cow's teeth, human teeth, and elephant ivory set in a lead base.
4. Early in his life, Washington was himself a slave owner. His opinions changed after he commanded a multiracial army in the Revolutionary War. He eventually came to recognize slavery as "a massive American anomaly."
5. In 1759, having resigned as Virginia's military commander to become a planter, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis. Washington’s marriage to the colony's wealthiest widow dramatically changed his life, catapulting him into Virginia aristocracy.
6. Scholars have discredited suggestions that Washington's marriage to Martha lacked passion, as well as the provocative implications of the well-worn phrase "George Washington slept here."
7. Washington held his first public office when he was 17 years old, as surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia.
8. At age 20, despite no prior military experience, Washington was appointed an adjutant in the Virginia militia, in which he oversaw several militia companies, and was assigned the rank of major.
9. As a Virginia aristocrat, Washington ordered all his coats, shirts, pants, and shoes from London. However, most likely due to the misleading instructions he gave his tailor, the suits almost never fit. Perhaps this is why he appears in an old military uniform in his 1772 portrait.
10. In 1751, during a trip to Barbados with his half-brother Lawrence, Washington was stricken with smallpox and permanently scarred. Fortunately, this early exposure made him immune to the disease that would wipe out colonial troops during the Revolutionary War.
Timeline
Important dates in George Washington's life.
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| Engraving of Mount Vernon, 1804. Courtesy of the Mt. Vernon Ladies' Assoc. |
1732: George Washington is born at his father's estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
1743: George’s father, Augustine Washington, dies.
1752: At age 20, despite the fact that he has never served in the military, Washington is appointed adjutant in the Virginia militia, with the rank of major.
1753: As an emissary to Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie, he travels to the Ohio River Valley to confront French forces--the first of a series of encounters that would lead to the French and Indian War.
1755: Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of Virginia's militia.
1759: He marries wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis.
1774: Washington is elected to the First Continental Congress.
1775: He is unanimously elected by the Continental Congress as its army's commander-in-chief. Start of the American Revolution.
1776: On Christmas Day, Washington leads his army across the Delaware River and launches a successful attack against Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jersey.
1781: With the French, he defeats British troops in Yorktown, Virginia, precipitating the end of the war.
1783: The Revolutionary War officially ends.
1788: The Constitution is ratified.
1789: Washington is elected president.
1797: He fulfills his last term as president.
1799: Washington dies on December 14, sparking a period of national mourning.
Customer Reviews
The intriguing character of the man who would not be king.
This book was a bit different from what I expected when I received it as a gift. I enjoy reading American history, and thought this would be a historical examination of the Washington years, i.e. the Revolutionary War and his two terms in office. While it did obviously cover those events, it was far less of a history book and much more a biography. Indeed, some key historical events like the battles at Lexington and Concord are barely mentioned, and then only to provide some historical context for the biographical discussion. In other words, this is a high level view of America in the second half of 18th century, with Washington at the center and other people or events coming into focus only as necessary to shed light on his actions and attitudes.
The great value of this book is to offer the reader a deeper look into the character of a person who has been elevated nearly to demigod status in the minds of so many Americans. The author takes us past the Adonis-like sculpture that so many of us have seen in the Smithsonian, and into the mind of this singular figure whose importance to the birth of the country is both undeniable and somewhat accidental. We get to take a warts-and-all look at the real Washington, with his intriguing blend of ambition, ego, self-interest, commitment, service and resolve. On one hand is the aristrocratic, slave-owning squire obsessively amassing an ever larger personal estate. On the other is the revolutionary leader willing to put that life on hold for years on end and endure severe hardship to advance the greater common good. From ambitious young soldier, to marginally competent general, to stateman and president, and finally to the retired gentleman manipulated by the scheming Hamilton, Washington's successes and failures are treated with equal fairness by the author.
Particularly intriguing was the insight into Washington's growing internal conflict between his idealism -- the realization that slavery was inconsistent with his revolutionary principles -- and his intense realism and pragmatism -- the knowledge that immediate action toward emancipation was not practical either for the country or his personal affairs. His willingness to compromise on the issue for the sake of holding the country together during its formative years is understandable as we consider Washington the statesman. His vacillation at the personal level, particularly the moral inconsistencies on the slavery issue -- his willingness to own slaves to secure his financial interests, while feeling a moral revulsion to selling them -- give us a look at the internal struggles of Washington the private man. Much has been said by historians about his decision to free his slaves in his will, but the intellectual and moral gyrations that led him to that point tell us much more about Washington than that final act.
Overall I was very pleased with the insights offered in this volume, and found it a very enjoyable and quick read. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to get an unvarnished look at the real Washington. A great man? Definitely. But this book reminds us that in the final analysis, he was just a man at a unique place and time in history, and he played his role well.
2010-03-13
(Cincinnati) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4
I'll take the authors word for it.
I had a problem with the tone of this book from the start. Ellis makes definitive, conclusory statements consistently. This would be great if substantiated, except his assertions are frequently without clear citation. After a few paragraphs you're lead to an endnote that cites dozens of pages of another book or lumps two or three of Washington's letters together. This is especially concerning regarding Ellis's treatment of slavery (which incidentally seems to get more time than any other topic, and was the most rewarding portion to read). With such a charged topic I would think perfect citing is a must.
The other aspect of the book that is troubling of the repetition of themes - almost as if Ellis is anticipating chapters are going to be read separately or photocopies and handed out to a class. He reasserts the same point (Cinncinattus and Fabian thinking) in an odd way, especially considering the short length of the book and the cursory nature he treats topics worth more time.
Because Washington is worth reading about, this book is worth reading. But I'll be looking for a more complete biography that I can put a little more faith in regarding the sources. I'd recommend "His Excellency" for someone who is looking for a new perspective on Washington, not someone looking to read their first biography on our first president. As for Ellis's attempt to read Washington's mind - from marrying Martha to freeing his slaves in his will - the reader has to take the authors word for it. There aren't enough hard facts cited to make a convincing case for many of Ellis's conclusions.
2010-02-23
(Cherry Hill, NJ) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3
Don't bother with this one
So after the first chapter I have found out Washington was a liar, a mass murderer, and a coward. I have tried to read this book on several occasions as it has been in my library since I foolishly purchased it shortly after it came out. Now that I am two chapters into it I will put it down and not waste anymore time on this revisionist history.
Joseph Ellis has been proven a liar and was put on leave from Mt. Holyoke for dishonesty. Look it up. It's not surprising that a dishonest man like Ellis would seek to tear down the image of a man who had so much to do with shaping the ideals and values of the founding of country.
I would recommend the Flexner volume over this or The Real George Washington. The title of this book (His Excellency) should have given Ellis's intent to besmirch the character of Washington away.
2010-02-21
| western lover (new york unfortunately) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1
No active footnotes? (Kindle edition)
(This review refers to the Kindle edition.)
His Excellency: George Washington
Sampling the Kindle edition, there are no active footnotes. What was the publisher thinking?!
Otherwise, it looks like a great biography of Washington. However, I'll have to pass on the e-book until this flaw is corrected. Hence, three stars.
2010-02-20
(Massachusetts, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3
Excellent!
This book does an excellent job of showing the very human side of George Washington. There are some parts that offer unnecessarily-detailed descriptions of surrounding events. However, for the most part it is a very helpful synthesis 1000s of pages of information that shed light on his personality and overall life story. I definitely recommend it! Washington's God is another wonderful book on George Washington.
2010-02-17
| tristano (Seattle, WA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4
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