2. You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe
alexis coe begins his book by pointing out that there hasn’t been an adult biography of george washington written by a woman in over forty years. She then mocks some of Washington’s male biographers, whom she dubs the “thigh men” for her founding father’s obsession with masculinity. Historian Joseph Ellis, for example, admired how Washington’s thighs “enabled him to grip a horse’s flanks with force and hold her in the saddle with uncommon ease.”
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Coe’s perspective is helpful when considering George Washington’s mother, Mary Washington. Thigh Men often portray Mary as a harpy, although there is little evidence to support such a harsh opinion. Coe’s Mary Washington, on the other hand, is a hard-working widow, who managed the farm and raised arguably the greatest American of all time.
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This book has many lists, sidebars, and primary sources. I really enjoyed the inclusion of this content and I think it’s a smart way to reach a larger audience. Among the many interesting things, Coe includes a recipe for hoecakes, Washington’s favorite breakfast. There’s also a sidebar with Washington’s moody sidebars on sections of a pamphlet written by James Monroe that criticized the Washington administration.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. One criticism, however, is that there is little here about Washington’s military career. ironically, it is as if he is admitting that this is a topic for male historians. Personally, I believe—paraphrasing Georges Clemenceau—the subject of war is too serious a matter to be entrusted solely to men of the thigh.
3. The Indian World of George Washington by Colin CallowayCalloway, who believes that “nothing was more central than the relationship between the first president and the first Americans,” has written one of the best and most important books on George Washington. Throughout Washington’s hectic life, he inhabited a world “in the land of dispossessed Indians”. he had been linked to the frontier as a surveyor, speculator, soldier, and politician, and would amass 45,000 acres of western land by the time of his death.
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This is a fascinating book that I couldn’t put down. The Indians actually called Washington Conotocarious, which means “destroyer of cities.” Several years after the Revolutionary War, the Seneca chiefs told Washington, “When your army entered the country of the six nations, we called you the destroyer of peoples; and to this day, when the name is heard, our women look back and turn pale and our children cling to their mothers’ necks.”
calloway makes it clear that his goal is not to demonize washington. rather, he tries to show that his life was “inextricably tied to Native Americans, a reality we have forgotten since our historical hindsight has so sharply and prematurely separated Indians and early Americans into winners and losers.” ”. Calloway concludes by examining Washington’s complex legacy. the founding father “believed that his policies put the Indians on the path of survival, not destruction, giving them the opportunity to remake themselves as American citizens.” however, washington ultimately “failed to balance expansion into indigenous lands with justice for indigenous people.”
4. never caught: washington’s relentless pursuit of his fugitive slave, in a judge by erica armstrong dunbargeorge washington owned and managed hundreds of slaves at mount vernon during his lifetime. This remarkable book by Erica Armstrong Dunbar examines the connection between Washington and the institution of slavery. journalist michele norris never feels trapped “she should be on americans’ reading list about our real story”. I totally agree.
a judge, one of martha washington’s favorite slaves, ran away from philadelphia in 1796 and ended up in portsmouth, new hampshire. The judge decided to flee after hearing that Martha intended to give Ona to her granddaughter as a wedding present. learning of the leak, george washington wrote, “the ingratitude of the girl, who was raised & Treated more like a child than a servant (and Mrs. Washington’s desire to win her back) should not escape her with impunity if she can be helped.”
george washington may have expressed ambivalence about slavery later in life, but he remained financially dependent on the institution throughout his career as a soldier and statesman. this book shows that washington was a demanding slave owner, taking extraordinary measures to protect his human “property”. When an official suggested that a female judge might return if promised her freedom, Washington wrote, “however well disposed I may be to the gradual abolition, or even outright emancipation, of that description of persons (if the latter were per se practicable). same). right now) it would be neither political nor fair to reward infidelity with premature preference.” Washington waited until his death to free 123 of its own slaves, although his emancipation would be delayed until after Martha’s death. and Marta’s 150 separate property “dotal” slaves would not be freed after his death. George Washington’s legacy was forever tarnished by his lifelong commitment to slavery. he recognized that ownership of his fellow man was wrong, but he lacked the moral courage to do anything meaningful about it.
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