George washington chernow

  • Mr.
  • Washington: A Life is a biography of George Washington, the first president of the United States, written by American historian and biographer Ron Chernow.
  • Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States.

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    Washington: A Life

    July 10,
    “[George] Washington had dominated American political life for so long that many Americans could not conceive of life without him. A widespread fear arose that, deprived of his guiding hand, the Republic itself might founder…Perhaps as an antidote to such apprehension, Washington was smothered beneath national piety, and it became difficult for biographers to reclaim the complex human being. The man immediately began to merge with the myth. As the subject of more than kvartet hundred printed orations [after his death], Washington was converted into an exemplar of moral values, the person chosen to tutor posterity in patriotism, even a civic deity…Washington’s transformation into a sacred figure erased his tough, often moody natur, stressing only his serene composure and making it more difficult for future generations to fathom his achievements. Abigail Adams justly rebelled at the idealized portrait: ‘Simple truth fryst vatten his best, his greatest euology…’”
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    Why This Book: I had read Chernow&#;s biographies Grant and Alexander Hamilton, and found them superbly written, fascinating and insightful. For Washington, Chernow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.  So I wanted to read (listen to) it. 

    Summary in 4 Sentences: The book covers Washington&#;s life from what little is known of his childhood and anecstors to his death, concluding with Martha Washington&#;s death.  His younger years were spent trying to rise in society from his rather humble beginnings and then moves on to his service in the French and Indian War and the following years as he became prominent in Virginia colonial politics.  A large section of the book covers the American Revolutionary War, followed by Washington&#;s role in the constitutional convention and the forming of the government.  It concludes with his 8 years as President followed by his nearly four years as the first Ex-President before he died.  The book makes clear that indeed Washington

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    Book Review of &#;George Washington: A Life&#;

    Reviewed by David Price, Washington Crossing Historic Park Historical Interpreter

    Although Ron Chernow’s weighty tome is not for every reader, anyone wanting to discover the flesh-and-blood man behind the Washington legend need look no further than this Pulitzer Prize-winning account.

    Chernow’s elegant prose brilliantly captures America’s elusive “First Hero.”

    His Washington is an individual of driving ambition but modest public persona. Someone who experienced powerful emotions but publicly maintained an aloof and dignified demeanor; a shrewd businessman who struggled in his quest for financial security; a demanding slaveholder who became the only “founding father” to free those he held in servitude; a public figure who exhibited keen political skills but is not generally regarded as a skilled politician; a man of sound judgment who needed ample time to make decisions; a warrior who steadfastly adhered to the principal of civilia

  • george washington chernow