Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation
by Richard Norton Smith
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard Norton SmithEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-02-17
ISBN: 0395855128
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation
Book Review: Guardian of the young republic and its Constitution
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a bit dry (hence 4 stars), but I did not have any trouble staying with the story. After an introduction, the book is solely about Washington during his eight-year Presidency and his almost three years afterward (to his death).
In addition to politics, we get pieces that tell us how Washington felt about First People, slavery, and the building of what would become Washington D.C. The narrative is sometimes interrupted by small stories; for example, who dined with Washington one evening and who argued with whom. I learned to regard these breaks as information about who was in his larger circle and what was considered fair dinner conversation in his company.
I feel that the author drives to two conclusions. One is in the first half of chapter 13, "An Honorable Discharge." Here the author explains the significance of Washington's Farewell Address in terms of the man, the country he fought to create, and the Constitution he helped create and to which he yielded as President. This is worth all the reading that came before. The second conclusion is the Epilogue in which the author tries to redress the common myth of Washington as the cold icon on the dollar bill.
By the end, the author convinced me of Washington's greatness as the man who led the new republic into fairly using its new Constitution. (I think we should be thankful he considered farming Mount Vernon more rewarding than political leadership.) Washington was the rarest of military heroes -- he chose to be a visionary guardian of the new country instead of riding his reputation into a dictatorship. Young America was very fortunate.
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