Washington: A Life (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

Everyone knows George Washington was the military leader who defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War and is regarded as the Father of the Country. Some may also be aware that he ranked near the best among all the US Presidents, but probably not much more about the life and work of George Washington. (How many know that Washington was also the Father of the American Mule?)Many years ago, I had read the books “1776” by David McCullough and “His Excellency – George Washington“ by Joseph Ellis. However, with the passage of time, whatever I learned have faded from memory. Recently, after reading “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin and “Jefferson” by Jon Meacham, I thought I should read “Washington – A Life” by Ron Chernow. The page numbers of these books are 754, 505, and 817 respectively, not including footnotes. They are long, but thankfully they all are engrossing page-turners and are easy to read.I thought all three books are excellent. In particular, I believe that anyone who invests the time to read “Washington – A Life” will be rewarded with much information not only about George and Martha Washington but also a number of interesting events and colorful personalities in early American History. To wet the reader’s appetite, below is a sample of what I learned.- The name Mount Vernon was given in honor of the British Admiral Edward Vernon, whom George Washington’s half-brother, Lawrence served under, while he was in the Colonial “Regiment of Foot” (Infantry). “Thus the name of a forgotten British admiral would implausibly grace America’s secular shrine to the revolt against British rule,” stated the author.- The bravery of George Washington in battles was well established during the French and Indian War. To his brother Jack, Washington speculated that he was still alive “by the miraculous care of Providence that protected me beyond all human expectation. I had 4 bullets through my coat and two horses shot under and yet escaped unhurt.” In the battle of Fort Necessity, a young doctor named James Craik, observed: “I expected every moment to see him fall. His duty and station exposed him to every danger. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him.” Washington’s daring even fostered a lasting mystique among the Indians. A folk belief existed among some North American tribes that certain warriors enjoyed supernatural protection from death in battle, and this mythic statue was projected onto Washington. It was his legendary bravery that enabled his military reputation to keep rising despite losing the battles of Fort Necessity and Fort Monongahela.- The strategy that resulted in the Victory at Yorktown against the British which ended the Revolutionary War was actually originated by the French Lt. Gen. Comte de Rochambeau. Washington’s plan was to retake New York, which was repeatedly not agreed to by the French. That Lt. Gen. Comte de Rochambeau hesitated to go along with Washington’s plan turned out to be a blessing for America.- The first suggestion of what eventually became the structure of the new American Government came from a letter to Washington from John Jay in early 1787, which stated: “Let congress legislate, let others execute, let others judge.” Jay was then serving as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, appointed by Congress of the Confederation. (Jay later served as the 1st Chief Justice of the United States).- When Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790, America was curiously devoid of public eulogy to this founding father. The French outdid the U.S. Congress by the eloquent homage to “the genius who liberated America and poured upon Europe torrents of light.”- It seemed that Washington was short of cash most of the time and his estates in Mount Vernon and neighboring counties were not financially profitable. When he was elected as the first president of the US, he had to borrow money to make it to New York City for his own inauguration in 1789. Washington was beset by health problems from time to time, ranging from dysentery, thigh tumor to pneumonia. In particular, he had bad teeth. Indeed, in his first Presidential Inauguration in April 30, 1789 he had only one good tooth remained. Martha Washington suffered an inordinate number of family deaths - two husband including Washington, four children and seven siblings. Nevertheless, neither George nor Martha ever reacted to grave setbacks in a maudlin, self-pitying manner. Both believed in a world replete with suffering in which one muddled through with as much dignity and grace as one could muster.- Thomas Jefferson once boasted that “If I could not go to heaven but with a (political) party, I would not go there at all”. Yet, Jefferson and his supporters were founders of the Republican Party, which fought fiercely with the Federalist Party led by Alexander Hamilton. The intensity of the political infighting as narrated in the book is evidence that the political bickering and partisanship we witness today date all the way back to the earliest days of the Republic. In the book “Jefferson” by Jon Meacham, Hamilton appeared to be a scheming politician. In the present book, on the other hand, Hamilton appeared to be extremely intelligent and it was Jefferson and James Madison who were cunning and duplicitous. Washington was on the side of Hamilton.- Many interesting characters appeared in the book, including Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, the arrogant but brilliant French Architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who conceived the architectural layout of the new capitol Washington, D. C. A most interesting personality was Marquis Layette, who is “considered a national hero in both America and France”.The quote about Washington which appeared in the front of the book was that by Abigail Adams: “Simple truth is his best, his greatest eulogy.”The more famous eulogy of George Washington, given at his funeral by Henry Lee, did not appear until the end of the book: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."After reading the book, the reader will better understand the rationale and context of these quotes. He/she can then decide whether the sentiments expressed therein resonate.Lastly, did you know that Henry Lee was the father of famous Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee? What an irony that he was the close friend of George Washington and author of the famous eulogy.

Washington, A Life by Ron Chernow should be required reading by all of us, including our children. For most of us, the images we have in our heads of the founding fathers were formed a lifetime ago when we were children. Today our children are forming those same images in their minds, based on boring textbooks and teachers that have only a borderline knowledge of Washington, or that matter an interest. Had I been fortunate enough to have had a book like this several decades ago, my understanding and interest in Washington would have been remarkably different than the lifeless, waxwork image that most of us have.Chernow makes George Washington come alive, and how grateful we should be for this. Every few years a new book comes out on our country's first President, each one is pronounced the definitive one, and yet next year there is another one. What differentiates Chernow from all of the rest is his capacity to convey a living human being with an emotional life, something no other author has been able to do so far.First, let's discuss the mechanics of the book. Without the footnotes and index, we are looking at 817 pages printed with a small font. It's a big heavy book, but remember that many Washington biographies encompass several volumes, usually 3 or 4. Chernow was very reliant on the papers of the George Washington Project at the University of Virginia. This involves more than 130,000 relevant documents.First composed by John C. Fitzpatrick in the 1930's and 1940's, the papers occupy 39 volumes of letters written by George Washington. In recent years, this work has been expanded to 60 volumes, which now includes letters addressed to Washington as well as writings of his friends, family, and others who lived during his lifetime.One of the amazing statements I took out of the book was Chernow's comment that we now know more about George Washington than his own friends, family or contemporaries did. The book itself is divided into six distinct parts. They are:Part I - The FrontiersmanPart II - The PlanterPart III - The GeneralPart IV - The StatesmanPart V - Acting the PresidencyPart VI - The LegendI am going to describe an instance briefly from each section to give you a feel for how interesting this book is. Chapter 4 of Part I is called the Bloodbath. In it Chernow describes vividly how Colonel Washington trained 160 green recruits to take on more than 1000 French soldiers with 360 boats and 18 pieces of artillery during the French and Indian War. This occurred in May of 1754.It is obvious that America's founder lost control of his troops who engaged in scalping, and other acts which the future President found to be degrading. Washington himself had to lie to his troops and tell them that additional soldiers were on their way to reinforce their position. He would regret the actions that took place in this encounter for the rest of his life.In Part II, chapter 17 Washington finds himself living in Cambridge Massachusetts adjacent to Harvard University, and regrets never having attended college. He lives in the house of John Vassall and encounters a young slave named Darby Vassall. Washington decides to take young Darby into his service and changes his mind, when the young man says, "What would my wages be." What most of us would find to be humor, Washington found to be insulting.During this period of his life, Washington is described by different people in the following terms, venerated, truly noble and majestic, vast ease, dignity, always buffed and polished. He always had an elegant sword strapped to his side, and had silver spurs attached to his boots. When asked how he would pick an officer, his reply was that he must be a true gentleman, with a genuine sense of humor, and the reputation of being able to rise.In Part III the General deals with the revolutionary war. Chapter 28 is about the Long Retreat. Washington is so disappointed when General Benjamin Lincoln must surrender Charleston, South Carolina along with 2,571 men with 343 artillery pieces plus 6000 muskets. Normally soldiers are allowed to surrender with dignity and march out with their colors, but not this time. To shame the Americans, we were required to lay down our arms in silence. The choice was than given to become a prisoner of war or return home after a solemn oath to refrain from further fighting.This part also includes the Benedict Arnold affair. If you think you know the story, believe me, you don't. Arnold comes through as an extraordinary American. Words to describe him include, fearless, racing on horseback to spur on his men, most enterprising, and dangerous as a warrior. Arnold had horses shot out from under him, and kept going. One of his legs was basically blown off, and still he would not stop fighting, refusing amputation; he was able to carry on. The first President of our country is totally enamored of Benedict Arnold.Arnold on the other hand felt betrayed by our country. Far superior to the generals he reported to, other generals took credit for the victories that Arnold won, and paid for with his body, in pain and parts. Officials in Pennsylvania officials falsely accused Arnold of exploiting his position for personal gain. The General demanded an immediate trial by court martial. Arnold felt that George Washington did not come to his defense, and this led to the ultimate betrayal. It is Arnold's betrayal that has erased all the major battles he won on behalf of this country - sound familiar.In Part IV, the Statesman, we see George Washington as perhaps the first American celebrity. He is the most famous person in our new country, a position he is completely uncomfortable with. His brother dead, he takes his children into his home, and raises them as his own. If you want to understand Washington, listen to what Nelly and Washy, the two children say to describe the General. He (Washington) never spoke of a single act of his life, during the war. He was a remote figure.Part V is Acting the Presidency. Chernow used a term that makes no sense unless you read the book. The concept is not creating the Presidency, but Acting the Presidency. Washington felt and knew when he became President that every act would be scrutinized. His fear was that of all the branches of government, only the Presidency possessed the power and potential to slip into monarchy, and subvert the Republican form of government. He would avoid this slippage at all costs. Chernow also explores the concept that many things which appear to be of little importance have the ability to have durable consequences.Bringing it all together, I believe from this day forward, we will now have a definitive, reliable, and wonderfully readable story of the life of our most important American. Creating what we call America was a very difficult task, but it was left to Washington to lead a war to create it, to win the Presidency to create the model for everything that would come afterwards, and set by example how each succeeding President should and would conduct himself.We have no idea what America would look like if George Washington did not exist? We don't know if America would have been at all, so much rested on his shoulders. Two-thirds of the colonists sided with the British initially. We do know this however. There were only two times in thousands of years of history when a perfect solution to the formation of a government took place. One was under Caesar Augustus, while the other was under George Washington. Now we have the definitive biography to tell us the whole story. Thank you Mr. Chernow and thank you for reading this review.Richard C. Stoyeck

This is a great book. A basic historical understanding of not just the US but the world at that time is required to judge GW rationally and justly: he was the first President of the first modern day democracy. The Founders were all exceptional, yet human. If they had brothel owners in their family or group of friends then that should be forgiven, especially when there is insufficient evidence, as the author stated. I have friends that are stock brokers… just about the moser day equivalent. There’s a trend, very trendy even, in recent years, to attack everyone from God to Columbus to Washington, Lincoln. I think it’s evidence of a sickness, a virus that spreads by way of mob rule/thought. (Recommend reading “Madness of Crowds” by G LeBon). We should all pay homage to and know our true history; which includes reading all sources. My argument would be only that this is an excellent source.

I never felt so immersed in a book. Well written.

Livro maravilhoso. Ainda assim, é muito longo mesmo e pode ser enfadonho para quem não se interessa muito pelo assunto. A história é sempre emocionante/instigante, pois George Washington teve uma vida marcada, primeiramente, pela Guerra de Independência e depois pela presidência, episódios nos quais foi protagonista. É uma importante lição para vida/carreira, ver como ele resolvia os problemas internos e externos do exército e da presidência. Além disso, o autor (grande biógrafo e escritor) traz um histórico bastante abrangente da vida de Washington, tratando também do período inicial (pouco conhecido), em que o general atuou como Frontiersman, trabalhando em expansões de terras para o Oeste. Enfim, uma leitura muito gratificante e que avança com facilidade, pois não é cansativa, mas que pode não ser ideal para quem tem pouco tempo ou disposição para ler.

El autor recolecta distintas fuentes y las consolida en una muy bien buena biografía. Cubre todos los aspectos de la vida de Washington.

Wenn ein Autor es schafft, seine Leser über 900 Seiten hinweg derart zu fesseln, dann muss der Inhalt direkt aus dem Leben stammen. So viel Spannung kann sich kein Romanautor ausdenken. So erging es mir bei dieser vorbildlichen Biographie Washingtons von Ron Chernow. Schon auf den ersten Seiten holt Chernow den Leser in seinem Alltag ab und entführt ihn in eine Zeit und Welt, die ihm enorm vertraut erscheint, obgleich über 200 Jahre und ein ganzer Ozean dazwischen liegen.Ron Chernow ist kein Historiker; und vielleicht liegt gerade darin seine Stärke, die ihm hilft, so zu schreiben, dass man sich das Beschriebene leicht vorstellen kann. Sofort ist der Leser zum Zeitgenossen im Haushalt George Washingtons geworden. Er erlebt die schwere Kindheit des Jungen mit, der mit 11 Jahren seinen Vater verliert und dessen Mutter unter der Last ihrer sich dadurch ergebenden Verantwortung schier zerbricht, was sich auch in ihrer überkritischen Haltung allen gegenüber zeigt. George seinerseits konnte seine Mutter nicht wirklich lieben lernen, da sie an allem von ihm etwas auszusetzen hatte, und entwickelte eine distanzierte Beziehung zu ihr, was sich etwa in der Anrede in Briefen zeigte, wenn er sie als „Honored Madam“ (also „Geehrte Dame“) ansprach. Er selbst entwickelte eine große Sensibilität gegenüber Kritik und suchte ein Leben lang nach Anerkennung.Washington hatte keine höhere Schulbildung, vieles muss er sich selbst beigebracht haben. Sein Leben lang hatte er sich zur Strategie gemacht, mit großer Kraft an allen seinen erkannten Schwächen zu arbeiten, bis er sie beseitigen konnte. Doch eine seiner ganz großen Stärken war es, dass er sich sehr schnell in neue Informationen und Ideen hineindenken konnte. Das gab ihm immer wieder einen Vorsprung, den er sich zunutze machen konnte. Über inhaltliche Lektionen aus Washingtons Leben, die ich beim Lesen gelernt habe, möchte ich ein anderes Mal noch etwas expliziter schreiben.Ich habe mich gefragt, was den Schreibstil von Ron Chernow so spannend, unterhaltsam und lehrreich zugleich macht. Vermutlich sind es zwei Komponenten, die sich gegenseitig verstärken. Zum Einen ist Chernow mit der seltenen Kombination aus einem sehr klaren Verstand und einer großen Vorstellungskraft ausgestattet. Er kann aus den Abertausenden von Seiten, die Washingtons schriftliches Erbe hinterlassen hatte, das Wichtige extrahieren und so aufbereiten, dass sich der Leser des 21. Jahrhunderts dabei etwas vorstellen kann. Zum Anderen nutzt er so extensiv die verschiedensten Arten von Inhalten und verknüpft diese auf eine so passende Art, dass es gar nicht auffällt. Er zitiert Briefe, erzählt Geschichten aus Washingtons Leben, setzt Zahlenreihen in Leben um, und hat ein großes Gespür für die Sprache unserer Zeit. Gleich zu Beginn des Buches setzt er den Leser in Kenntnis, dass er um der Verständlichkeit willen manche Briefzitate an das Englisch unserer Tage angepasst hat – und das ist genau richtig so. Die Biographie ist keine wissenschaftliche Abhandlung, sondern für den interessierten Laien unserer Tage geschrieben. Wer die genauen Zitate im Englisch Washingtons lesen möchte, findet immer die Quellenangabe dazu und kann es in der großen Werksausgabe selbständig nachlesen.Die Biographie von Chernow ist keine Lobrede auf George Washington. Manchmal hat man das Gefühl, dass manche Biographien vor allem dazu dienen sollen, die großen Taten des „Helden“ in Szene zu setzen. Davon ist hier nichts zu sehen. Washington wird als Kind seiner Zeit dargestellt, und vor allem als Mensch, der sich im Laufe der Jahre – wie jeder von uns – verändert. Gerade wenn es um die Sklavenfrage geht (Washington besaß eine große Tabakplantage, die er später mit Weizen bepflanzen ließ; entsprechend hatte er auch eine stattliche Anzahl von Sklaven) oder auch um den Glauben (beides sind für mich besonders spannende Themen), ist Chernow ehrlich, beschönigt nichts und hält sich strikte an die eigenen Aussagen Washingtons. Der Autor wirbt nicht um Verständnis für seinen Protagonisten, sondern lässt ihn stehen – in all seinem Facettenreichtum und seiner Widersprüchlichkeit.Sehr schön fand ich auch, wie Chernow beschrieb, dass Washington so ein typischer Amerikaner war, der sich selbst (oder besser gesagt: Sein „Image“ in der Öffentlichkeit) geschaffen und gepflegt hat. Und immer wieder überarbeitet und daran herumgefeilt. Das hat mich an die Benjamin-Franklin-Biographie von Walter Isaacson erinnert, in welcher es auch darum geht, dass die frühen Amerikaner Erfinder ihrer selbst waren. Auch bei Washington sind es seine eiserne Disziplin und seine Tugenden, welche ihm den nötigen Halt gaben, um sich selbst immer wieder neu zu erfinden und weiterzuentwickeln. Der erste Präsident der USA wusste bis zu seinem Tod, dass er noch unfertig war und gab sich große Mühe, sich zu verändern.Fazit:Ron Chernow legt hier eine meisterhaft geschriebene Biographie vor, die in verständlicher Sprache und mit großer Vorstellungskraft und klarer Treue zu den Tatsachen ein Bild der Vielseitigkeit George Washingtons zeichnet. Es ist kein Zufall, dass Chernow mit dieser Biographie den Pulitzer-Preis 2011 gewonnen hat. Er hat damit ein Beispiel gegeben, an welchem sich künftige Autoren von Biographien orientieren können. Ich gebe dem Buch fünf von fünf Sternen.

Ottima biografia che finalmente non teme di narrare anche le ombre di un uomo si grande ma anche decisamente imperfetto. Ron Chernow come sempre ha uno stile narrativo molto fluido che lo fa sembrare un romanzo e non una noiosa biografia storica.