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George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father

George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father

by David O. Stewart

Dutton ·2021 ·560 pages
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About This Book

A fascinating and illuminating account of how George Washington became the single most dominant force in the creation of the United States of America, from award-winning author David O. Stewart Washington's rise constitutes one of the greatest self-reinventions in history. In his midtwenties, this third son of a modest Virginia planter had ruined his own military career thanks to an outrageous ego. But by his midforties, that headstrong, unwise young man had evolved into an unassailable leader chosen as the commander in chief of the fledgling Continental Army. By his midfifties, he was unanimously elected the nation's first president. How did Washington emerge from the wilderness to become the central founder of the United States of America? In this remarkable new portrait, award-winning historian David O. Stewart unveils the political education that made Washington a master politician—and America's most essential leader. From Virginia's House of Burgesses, where Washington learned the craft and timing of a practicing politician, to his management of local government as a justice of the Fairfax County Court to his eventual role in the Second Continental Congress and his grueling generalship in the American Revolution, Washington perfected the art of governing and service, earned trust, and built bridges. The lessons in leadership he absorbed along the way would be invaluable during the early years of the republic as he fought to unify the new nation.


Reviews

"readers will enjoy the author's insightful nuts-and-bolts account of his handling of the politics and infighting of local government ..."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Near the Top

"The book is nothing like that."

Barton Swaim· The Wall Street Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"A must for fans of biographies."

David Keymer· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Stewart closes with an analysis of Washington's ambivalent distaste for slavery and his posthumous freeing of his own enslaved workers."

Mark Knoblauch· Booklist Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"His extensive coverage of Washington's early professional experience is fitting, given the many documented lessons amassed from colonial-era relationships ..."

Andrew Burstein· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Stewart delves into Washington's mixed record ..."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"But in everything he did, he was always conscious of his duty to his fellow citizens and the greater public good, making him the eternal President to which all other presidents will inevitably be compared."

Jerry Lenaburg· The New York Journal of Books Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"So many factors affected Washington's life and our history...and he does an excellent job of bringing these details into the narrative ..."

David O. Stewart· Bookreporter Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

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