According to Ellis, Washington was always searching for a means to control his inner passions and his destiny. He fumed under the control that the British held over him during the Colonial America period. In particular, he was frustrated by the lack of respect offered for his military achievements to granting land claim rights in the west. As a general, he bemoaned the lack of control the fledgling Continental Congress had over the colonies which composed it. (Later as President, he supported legislation to ensure control by the federal government over the states).
As a man forced to make his own destiny, he made the theme of control central to his life. He asserted such control in his decisions at his beloved plantation, Mount Vernon.
He was the epitome of the man's man: physically strong, mentally enigmatic, emotionally restrained.
If his views on slavery were typical of his time and his class, there was one area in which he proved an exception to the pattern of behavior expected of a prominent Virginia gentleman: he was excessively and conspicuously assiduous in the defense of his own interests, especially when he suspected he was being cheated out of money or land.
Because he could not afford to fail, he could not afford to trust. For the rest of his life, all arguments based on the principle of mutual trust devoid of mutual interest struck him as sentimental nonsense.
Ideals were not irrelevant to Washington, but he was deeply suspicious of any idealistic agenda that floated above the realities of power on the ground.
He was that rarest of men: a supremely realistic visionary, a prudent prophet whose final position on slavery served as the capstone to a career devoted to getting the big things right. His genius was his judgment.
Unlike Julius Caesar and Oliver Cromwell before him, and Napoleon, Lenin, and Mao after him, he understood that the greater glory resided in posterity's judgment. If you aspire to live forever in the memory of future generations, you must demonstrate the ultimate self-confidence to leave the final judgment to them. And he did.
Washington's task was to change the improbable into the inevitable.
Reviewsedit
The historian Gordon S. Wood, who has also written about the Revolutionary and federalist periods, wrote in his review in The New Republic that "Ellis's portrait of Washington thus humanizes the man without knocking him off the pedestal where his contemporaries placed him. This Washington is all the greater because he is a real human being with both passions and principles."[2] He also wrote, "Joseph J. Ellis ... has been a one-man historical machine... Ellis has entered the ranks of that tiny group of popular historians, including David McCullough, Walter Isaacson, and Ron Chernow, who sell copies of their books in the tens and even hundreds of thousands."[2]
Referencesedit
^Ellis, Joseph J. His Excellency George Washington. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.
^ abWood, Gordon (16 December 2004). "His Excellency (New Republic book review)". The New Republic (carried at powells.com). Retrieved 2006-08-04.
External linksedit
Steve Inskeep, "New Book Takes Fresh Look at George Washington", Morning Edition, NPR, 25 October 2004
Jonathan Yardley, Review: "'His Excellency, George Washington'", The Washington Post, 28 October 2004
Wood, Gordon (16 December 2004). "His Excellency (New Republic book review)". The New Republic (carried at powells.com). Retrieved 2006-08-04.
His Excellency, George Washington, collected reviews and quotes, Powell's Books
November 07, 2023
excellency, george, washington, 2004, biography, first, president, united, states, general, george, washington, written, joseph, ellis, professor, history, mount, holyoke, college, specializes, founding, fathers, revolutionary, federalist, periods, authorjosep. His Excellency George Washington is a 2004 biography of the first President of the United States General George Washington It was written by Joseph Ellis a professor of History at Mount Holyoke College who specializes in the founding fathers and the revolutionary and federalist periods His Excellency George WashingtonAuthorJoseph EllisCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreBiographyPublisherAlfred A KnopfPublication date2004Media typePrint hardcover and paperback Pages320 pp first edition ISBN1 4000 4031 0 hardcover ISBN 1 4000 3253 9 paperbackOCLC54817026Dewey Decimal973 4 1 092 BLC ClassE312 E245 2004 Contents 1 Content 1 1 Events and themes 1 2 Chapters 1 3 Quotes 1 2 Reviews 3 References 4 External linksContent editEvents and themes edit In the text Ellis focuses on three main areas of Washington s life military adventures during the Seven Years War French and Indian War generalship in the American Revolution service as first President of the United States According to Ellis Washington was always searching for a means to control his inner passions and his destiny He fumed under the control that the British held over him during the Colonial America period In particular he was frustrated by the lack of respect offered for his military achievements to granting land claim rights in the west As a general he bemoaned the lack of control the fledgling Continental Congress had over the colonies which composed it Later as President he supported legislation to ensure control by the federal government over the states As a man forced to make his own destiny he made the theme of control central to his life He asserted such control in his decisions at his beloved plantation Mount Vernon Chapters edit Preface The Man In The Moon Chapter One Interior Regions Chapter Two The Strenuous Squire Chapter Three First In War Chapter Four Destiny s Child Chapter Five Introspective Interlude Chapter Six First In Peace Chapter Seven TestamentsQuotes 1 edit He was the epitome of the man s man physically strong mentally enigmatic emotionally restrained If his views on slavery were typical of his time and his class there was one area in which he proved an exception to the pattern of behavior expected of a prominent Virginia gentleman he was excessively and conspicuously assiduous in the defense of his own interests especially when he suspected he was being cheated out of money or land Because he could not afford to fail he could not afford to trust For the rest of his life all arguments based on the principle of mutual trust devoid of mutual interest struck him as sentimental nonsense Ideals were not irrelevant to Washington but he was deeply suspicious of any idealistic agenda that floated above the realities of power on the ground He was that rarest of men a supremely realistic visionary a prudent prophet whose final position on slavery served as the capstone to a career devoted to getting the big things right His genius was his judgment Unlike Julius Caesar and Oliver Cromwell before him and Napoleon Lenin and Mao after him he understood that the greater glory resided in posterity s judgment If you aspire to live forever in the memory of future generations you must demonstrate the ultimate self confidence to leave the final judgment to them And he did Washington s task was to change the improbable into the inevitable Reviews editThe historian Gordon S Wood who has also written about the Revolutionary and federalist periods wrote in his review in The New Republic that Ellis s portrait of Washington thus humanizes the man without knocking him off the pedestal where his contemporaries placed him This Washington is all the greater because he is a real human being with both passions and principles 2 He also wrote Joseph J Ellis has been a one man historical machine Ellis has entered the ranks of that tiny group of popular historians including David McCullough Walter Isaacson and Ron Chernow who sell copies of their books in the tens and even hundreds of thousands 2 References edit Ellis Joseph J His Excellency George Washington Alfred A Knopf 2004 a b Wood Gordon 16 December 2004 His Excellency New Republic book review The New Republic carried at powells com Retrieved 2006 08 04 External links editSteve Inskeep New Book Takes Fresh Look at George Washington Morning Edition NPR 25 October 2004 Jonathan Yardley Review His Excellency George Washington The Washington Post 28 October 2004 Wood Gordon 16 December 2004 His Excellency New Republic book review The New Republic carried at powells com Retrieved 2006 08 04 His Excellency George Washington collected reviews and quotes Powell s Books Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title His Excellency George Washington amp oldid 1011314981, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
