From Edmund S. Morgan, today's preeminent colonial historian, this
latest, very slim book is a disappointment. But even as one reads,
one wonders what Morgan is on to - and where it will take him
hereafter. His theme - laid out in a single 22-page essay and
illustrated by a 60-page annotated selection of Washington letters,
1755-1797 - is that Washington's special "genius" lay in an
"understanding of power. . . unmatched by any of his
contemporaries." He possessed, Morgan goes on to explain, a natural
ability to lead but learned very early on that he must also conduct
himself as a leader; he was no military theoretician but he did
demonstrate a special feel for the movement and disposition of his
troops on the battlefield; he argued patiently and cogently that
the fate of the republic, politically and economically as well as
militarily, depended upon the creation of a permanent army; he
perceived earlier than most the need to replace the Articles of
Confederation with an effective central government; and during his
Presidency, while other men were losing their heads over the great
issues of American foreign policy, he kept his because he knew how
the game of international politics was played, and to what end.
Morgan develops all this with the deftness and good sense that have
distinguished his work for some three decades, and he is almost
convincing. The trouble is that one short essay and a few handfuls
of letters make too flimsy a foundation for such an original
argument. Important issues go unanswered (how did Washington
acquire his understanding of power? what is "power," anyway?); and
no attention is given to the fact that most historians nowadays
tend to regard Washington rather differently - as a bit of a
plodder, a man to be appreciated for the dogged determination with
which he kept the American Army going, notwithstanding its
adversities, yet hardly a brilliant general or a sophisticated
statesman. Presumably Morgan will have more to say on the subject.
This is tantalizing, if perfunctory. (Kirkus Reviews)
More than any other single man, George Washington was responsible for bringing success to the American Revolution. But because of the heroic image in which we have cast him and which already enveloped him in this own lifetime, Washington is and was a hard man to know. In this book Edmund S. Morgan pushes past the image to find the man. He argues taht Washington's genius lay in his understanding of both military and political power. This understanding of power was unmatched by that of any of his contemporaries and showed itself at the simplest level in the ability to take command. Drawing on Washington's letters to his colleagues (many of which are included in this book), Morgan explores the particular genius of our first president and clearly demonstrates that Washington's mastery of power allowed America to win the Revolutionary War and placed the new country on the way to achieving the international and domestic power that Washington himself had sought for it.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
