Inventing George Washington: America's Founder, in Myth and Memory - Hardcover

Lengel, Edward G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061662585 ISBN 13: 9780061662584

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2011

Synopsis

Lengel s Washington is the archetypal American soldier an amateur citizen in arms who struggles to learn an unfamiliar and demanding craft on the job....Outstanding. Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Glorious StruggleEditor-in-Chief of the Washington Papers Project Edward G. Lengel delivers an entertaining and erudite history of America's Founding Father. In Inventing George Washington, a captivating counterpart to Lengel s General George Washington: A Military Life, the historian looks at Washington s life and writings, at the creation of his mythos, and at what his legacy means for our nation and ourselves. "

About this title

From the Back Cover:

An entertaining and erudite history that offers a fresh look at America's first founding father, the creation of his legend, and what it means for our nation and ourselves

George Washington's death on December 14, 1799, dealt a dreadful blow to public morale. For three decades, Americans had depended on his leadership to guide them through every trial. At the cusp of a new century, the fledgling nation, caught in another war (this time with its former ally France), desperately needed to believe that Washington was and would continue to be there for them.

Thus began the extraordinary immortalization of this towering historical figure. In Inventing George Washington, historian Edward G. Lengel shows how the late president and war hero continued to serve his nation on two distinct levels. The public Washington evolved into an eternal symbol as Father of His Country, while the private man remained at the periphery of the national vision always just out of reach for successive generations yearning to know him as never before.

Both images, public and private, were vital to perceptions Americans had of their nation and themselves. Yet over time, as Lengel shows, the contrasting and simultaneous urges to deify Washington and to understand him as a man have produced tensions that have played out in every generation. As some exalted him, others sought to bring him down to earth, creating a series of competing mythologies that depicted Washington as every sort of human being imaginable. Inventing George Washington explores these representations, shedding new light on this national emblem, our nation itself, and who we are."

About the Author:

Edward G. LengeL is editor in chief of the Papers of George Washington and a professor at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several books, including General George Washington and This Glorious Struggle. A lecturer on Washington and the Revolutionary War, Lengel is also a historical consultant, advising on such works as the History Channel's own comprehensive documentary. He is a frequent radio and television guest appearing on C-SPAN, CBS, and NPR, among others and is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines in the vein of military history and American heritage. He lives with his family in Charlottesville, Virginia.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0061662585
• ISBN 13: 9780061662584
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 249