The Genius of George Washington

by Edmund S. Morgan

Book Overview

In this book Edmund S. Morgan pushes past the image to find the man. He argues that Washington's genius lay in his understanding of both military and political power. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393000605
• ISBN13: 9780393000603
• Release Date: April 1982
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.8" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

George Washington's views on power

On the copyright page, a small disclaimer appears alerting the reader that this book consists of one lecture and portions of Washtington's letters and is NOT intended to be "fresh contributions to the scholarship of the American Revolution." I will not argue this but will praise Edmund Morgan on clearly and straightforwardly explaining an his theory that George Washington's understanding of power was far beyond any of his contemporaries' or of any other American historical figure. As examples, shows the reader examples from Washingtons' life and letters with regards to national power, military power, foreign relations and the comperative power of nations and the power that comes with honor or respect. This is a slim work, consisting of less than ninety pages, but these pages have done a great deal to flesh out my understanding of Washington the person. Morgan has convinced me that Washington is a genius with regards to the understanding of power and the remoteness and aloofness that historians often find puzzeling is less an arrogant flaw than a deliberate calculated example of his understanding of power. While this, as I have previously said, is not a "fresh contribution," it is a contribution which sums up a difficult subject in an extremely well-written and engaging way. I highly recommend it.