An Incautious Man: The Life of Gouveneur Morris

by Melanie Randolph Miller

Book Overview

In An Incautious Man, historian Melanie Miller provides a succinct but sophisticated recounting of the life of one of our lesser-known but most engaging Founding Fathers: Gouverneur Morris.

One of George Washington's "surrogate sons," Morris played a profound role in ensuring the success of the American Revolution and the creation of the Constitution. Miller provides readers a look behind the closed doors of the Constitutional...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933859725
• ISBN13: 9781933859729
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Intercollegiate Studies Institute
• Length: 225 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

an incautious man

A detailed description of events concerning out countries founding and the production of the constitution, from one person's viewpoint. This book was compiled, based upon many letters to, from, and about his life. Any one book, covering the broad scope of the history of an event, minimizes the excitement of the current passage of time during Gouveneur's life. For instance, while attending about 4 author presentations at Lafayette College celebrating the 250th anniversary of Marquis Lafayette's birth, I learned that the only reason Lafayette survived the French Revolution was due to his 5 years in a German prison. This was after his broaching the idea of having an external enemy to unify France. Picking a fight with Austria ended in defeat. I learned from this book that Lafayette was escaping toward Holland when captured and sent in the opposite direction. Gouverneur, like Ben Franklin, consosrted with French females, perhaps only one however. Again the interlocking web of events, seen from an individual perspective's writings, are fascinating and insightful.