For a figure as ubiquitous and recognizable as George Washington, one may not initially feel the sufficient curiosity to read a 900 page biography of the Father of the Nation, however, such indifference would cause one to miss out on a truly scholarly treat.
At 900 pages, Chernow stays on message and sticks to the point pretty much throughout, giving a complete portrait of the first President. All of Washington's life is covered, including family members, which reveals the crucial detail that Washington men had traditionally short life expectancy, his service in the French-Indian War, his early political career in the Virginia House of Burgesses, his leadership of the Continental Army, his seemingly reluctant Presidency, and finally, his long awaited but comparatively brief retirement.
What the reader is gifted with is not just an incredibly detailed and well researched study of Washington, but also a first rate account of the American Revolution. Having read other books on this subject, most of which were by Joseph J Ellis, it can certainly be said that this is additionally an informative study of the American Revolution.
Chernow provides a wholey objective and de-mythologized study of Washington, however, he does answer key questions as to why Washington attained such an apotheosis in both life and death, he led a ragtag, unprofessional army to a seemingly impossible victory against the greatest power of the day, he resigned his commission and threw away any pretensions of power returning to public service only through popular demand, and he exercised the office of the Presidency in a noble, non-partisan manner, which shaped the Presidency into the office that it is today.
Washington was often called the American Cincinattus, and this biography clearly shows why, as Washington is frequently portrayed as a reluctant participant in the public square, reluctantly presiding over the Constitutional Convention and serving two terms as President.
The main glitch on Washington's record, slavery, is shown largely in unfavorable light, presenting Washington as a half-hearted, would be abolitionist, full of empty rhetoric. Even toward the end of his life, he remained vigilant against escaped slaves, however, he did free his slaves in his will, something no other slave holding Founding Father did.
A frequently recurring detail is Washington's teeth (or lack of) and his makeshift supply of dentures (no they were not wooden, as popular mythology would have us believe) and how his public speaking, often breathy and rather quiet, was not quite as heroic and imposing as the popular imagination would have us believe.
Within this volume, Chernow goes against the somewhat fashionable intellectual tradition of portraying Washington as a Deist. Washington clearly comes across as a sincere and practicing Christian, although not as evangelical as some would like to believe. His invocation of the almighty is frequently tinged with hints of his Masonic background, speaking of the Great Architect or the author of all, however, there is little within this study that could reasonably put him in the Deist camp.
Overall, this book is strongly recommended to enthusiasts of American History, or anyone wishing a better understanding of the founding period, or a better understanding of Washington himself. A scholarly, readable, and highly informative book.
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