In a style very similar to David McCullough, Ron Chernow has written a moving, engaging, informative biography of the father of our country, and certainly someone who would qualify as the first great American celebrity. With our country so politically divided in our current day, it seems almost strange to imagine a time when a president was almost universally loved by everyone. But that was the case with George Washington, who was not only adored but actually deified by many (p. 813).
In response to the idolatrous hagiography that has often been written about our founding fathers, many in our day have chosen to denigrate them and even hold then in contempt as certain myths about their legacies have been deconstructed. And while George Washington certainly had his many flaws (he could be an unyielding taskmaster; he spent money beyond his means; he was obsessed with his public reputation, and apparently did a lot of dancing and flirting with women not named Martha), he was indeed a virtuous and heroic figure, a courageous and humble man whose life was inspiring and largely worthy of imitation.
The biggest black mark on Washington’s legacy was that he was a slaveowner. Although he had a reputation for treating his slaves relatively well, it seemed to be lost on him that his slaves would desire freedom more than just being treated kindly by their master (in fact, over the years, 47 of the slaves at Mount Vernon tried to escape). While his “moral blindness” (p.761) to this fact is troubling, it is worth asking whether we would be any different if we were in his shoes. Moral blindness is the common malady of us all.
It is striking to observe how often Washington referred to “providence,” a theological word that has lost its significance in our hyper-secular society. Washington did seem to believe in a divine being, encouraged his soldiers to attend Christian services (p.294), and was reported at one time to kneel before the Bible in daily devotions (p.132), but his pastor in Philadelphia said he did not believe that Washington was a believer (p.130), and on his death bed, Washington apparently offered no prayers, requested no pastor, and expressed no hope in the Gospel (p.808).
But again, there is much to be admired in George Washington. As Chernow writes, “History records few examples of a leader who so earnestly wanted to do the right thing, not just for himself but for his country . . . Again and again the American people had entrusted him with power, secure in the knowledge that he would exercise it fairly and ably and surrender it when his term of office was up.” (p.812).