Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner (PDF)

Description

After more than two decades, this dramatic and concise single-volume distillation of James Thomas Flexner’s definitive four-volume biography George Washington, which received a Pulitzer Prize citation and a National Book Award for the fourth volume, has itself become an American classic. Now in a new trade paperback edition, this masterful work explores the Father of Our Country – sometimes an unpopular hero, a man of great contradictions, but always a towering historical figure, who remains, as Flexner writes in these pages, a fallible human being made of flesh and blood and spirit – not a statue of marble and wood… a great and good man. The author unflinchingly paints a portrait of Washington: slave owner, brave leader, man of passion, reluctant politician, and fierce general. His complex character and career are neither glorified nor vilified here; rather, Flexner sets up a brilliant counterpoint between Washington’s public and private lives and gives us a challenging look at the man who has become as much a national symbol as the American flag.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐To most Americans he’s just an old, dead, white guy, whose weird-looking picture is on the dollar bill. Oh yeah, he was the first president and fought in the revolution. So what? Well, this informative but occasionally awkardly written book reminds us of the huge debt that we all owe George Washington.He was born in 1732 in Virginia to a rather unremarkable family. His mother, Mary, seems to be the one who instilled his character, but was so possessive that, even when he was general of the army and president of the United States, she complained to him that he didn’t spend enough time with her.His first public service was to lead an unsuccessful exploratory/military mission against the French in the western Pennsylvania area; later, he accompanied the English general Braddock to the disastrous battle against the French at Fort Duquesne. Despite the rather dubious nature of his achievements, he was nevertheless welcomed back to Virginia as a hero.It was at this time that he married Martha, a match which brought him more land, and enabled him to create the great plantation which became Mt. Vernon. This is where he spent his time before the outbreak of the revolution. He was made general of the army by the Second Continental Congress arguably because he simply showed up: his mission was only to show that the cause would be supported by the Virginia coalition. In fact his election was a political decision: it was recognized that he was the one man in the country most likely to unite the disparate states, north and south, into one cohesive force.Washington, typically, did not feel himself up to the task, but also typically, he accepted it. He refused to accept pay for his service.In fact, he was not up to the task. Who would be? His compatriots expected him to lead an army–an unsupplied, unpaid, untrained army–against the greatest military power in the world. He did not receive unanimous support. Gates, the American victor at Saratoga, worked against him. Arnold was not under his control. In early efforts, even his subordinates did not trust him, ignoring his orders. It must also be remembered that the colonies as a whole were by no means united in their cause against the British. The Tories in number were probably equal to the Patriots, with the remainder of the unwashed masses willing to go with the victor.But Washington, through his courage and daring, won two early victories in New Jersey, giving confidence to a discouraged army and an indifferent populace. The war seemed to be at a stalemate, which is where it remained until yet another daring and decisive victory at Yorktown in 1781, which effectively ended hostilities. Washington would later recall that the war was won because of the colonist’s, “secret resource,” the, “unconquerable resolution of our citizens.”It wasn’t to be until 1787 that an effort was made to unite the disparate and selfish colonies into a union. Imagine that, for six years, there was no government in this country. What was there was weak and without authority. And in the meantime, the army, which had not been paid for the entirety of the war, was threatening to destroy the nation before it even started. George Washington was again called in. It is difficult to believe that any other human being could have diffused this situation. He appealed to their highest nature, and stated to them that they should not, “afford for posterity to say, when speaking of the glorious example [they] have exhibited to mankind, `had this day been wanting, the world had never seen the last stage of perfection to which human nature is capable of attaining.'” The last stage of perfection he was referring to was human freedom, a concept which in the entire history of humanity had not yet been realized. It was his concept, his desire, to establish in a nation which did not exist when he was born a government that would be of the people, by the people, and for the people.When the government was formed, after excruciating pain, he was called upon, again, to lead it. Here is what he had to deal with when first becoming president: his two most trusted aides, Hamilton and Jefferson, hated each other; his vice-president, Adams, distrusted him, fearing his power; two states, Rhode Island and North Carolina, selfishly refused to attend the Constitutional Convention; New York was making separate deals with the Indians; the English were pirating American ships and impressing their sailors; and when the English and French went to war, huge contingents of Americans sided with the French, some of whom attempted to become privateers for them. This would be a problem since it was tantamount to declaring war. Of course, there continued the Indian problem in the west, now agitated by the British. Fun stuff, huh?But Washington persevered, even agreeing to sit for a second term, despite the enormous toll this took on his family, his wealth, and his health. Indeed, the best years of his life were sacrificed to the idea that there should be a country on the earth which was free.In the end, this is what endures about Washington. It would have been very easy for him to simply spend his time at Mt. Vernon, where he would have enjoyed prosperity whether under British or American control. He could have easily spent the winter at Valley Forge in a townhouse somewhere. He did not wish to be President at all. Yet he did these things, and he did these things with the heavy knowledge that every single thing he did would be recorded for posterity. “I walk on untrodden ground,” he said. “There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent.” He gravely held himself to the highest standard.This is why he is known as the father of our country. The first twenty-eight years of it was presided over by either Washington himself, or by men who were intimately acquainted with and in awe of his character. This country–the first free and most prosperous nation in history, and which stands today as a beacon of freedom to every single human being on the earth–came into existence primarily due to the almost unbelievable strength of the character of George Washington.Yes. Character.

⭐The author wrote four volumes of the life of our first president in the late 1960’s and condensed them into these 423 pages, but the text is “almost all together new,” he advises in the “Preface.” Now deceased, the author received the highest awards for his work and so I imagine that his knowledge and appreciation for George Washington remains unequaled to this day.I gained a special appreciation for the father of our country thanks to the author’s emphasis on the personal aspects of George Washington’s life. For example, I was touched to learn that almost everyone he met, from the time he was a young man to his last years, trusted him almost immediately for his honesty and good will, and fully expected him to execute a plan, whatever it might have been. His famous crossing of the Delaware, as commander of the bedraggled American forces, to surprise the British at Trenton, is probably the best-known example of how his men loyally followed him even when he had been losing numerous battles. He was not a trained warrior, but he was not afraid to take the lead and do his best for his upstart nation. He stressed heavily on this account.Washington owned slaves who worked on his plantation, Mount Vernon. Contradictorily, however, the author portrays him as a man so concerned about the welfare of others that he refused to sell his slaves to avoid separating family members, something that made him stand out in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Consequently, Mount Vernon gradually loaded up with a surplus of slaves that simply added to Washington’s mounting indebtedness. This situation came to an end after his death only when his wife liberated them all, at a high cost, to be sure. Flexner’s knowledge of George Washington is outstanding, of course, in part because of his secure familiarity with Washington’s writings, letters, mostly. I found the author’s writing elliptically old-fashioned throughout, but it was worth turning every page. His bibliography must be the best up to 1974, the date of publication.

⭐James Flexner effort of summarizing George Washington’s life within 402 pages is a tremendous achievement.Even if some aspects of the Great General life are rapidly covered, nothing is left unattended.That being said, I would have love a more thorough examination of his relation with his mother. Nonetheless, down from the first job he ever held to his tragic and sudden death, the book will give you a very clear picture of how important, honest, intellectually irreproachable and morally balanced George Washington was.Indispensable Washington was to first win the US it’s independance, and then establish free goverment by the people for the people, despite Thomas Jefferson best effort to undermine such goverment.Remove George Washington from history, the US, as you know it, woudn’t exist.

⭐I knew of the key events from previous historical books, but this was the first Washington Biograpgy I had read. This was a great read. I foud it well paced, and enjoyable. The writing was crisp and explanations of complicated issues like the financial plans to retrieve the new Nation from financial ruin thought provoking. I was especaily intrigued by the 2 terms of Washington and the beginnings of party politics as it grew out of the Financial crisis and Foriegn ploicy toward the consequences of the French Revolution. I am left with the impression of what a truly remarkable man the New United States of America had in their first president. I am also left with a bad impresssion of Thomas Jefferson who seems to come across as petty and less brilliant than his rival Alexander Hamilton. But maybe I need to read a biography on him to get a better sense of his motivations. Overall this biography is well done.

⭐James Thomas Flexner’s twelve-volume biography of George Washington in a brilliant single-volume abridgment.

⭐Es steht natürlich alles drin, ist ein guter Überblick, etc. – aber irgendwie blutleer und nicht gerade mitreissend. Dennoch empfehlenswert, da m.E. zwar mit viel Goodwill für Washington, aber dennoch einigermassen neutral.I imagine this could be a good read but the book I received was very old , very small print and very yellowed pages.

Keywords

Free Download Washington: The Indispensable Man in PDF format
Washington: The Indispensable Man PDF Free Download
Download Washington: The Indispensable Man 1994 PDF Free
Washington: The Indispensable Man 1994 PDF Free Download
Download Washington: The Indispensable Man PDF
Free Download Ebook Washington: The Indispensable Man