His Excellency: George Washington

Glad finally to learn about our first exceptional leader, an indispensable man. The erudite historian, Ellis, is a most accessible and entertaining writer.

This is my first biography on George Washington, and I readily devoured this book. As the de facto leader of the American Revolution, he united the American colonies, defeated the British, won the country's independence, and became the world's most famous man during his time. The author did a good job at portraying Washington as a mere mortal, though, with all-too-human qualities, rather than as a saint or superhuman. I learnt new facts about Washington that I never knew. (1) George Washington was one of the richest Americans of his time! This was revealed when his will was drawn. He owned huge plots of land and over 200 slaves. However, he had the assets but not liquid money, which he was always short off. He watched over his accounts with a ruthless eye. For example, when he discovered that some settlers had settled on his land, he took them to court and eventually won! (2) George Washington was the first and only president to lead an army and go into battle during his office term. (3) Washington was always conscious of death. His family all died before the age of 50, and he always felt that his time had come. The thought of death was always looming in his head. (4) Washington regarded his slaves as assets and was not eager to free them. In fact, when any of them ran away he made sure to find them! It was only in his will that he finally ordered his estate to free his slaves after his death (on December 14, 1799). The author leaves the reader confused as to why Washington did not free his slaves during his lifetime, since he eventually came to recognize slavery as "a massive American anomaly." (5) After defeating the British, Washington could have taken over the country for himself. Instead, he went into retirement. When Congress unanimously elected him president, he accepted reluctantly. He was also pressured into serving a second term against his wishes. Though he was encouraged to run for a third term, he declined the offer. (6) His life story showed me that even great men have opponents. He faced criticism and ridicule throughout his career by many of his own contemporaries. Many were very harsh towards him accusing him of senility and of being a dictator. But unlike Napoleon or King George of England, he had no aspirations of becoming king or emperor, and I was quite impressed by that. His aim was to maintain the independence of his new country, and to avoid any swing towards monarchy. (7) It was in 1781 with the help of General Lafayette's French army that Washington was finally able to defeat the British. Vive la France! (8) George Washington is famous for his false teeth. (9) Washington was not a tactician. He lost many battles and made a lot of blunders. For example, his decision to fight the English in Canada, where most of his troops died of disease and starvation, and ended up eating their horses and returning home without shoes! (10) He was sympathetic towards the native Indians. He often said that they were like him, fighting for independence. He strongly believed that treaties with them should be honored (they never were). (11) Washington's amazing career was driven by self-interest. Ellis suggests that nearly every decision Washington made was based on some selfish desire to further his economic standing. Everything Washington did, Ellis claims, was based on greed and lust for recognition and wealth. Ellis paints the portrait of a bitter, violent, selfish, and greedy Washington. He states that Washington's men were frequently beaten and occasionally executed when any disobeyed orders or defected. He was very aware of his place in history and he chose his actions with an eye toward what people would think of him in the future. It is difficult to know for certain what he truly believed, and what he just said or wrote for posterity. (12) Washington did not believe in a heaven or hell. After reading this book, I ordered all DVDs about George Washington. The author really encouraged me to know more about this great man who despite the power he wielded, did not succumb to it and never wanted to be king! Not many possessing such power would have done the same. I now better understand the man I never really knew. It was a real pleasure getting to know him. This is a great book and I highly recommend it!

As Ellis writes in the introduction to His Excellency, The Founding Fathers acknowledged George Washington as their unquestioned superior. They did so despite being better educated, more politically astute, wiser, and smarter than he. Why was this the case? How did the ambitious young Washington rise through the ranks of the Virginia elite to lead the Continental Army and the nascent United States? These are the central questions of Joseph Ellis’ brilliant work. His Excellency is not a biography in the traditional sense, but a succinct character study of Washington. It serves as an approachable, big picture introduction to “The Foundingest Father of them all”. Ellis doesn’t shy away from the rough edges of Washington’s personality, nor does he attempt to psychoanalyze him. He sticks to the written record and constructs a portrait of a self-educated man who furthered himself through challenging experiences, powerful friendships, marriage, and luck. Ellis delights in knocking down popular myths. He asserts that Washington was no military genius, having lost more battles than he won. He narrowly avoids the complete destruction of the Continental Army in New York, and it takes much convincing by subordinate officers to adopt a “Cincinnatus Strategy” which ultimately wins the war. But Washinton’s failures and missteps never weaken his resolve. His leadership is rarely questioned, and his character reaches legendary status when he willingly resigns his commission at the end of the war rather than seizing power for himself. His Excellency is the perfect read for someone who is interested in the life of George Washington, but might be intimidated by the length of other biographies. It is a great place to start the exploration of a complex character who is shrouded in myth.

Aucun problème livre impeccable livré dans les temps

Narrada con brevedad y ritmo, esta aproximación a la vida de George Washington nos acerca a la personalidad y cualidades del primer presidente de los EEUU, así como a algunos de sus defectos y errores.

Joseph J. Ellis zeichnet den Lebensweg Washington's sensibel nach. Er verbindet eine profunde Kenntnis der Zeit und ihrer Ideen mit einem erhellenden Blick durch die Brille moderner Psychologie. So gelingt es ihm, ein lebendiges und überzeugenes Bild von Washington zu zeichnen und zu erklären, "wie er tickte". Ein "Monument" wird lebendig und menschlich, ohne dabei vom Sockel gestoßen zu werden. Sehr empfehlenswert.

La figure de "Son Excellence" est bien reconstruite et replacée dans son contexte historique. Joseph Ellis est en plus un habile écrivain et le livre se lit d'une traite. Le seul bémol, mais il est avant tout lié à ce que je recherchais en l'achetant, vient du caractère un peu rapide de l'historique de sa présidence et de ses enjeux. Mais l'ouvrage est un très adroit survol de ce personnage central de l'indépendance américaine, et qui n'évite pas les ambivalence de son histoire : les rapports à l'esclavage et aux populations amérindiennes. A lire.

I like it. It looks brand new. Happy and ready to read it. Thank you.