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TWO HUNDRED YEARS after Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee's
funeral oration for George Washington, the eloquence of his
words "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts
of his countrymen" has caused most Americans to forget the
clause that followed in which Lee located Washington's
character firmly in his private life. George Washington: The
Man behind the Myths redresses this historical imbalance in
our image of Washington by examining our conceptions and
misconceptions about him through a fascinating collection of
documents and ../images.
Washington's own accounts, observations by his
contemporaries, narratives by the first generation of
Washington biographers, decorative objects, and visual
images, which were assembled for a major exhibition
sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society, the Mount
Vernon Ladies' Association, and Washington and Lee
University, invite a fresh evaluation of Washington. William
M. S. Rasmussen and Robert S. Tilton trace the ways in which
Washington's origins in the peculiar colonial society of
Virginia prepared him for success on the national stage.
Chronologically arranged chapters examine Washington's early
exposure to the wealthy Fairfax family, his command of the
Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War and later
the Continental Army, his decision to attend the
Constitutional Convention, and his two elections to the
presidency. Rasmussen and Tilton argue that the major
transitions we see in Washington's public image were made
possible by the stability of his private life and his love
of Mount Vernon.
The image of Washington created by antebellum writers and
artists after his death was intended to capture what he
signified to the fledgling republic. This myth has survived
largely because of its usefulness to our national culture.
George Washington: The Man behind the Myths takes a crucial
step in restoring our understanding of Washington as he
actually was.
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Detail of Grant Wood's Cartoon for
Parson Weems' Fable, 1939
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"A very readable and deeply informative work that offers
fresh views on Washington's life and character. The authors
show considerable originality and insight in their analysis
of the reciprocal influence between Washington's public and
private lives."
--Philander D. Chase, Papers of George Washington
George Washington: The Man behind the Myths is a splendid
combination of narrative, analysis, and visual imagery. It
makes an original contribution to Washington
scholarship."
--Don Higginbotham, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill
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