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George Washington: A Life in Books
George Washington: A Life in Books | Kevin J. Hayes
4 posts | 4 to read
When it comes to the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton are generally considered the great minds of early America. George Washington, instead, is toasted with accolades regarding his solid common sense and strength in battle. Indeed, John Adams once snobbishly dismissed him as "too illiterate, unlearned, unread for his station and reputation." Yet Adams, as well as the majority of the men who knew Washington in his life, were unaware of his singular devotion to self-improvement. Based on a comprehensive amount of research at the Library of Congress, the collections at Mount Vernon, and rare book archives scattered across the country, Kevin J. Hayes corrects this misconception and reconstructs in vivid detail the active intellectual life that has gone largely unnoticed in conventional narratives of Washington. Despite being a lifelong reader, Washington felt an acute sense of embarrassment about his relative lack of formal education and cultural sophistication, and in this sparkling literary biography, Hayes illustrates just how tirelessly Washington worked to improve. Beginning with the primers, forgotten periodicals, conduct books, and classic eighteenth-century novels such as Tom Jones that shaped Washington's early life, Hayes studies Washington's letters and journals, charting the many ways the books of his upbringing affected decisions before and during the Revolutionary War. The final section of the book covers the voluminous reading that occurred during Washington's presidency and his retirement at Mount Vernon. Throughout, Hayes examines Washington's writing as well as his reading, from The Journal of Major George Washington through his Farewell Address. The sheer breadth of titles under review here allow readers to glimpse Washington's views on foreign policy, economics, the law, art, slavery, marriage, and religion-and how those views shaped the young nation.. Ultimately, this sharply written biography offers a fresh perspective on America's Father, uncovering the ideas that shaped his intellectual journey and, subsequently, the development of America.
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rubyslippersreads
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Some #redwhiteandblue books to celebrate the birthday of the #USA. #colormepretty #letstraveljuly

OriginalCyn620 Love it! 🇺🇸❤️ 5y
MemoirsForMe Happy Fourth! 🤗🇺🇸 5y
LeahBergen OMG. I love that little Washington bookmark! 👏🏻👏🏻 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 🇺🇸 5y
73 likes4 comments
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rubyslippersreads
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The George Washington book is my 4th of July present to myself. (Thanks, @Born.A.Reader #blameitonlitsy) And I love the blurb from the Schuyler Sisters on Common Sense. #andpeggy #redswhitesandblues #JubilantJuly #red/white/blue #sizzlinsummerbooks #multitasking

Born.A.Reader You're welcome! I haven't started it yet -probably should get on that 7y
Cathythoughts Happy July 4th to all you American Litsys 7y
RealBooks4ever Fabulous pic, as usual! 😆💜 7y
Melissa_J Happy 4th of July 🎆🎆🇺🇸 7y
LeahBergen This books sounds good! 7y
93 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Born.A.Reader
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My #goodreads #giveaway came in today! So excited to read this! It sounds fascinating! 😀😀
#oxfordbooks

rubyslippersreads I need this! ❤️📚 7y
DivineDiana This looks so interesting! 7y
32 likes2 comments
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Born.A.Reader
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Woke to this wonderful email this morning! So far I've won one a month from #goodreads, since April. How often do you win?

goodbyefrancie I've won a few, but haven't entered in a while. That one looks good! 7y
Teafiend Never won! I was actually wondering if ANYONE actually won so I'm glad you did! 7y
krismac I've never won! And I enter all the time! 7y
See All 6 Comments
Sarah83 I never won too. 😑 7y
Born.A.Reader I obviously only enter the giveaway for books I'm interested in, but, within that guideline, I usually only gravitate towards giveaways that are for more than one copy. Of the 3 I've won, all had 15 copies or higher available. I figure the odds are better that way. :) 7y
DivineDiana Congratulations! I keep trying! 7y
28 likes1 stack add6 comments