The Genius of George Washington (The Third George Rogers Clark lecture) [Paperback]

Edmund S. Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Third George Rogers Clark lecture | Publication Date: April 17, 1982

More than any other single man, George Washington was responsible for bringing success to the American Revolution. But because of the heroic image in which we have cast him and which already enveloped him in this own lifetime, Washington is and was a hard man to know.

In this book Edmund S. Morgan pushes past the image to find the man. He argues that Washington's genius lay in his understanding of both military and political power. This understanding of power was unmatched by that of any of his contemporaries and showed itself at the simplest level in the ability to take command. Drawing on Washington's letters to his colleagues (many of which are included in this book), Morgan explores the particular genius of our first president and clearly demonstrates that Washington's mastery of power allowed America to win the Revolutionary War and placed the new country on the way to achieving the international and domestic power that Washington himself had sought for it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edmund S. Morgan is the Sterling Professor Emeritus at Yale University and the recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Pulitzer Prize, and the American Academy’s Gold Medal. The author of The Genuine Article; American Slavery, American Freedom; Benjamin Franklin; and American Heroes, among many others, Morgan lives with his wife in New Haven.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 17, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393000605
• ISBN-13: 978-0393000603
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars George Washington's views on power, December 27, 2001

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Genius of George Washington (The Third George Rogers Clark lecture) (Paperback)

On the copyright page, a small disclaimer appears alerting the reader that this book consists of one lecture and portions of Washtington's letters and is NOT intended to be "fresh contributions to the scholarship of the American Revolution." I will not argue this but will praise Edmund Morgan on clearly and straightforwardly explaining an his theory that George Washington's understanding of power was far beyond any of his contemporaries' or of any other American historical figure. As examples, shows the reader examples from Washingtons' life and letters with regards to national power, military power, foreign relations and the comperative power of nations and the power that comes with honor or respect.

This is a slim work, consisting of less than ninety pages, but these pages have done a great deal to flesh out my understanding of Washington the person. Morgan has convinced me that Washington is a genius with regards to the understanding of power and the remoteness and aloofness that historians often find puzzeling is less an arrogant flaw than a deliberate calculated example of his understanding of power. While this, as I have previously said, is not a "fresh contribution," it is a contribution which sums up a difficult subject in an extremely well-written and engaging way. I highly recommend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A brief look at Washington, August 19, 2000

By 

Robert James (Culver City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Genius of George Washington (The Third George Rogers Clark lecture) (Paperback)

This is not one of Edmund Morgan's more important books, but it is worth looking at if you like Morgan's writings (as I do passionately), or if you are a George Washington buff. This is a very slim volume, consisting of one very interesting lecture on Washington as a military and political leader (arguing that Washington understood the nature of power better than anybody else in his day in the colonies or the states), and a selection of Washington's letters that provide corroboration for Morgan's arguments and insight into the pertinent topics. Where needed, Morgan provides a brief introduction to each letter. I enjoyed it, but it isn't going to make anybody outside of the two groups I mentioned above very happy.