Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington [Hardcover]

Peter R. Henriques (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2006

"Should Washington receive censure from posterity for being a slaveholder or approbation for freeing his slaves? Did he marry the richest widow in Virginia out of affection or avarice? Henriques opines as evidence allows (the Washingtons destroyed their correspondence), eliding from the speculative to the more concrete in addressing the better-documented public Washington.... Writing in straightforward style free of scholastic hairsplitting, Henriques helps meet the current fascination with Washington." -- Booklist

"[Henriques] is fair-minded and thoughtful, and because he possesses no other agenda than a desire to uncover the real man, he is convincing when he concludes that 'if one defines "Christian" as the evangelicals do... George Washington cannot be properly referred to as a Christian.'" -- New York Times Book Review

"A deeply thoughtful appraisal of Washington's career and character. The chapters on slavery and religion are especially beguiling. Henriques's approach allows him to zoom in on the most salient and controversial issues with a focused clarity not possible in a conventional biography." -- Joseph J. Ellis, Mount Holyoke College, author of His Excellency: George Washington

"Make space on the groaning shelf of Washington scholarship for a fine new volume. Peter Henriques has illuminated the often elusive first president by tackling some of the thorniest issues in his life -- his religious views, his ambivalence toward slavery, his marriage to Martha, his ardor for Sally Fairfax, his friendship with Hamilton, his ultimate feud with Jefferson -- and he has handled these delicate topics with such erudition, sound judgment, and penetrating insight that the reader comes to trust him as a valued guide on every page." -- Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton

"If you're a fan of history, this is a quick, informative read that you'll enjoy." -- Blogcritics.Org

In Realistic Visionary the renowned George Washington scholar Peter Henriques seeks to humanize the first president without diminishing him. Henriques's Washington makes mistakes, is sensitive to criticism, and is slow to accept blame, but he is also the greatest man of his age, a relentless pragmatist who could nonetheless envision what a free and united America could be for "millions unborn."

Rather than revisiting Washington's life in its entirety, Henriques constructs a biographical portrait by addressing the vital themes and events through which Washington the man is revealed. What emerge most clearly in Realistic Visionary are Washington's successful struggle to channel his monumental personal ambition into public service and his unrivaled ability to turn his ambitious visions for the fledgling nation into reality.

Peter R. Henriques, Professor of History Emeritus at George Mason University, is the author of The Death of George Washington: He Died as He Lived.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a short biography, Henriques (The Death of George Washington) weighs in on many debates surrounding America's first president. Born-again Christians like to claim that Washington was an evangelical, but Henriques says it wasn't so: the Virginia Anglican was sporadically involved in his local church, but he was not theologically "orthodox" and his interest in religion was "perfunctory." Henriques is extremely generous when describing his subject's attitudes toward slavery. While acknowledging that Washington owned slaves all his life, Henriques emphasizes the ways Washington's views on slavery evolved and insists that the master of Mount Vernon "be judged against the standards of his day, not ours." The women in Washington's life also come under scrutiny. Washington was happily married to Martha Dandridge Custis, but he may have carried a torch for his friend Sally Cary Fairfax. In a strained psychological argument, Henriques suggests that Washington "channeled" whatever "passions" he had for Fairfax into the founding of America. Throughout, the prose is clunky ("The story of... Washington and slavery has much material in it for those desiring to engage in the 'ecstasy of sanctimony' "). And Henriques's ultimate conclusion—that Washington was a man of great character, always willing to do his duty, even when it cost him his privacy and an easy retirement—is anodyne. 15 b&w illus. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

First in war, first in peace, and first in the revival of popular interest in the Founding Fathers, George Washington has inspired numerous recent titles by David McCullough, Joseph Ellis, Gordon Wood, and others. Henriques pitches in with 10 essays on specific topics in Washington's life and career. Derived from lectures he delivered in a historic Alexandria, Virginia, tavern, Henriques speaks to readers conversant with the basic biography and inclined to debate it. Should Washington receive censure from posterity for being a slaveholder or approbation for freeing his slaves? Did he marry the richest widow in Virginia out of affection or avarice? Henriques opines as evidence allows (the Washingtons destroyed their correspondence), eliding from the speculative to the more concrete in addressing the better-documented public Washington. An emphasis on Washington's protection of his reputation links Henriques' interpretations about Washington's battlefield courage, generalship, and relations with Jefferson and Hamilton, and thematically unifies these accessible essays. Writing in straightforward style free of scholastic hairsplitting, Henriques helps meet the current fascination with Washington. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press (April 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813925479
• ISBN-13: 978-0813925479
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping GW real for 21st century readers, April 11, 2006

By 

Matthew E. McGuire (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington (Hardcover)

Is George Washington really that big a deal? What kind of a guy was he anyway?

I find variants of these two questions to be among the most frequent ones asked by the teenagers sitting in my government and American history classes. Peter Henriques supplies a highly readable response to their concerns in his new book "Realistic Visonary." Despite the plethora of recent books on Washington, Henriques has managed to produce a work that fills in a gap in the literature on our most consequential American.

The book consists mainly of ten essays by Henriques that evaluate either important aspects of Washington's career and policies (his military career, presidency,etc.) or interesting aspects of Washington's character and beliefs (his religious beliefs, marriage and love life, etc.).

Some readers may find the focus on Washington's personal life and personality out of place, but I'd suggest those readers consider the two questions my students like to ask. Washington is a big deal because his actions and policies were decisive in creating and sustaining the American republic. But how and why Washington went about making the decisions he made is a function of his personality and character. As the title of the book suggests, Henriques offers a "portrait" of Washington that helps the reader appreciate both Washington's objectives, as well as the characteristics that made him so successful.

The only serious criticisms of "Realistic Visionary" I would expect will come from writers and historians who feel like Henriques has too favorable an evaluation of Washington. To his credit, Henriques cites the work of a number of other scholars who don't share his views and gives the reader a very good sense of the range of opinion on Washington. I happen to largely share the author's opinion of his subject, so my only criticism is that in a few of the chapters, particularly "Taking Command," Henriques compresses extremely complicated subjects into 20-25 page essays. This has the benefit of allowing the reader to learn about many serious issues while keeping the book a reasonable length. But it may mean that readers occasionally have to consult other sources to gain an appreciation of some of the events discussed.

Henriques states that he intends to "make this remarkable man accessible to a wider readership." The book succeeds superbly in this regard. Henriques reminds us that Washington was not only America's most important leader, but that he remains one of the most fascinating and complicated personalities in American history. "Realistic Visionary" illuminates Washington's character and rewards the history buff as much as it will challenge historians of the period to think harder about the preeminent Founder.

Matt McGuire
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Richmond, Virginia

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Analysis, April 10, 2006

By 

Marc Rodrick (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington (Hardcover)

This book takes a positive but realistic approach to Washington. Rather than a birth to death chronology, the book focuses on particular subjects. I particularly liked the chapters on Washington's relationships with Jefferson (strained) and Hamilton (productive) and the balanced treatment of Washington and religion. There are abundant references to other works and viewpoints. Henriques provides a greater understanding of the man who served as our first president.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, October 21, 2006

By 

Scholar "18th century student" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington (Hardcover)

I won't duplicate what the other reviews state, but will say I recommend this one for sure. Its thematic not strictly chronological, much like Joe Ellis' book on Thomas Jefferson, "American Sphinx." Very nicely written, and even after I have read many, many GW books, I still learned some interesting new things about him from Henriques (such as the details about GW & Sally Fairfax, and GW's death.) The one thing the author botches is any discussion on Washington as a Freemason, which was one of the most important things in his life. This should have been expounded upon in the chapter on Washington & religion, but was not. Its certainly not a fatal flaw in this book, but is a glaring omission.