Advertisements
“A tour de force”
—New York Times
“Bob Sanchez is a consummate writer.”
—Kaye Trout’s
Book Reviews
A readable and well-told tale filled with color, sensitivity, humor and plenty of research.
—Midwest Book Review
Schemer in chief
THE ASCENT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON:
The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon
By John Ferling
464 pp. Bloomsbury Press $30.00
Reviewed by Matt McGuire
The George Washington boom continues unabated. The last two decades have witnessed a major commemoration of the bicentennial of Washington’s death, the construction of a high-tech museum celebrating his life at Mount Vernon, and the publication of a host of interesting books ranging from hefty one-volume biographies to specialized studies of Washington on topics ranging from his religious beliefs to his views on slavery. Making Washington seem less remote and informing the public about his importance is the common denominator that unites these otherwise disparate educational and scholarly efforts.
It is in this context that John Ferling, one of the preeminent scholars of the American Revolution, offers us this fascinating study. In 1988 Ferling wrote First Among Men, a well-received biography of Washington, and he promises the reader in his preface that he has written something quite different from a conventional biography. Ferling delivers on his promise. Ascent is an evaluation of Washington’s remarkable political skills, an effort by Ferling to take issue with fellow historians’ “portrayal of Washington as nonpolitical and steadfastly seeking to stay above politics.”
Ferling divides his work into three sizable sections. The first explores Washington’s rise from obscurity to his position as one of Virginia’s wealthiest and most respected citizens. The second section focuses on Washington’s tenure as commander of the Continental Army. Much of the third section is an analysis of Washington’s support for the new Constitution and of his presidency.
That Washington possessed an extraordinary talent for manipulating others for the benefit of his own personal interests and policy objectives is Ferling’s major theme. The Washington that emerges in Ascent is a schemer-in-chief who eagerly passed the buck to underlings for problems of his own creation. No military fiasco or policy blunder seemed beyond Washington’s ability to finesse as a spin doctor. Indeed, for Ferling, Washington’s great gift was his ability to use his image as a disinterested patriot to achieve decidedly partisan and even selfish goals.
Ferling’s tough critique of Washington’s generalship is the most fascinating component of the book. Ferling believes that Washington was extraordinarily lucky to overcome his own indecision and foolish mistakes as commander of the Continental Army. He persuasively argues that General William Howe’s lethargy in pursuing Washington and the Continental Army during the 1776 campaign for New York was decisive in allowing Washington’s army to escape and the American Revolution to continue. The observation isn’t new, but Ferling’s explanation of the episode regarding Washington’s willingness to pass on blame to subordinates, the Continental Congress—even his own soldiers—is the most detailed and accessible available.
For Ferling, the glass is always half empty when it comes to George Washington. He does mention some of Washington’s important accomplishments: his daring tactics at the battle of Trenton, his sensible treatment of Loyalists, his respect for civilian authority, and his foresight in inoculating his troops against disease. But Washington’s impressive military achievements are given little heft in the narrative compared to what Ferling views as his errors and self-serving behavior.
In a recent C-SPAN interview Ferling identified himself as “an economic determinist.” Ferling’s faith in economic interests as a motivating force accounts for why he views Washington’s claims of “disinterestedness” so cynically. It runs throughout Ascent, but is especially pronounced in the third section of the book, which details Washington’s efforts to strengthen the national government. Ferling never adopts the strident tone common to some historians who insist that greed and exploitation of the poor motivated the Founding Fathers. Nevertheless, he does appear to accept the view of those scholars who see the Constitutional Convention and the Washington presidency as a kind of conservative counterrevolution. Having a stronger national government would prevent democratically elected legislatures from invalidating debts owed to creditors, it would allow tax policy to be manipulated to reward the rich and hurt the poor, and of course it might allow for westward expansion that would increase the value of the land held by speculators like Washington.
Ultimately this line of argument is unpersuasive. It is true that Washington and most of the Founders were wealthy men and that many of their policies promised to make them wealthier. But these same policies, such as protecting the sanctity of contracts in the Constitution and Hamilton’s Plan for handling war debts, paved the way for the development of a modern economy. Ferling rightly identifies Washington and Hamilton as nationalists. They were nationalists who were remarkably forward-looking, and they embraced policies that led in the long-term to a prosperity that was both broad and deep.
Washington was extremely self-conscious in how he presented himself. Ferling is correct that Washington’s avowed reluctance to hold military and political office was at least somewhat disingenuous. But this is hardly an original insight. Many writers, including Paul Longmore, Richard Brookhiser, and Peter Henriques, have previously analyzed Washington’s brilliant use of his image to advance his own objectives.
The Ascent of George Washington is a valuable contribution to the Washington historiography. But this isn’t because Ferling is the first historian to show that Washington didn’t always act from the purest of motives. Rather, Ascent is notable because it is a meticulously researched book that casts Washington’s manipulation of his persona in a different and much harsher light than that offered by most of Ferling’s colleagues.
Matt McGuire teaches government and sponsors the “We the People” program at the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, a public high school for gifted students in Richmond, Virginia.
Mail this page