Chapter 1: Unity and Symbolism
Chapter 2: Political Unity and Consolidation
Chapter 3: The Unifier as President
Chapter 4: Reflections on the Unifier
Appendix 1: Sentiments on a Peace Establishment, May 1783
Appendix 2: Circular to State Governments, June 1783
Appendix 3: To the President of the Confederation Congress,
September 17, 1787
Appendix 4: First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789
Appendix 5: Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
Appendix 6: Eighth Annual Message to Congress, December 7, 1796
Don Higginbotham is Dowd Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
No one else combines Don Higginbotham's knowledge of the
Revolutionary era and familiarity with Washington's writings. In
George Washington: Uniting A Nation the result is a sure-handed,
gracefully adventurous portrait of the man who became a legend in
his own time, and the reasons why legendary status was
deserved.
*Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary
Generation*
A penetrating analysis of Washington's major strength as a
leader—as well as his greatest gift to the nation—his ability to
forge conflicting interests and emotions into a unified whole,
militarily, politically, and culturally.
*Robert F. Dalzell, Jr., Williams College*
A masterful and unusually well-written analysis of Washington's
contribution to the creation of the United States, complemented by
Washington's principal writings on the subject of national
unification.
*Jack P. Greene, The Johns Hopkins University*
For classroom use, this book provides an excellent means of
addressing Washington's significance. It also presents both
students and scholars with a fresh perspective on the great man's
outlook and role. The less familiar documents, along with classics
such as his farewell address, support Higginbotham's argument
well.
*North Carolina Historical Review*
The clarity and preciseness of Higginbotham's writing and the
inclusion of primary documents make this small book a natural for
use in classes on early American history.
*Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography*
This small but important book distills the essence of what drove
George Washington through his long, burdensome years as general and
president: the quest for the grail of American unity. Anyone who
wishes to understand Washington and the nation that resulted from
his quest can do no better than to start here.
*Philander D. Chase, editor of The Papers of George Washington*
Don Higginbotham may not be the first to write about Washington's
central role in uniting the American nation, but in four brief
essays he articulates that role better than anyone to date. [He]
solidifies his position as the most astute interpreter of George
Washington writing today.
*The Virginia Magazine Of History and Biography*
This book is a gripping depiction by a wise historian and is aimed
at general readers as well as specialists in the era of the
American Revolution.
*The Historian*
Subtle, complex, and easily taken too lightly due to its briefness
of exposition, this book ranks with Joseph Strayer's On the
Medieval Origins of the Modern State or Philip Aries's Western
Attitudes Towards Death for sheer economy and weight of
argument.
*David Silbey, book review editor, H-net*
George Washington: Uniting a Nation will probably find its greatest
use in the classroom where the combination of a comprehensive
interpretation augmented by original sources will be helpful as a
supplemental text.
*William and Mary Quarterly*
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