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Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy (2021)

door Nathaniel Philbrick

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3351276,886 (3.84)7
"Does George Washington still matter? The bestselling author argues for his unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new President through the former colonies, now an unsure nation. A new first-person voice for Philbrick, weaving history and personal reflection into one narrative. When George Washington became president in 1798, the United States of America was still a loose and quarrelsome confederation and a tentative political experiment. Washington undertook a tour of the ex-colonies to talk to ordinary citizens about their lives and their feelings about his new government, and to imbue in them the idea of being one thing--Americans. Nathaniel Philbrick embarked on his own journey into what Washington called "the infant woody country"--and to see for himself what it had become in the 230 years since. Writing in a thoughtful first person about his own adventures with his travel companions (wife and puppy), Philbrick follows the tour of America that Washington went on after becoming President--an almost 2,000-mile journey from Mount Vernon to the new capital in New York, a tour of New England, a venture out across Long Island, and into the hinterlands of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The narrative moves smoothly back and forth from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries, so we see the country through Washington's eyes as well as Philbrick's. Written at a moment when America's foundational ideals--or claims to them--are under scrutiny, Travels with George grapples bluntly and honestly with George Washington's legacy as a man of the people, a mythical figure of the early republic, a reluctant President, and a plantation owner who held people in slavery. At historic houses and landmarks, Philbrick reports on the reinterpretations at work, as well as meeting reenactors and other keepers of the flame. He paints a picture of 18th century America as divided and fraught as it is today, and he comes to understand how Washington entranced, compelled, enticed, and stood up to the many different kinds of citizens he met on this journey--and how through belief, vision, and sheer will he convinced them that they were now all Americans, creating a sense of national solidarity that had never existed before"--… (meer)
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1-5 van 12 worden getoond (volgende | toon alle)
Some interesting details about Washington’s journey. Particularly enjoyed the Banneker/Jefferson interaction, which was not part of the journey…. And a few Washington quotes that seemed they could have been written now. Philbrick’s irresponsible attitude towards his dog irritated me a bit. I love my dog and when I can, I let him run free, but , both for his own safety and the peace of mind of other people, who may not know collies are harmless( or at least my collie is) I don’t let him run free everywhere and anywhere. I know he was trying to add cute color to the book, but for me, that part fell flat ( )
  cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |
NF
  vorefamily | Feb 22, 2024 |
NF The author, his wife and their dog set out to follow the paths George Washington took during his tour of his country as the first President. The author keeps one?s interest by including tidbits of his and his companions experiences as they travel along. An interesting comparison to the presidency of and the state of the president in office during his travels , Donald Trump, and the effects each had on the people. Kirkus: Retracing the path George Washington took during five grueling trips across the nation during the first years of his presidency.Taking his cue from John Steinbeck?s Travels With Charley, Philbrick chronicles his journey with his wife and dog. Unlike Steinbeck, he doesn?t claim that they were roughing it. Offering an instructive history lesson, the author reminds readers that the Constitution did not pass by a landslide. Many Americans, perhaps a majority, had supported the Revolution, but there was no mass movement in favor of a strong central government. The Constitution was the work of America?s educated elite, and even their support was far from unanimous. One of the original supporters, Washington, as portrayed by Philbrick, is an impressive figure who knew that he was a national icon, but this did not go to his head. Creating government institutions from scratch was difficult, but Washington had plenty of help. Convincing several million ex-colonists that they belonged to a single, united nation was his job alone because no one commanded his level of respect: ?Only Washington could have formed an enduring national government in a country created by a revolution.? Touring every state to show himself and inspire a sense of nationalism was a sensible tactic, so that?s what he did. One issue that Philbrick doesn?t entirely address is that little of great interest occurred during Washington?s trips. The roads were terrible, the local inns dirty, and the receptions ecstatic. Crowds gathered, officials made speeches, and Washington mingled with admirers of all ages, many of whom recorded the experience in letters and diaries. Occasionally, he saw former colleagues or a familiar battlefield or dealt with political events back home. Though some histories of the era treat slavery as an unfortunate footnote, Philbrick does not shy away from pointing out its evils. When he cuts back to the present, roads and accommodations improve, and he encounters monuments, museums, and local historians who describe details of Washington?s visit and, more often than not, disprove a popular myth.An agreeable historical travelogue.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
(2021) Probably the best book by this very good author, because his melding of historical notes and antidotes with a recounting of his own journey with his wife Melissa and Dora, their dog. Makes George Washington more human and accessible. KIRKUS: Retracing the path George Washington took during five grueling trips across the nation during the first years of his presidency.Taking his cue from John Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, Philbrick chronicles his journey with his wife and dog. Unlike Steinbeck, he doesn't claim that they were roughing it. Offering an instructive history lesson, the author reminds readers that the Constitution did not pass by a landslide. Many Americans, perhaps a majority, had supported the Revolution, but there was no mass movement in favor of a strong central government. The Constitution was the work of America's educated elite, and even their support was far from unanimous. One of the original supporters, Washington, as portrayed by Philbrick, is an impressive figure who knew that he was a national icon, but this did not go to his head. Creating government institutions from scratch was difficult, but Washington had plenty of help. Convincing several million ex-colonists that they belonged to a single, united nation was his job alone because no one commanded his level of respect: ?Only Washington could have formed an enduring national government in a country created by a revolution.? Touring every state to show himself and inspire a sense of nationalism was a sensible tactic, so that's what he did. One issue that Philbrick doesn't entirely address is that little of great interest occurred during Washington's trips. The roads were terrible, the local inns dirty, and the receptions ecstatic. Crowds gathered, officials made speeches, and Washington mingled with admirers of all ages, many of whom recorded the experience in letters and diaries. Occasionally, he saw former colleagues or a familiar battlefield or dealt with political events back home. Though some histories of the era treat slavery as an unfortunate footnote, Philbrick does not shy away from pointing out its evils. When he cuts back to the present, roads and accommodations improve, and he encounters monuments, museums, and local historians who describe details of Washington's visit and, more often than not, disprove a popular myth.An agreeable historical travelogue.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021ISBN: 978-0-525-56217-7Page Count: 400Publisher: Viking
  derailer | Jan 25, 2024 |
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, Nathanial Philbrick, author and narrator.
The book is mainly a description of the author’s road trip with his dog Dora and his wife Melissa. They visited the places, across America’s thirteen colonies, that George Washington visited on his very own road trip in 1789, albeit not by car, rather by horse or carriage and sometimes on foot! Some places of legend turned out to be true and some simply rumor. There are false stories of Washington’s history concerning Elm trees, and there are letters attributed to George that were not written by him. Some of the places no longer resembled what they once were, or were completely gone, so that they existed only in that specific location in one’s imagination.
Because of the distance and his mode of travel, Washington did sleep in a lot of places and eat in a lot of places, private and public, since not all roads had equal facilities. Also, as with our current government, the times were rife with disagreement, backroom discussions and secret agreements between enemies and friends alike. Washington was not aware of the plots to oppose some of his policies from his own cabinet. It reminded me of some of today’s Congressional struggles. However, the seat of government was established, as it went from New York City to Philadelphia to its final home, in Washington DC.
More than the history of George Washington, the book includes the relevance of slavery and the resultant racism of the times. It is an obvious choice of topic since identity politics is a very strong issue today, and the problem of racism is at the forefront, including reparations for ancestors of slaves. Although the book seems to condemn the practice of dividing us by race, during George’s time, it refrained from mentioning the identity politics that divides us today. Patrick Henry’s “united we stand, divided we fall”, seemed to be the growing movement then. Today, we seem to be promoting the opposite. Many of the policies, both negative and positive, attributed to the Republicans of Washington’s time, a far different Party then, than the one of the same name today, are now practiced by Democrats in our times, i.e. labeling people by background and supporting a policy that divides us by race, religion and birthplace, or country of origin. Historically, it was a very different time, however, and it is relevant that not only George was a slave holder, but so were many others including Thomas Jefferson.
The author does point out the obvious flaws in America, regarding slavery and racism, and he also reveals those who had slaves and those whose family had slaves, as well as those who also abused them. George Washington had a side many of us would not approve of, as he was known not only to own slaves, but to punish them and put bounties on the heads of those who escaped, even though he professed to want an end to the practice. When in Washington DC, the author visited the African American Museum, but he made no mention of the belief by some, that Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court Justice, was presented unfairly because of partisan politics. Justice Thomas is a Conservative. On the other hand, he revealed a little-known fact about Alexander Hamilton, not revealed by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway play, “Hamilton”. Alexander Hamilton was also a slave owner.
I have been to many of the places that Philbrick mentions in the book: Cape Cod, Nantucket, Cold Spring, Oyster Bay, Rye and Charleston, on the East Coast, as well as Punta Gorda on the Gulf, on the west coast of Florida. I never knew about many of the landmarks he mentioned, however. Some of the locations only had simple markers on the land. The place was not preserved.
When you get right down to it, however, it is an easy book to listen to, with interesting tidbits offered. I had no idea that Greenwich CT had not always been Greenwich, but had once been called Horseneck! I never knew about the boundary rock in Alexandria or the 40 stones that marked the perimeter of the permanent seat of our government. There are many such reveals as the travels of the “father of our country” are explored. Did Washington really chop down a cherry tree?
Philbrick reads his book admirably well and seems to be enjoying both the trip and the narrating. When realizing that so much of the research was of documents and restored places protected by historical societies, I found it sad that today we do not write letters or preserve our artifacts with the same zeal. Will we have to rename Washington DC because George had slaves? What about Washington University? Will the statues of Alexander Hamilton be destroyed, pulled down? Will the faces on our money be changed? We are canceling our history and our culture by tearing down statues and renaming landmarks in the interest of alleviating every member of our society’s grievances, rather than educating everyone on the meaning of our past.
I found the descriptions of the cars they drove during their trip, the many dogs, some running in the surf and the insects, like chiggers, to all be interesting nuggets, but they seemed irrelevant to the trip that George took in 1789. As Philbrick traveled with his dog Dora, George traveled with his horse, Prescott. John Steinbeck traveled with his dog Charley. They each had their familiar or beloved companion. It is safe to say, however, that each of them loved the country, and many patriots, historians and philosophers still with us, really do love and respect America and Americans whether it is a melting pot or a stew. ( )
  thewanderingjew | Jan 27, 2023 |
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"Does George Washington still matter? The bestselling author argues for his unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new President through the former colonies, now an unsure nation. A new first-person voice for Philbrick, weaving history and personal reflection into one narrative. When George Washington became president in 1798, the United States of America was still a loose and quarrelsome confederation and a tentative political experiment. Washington undertook a tour of the ex-colonies to talk to ordinary citizens about their lives and their feelings about his new government, and to imbue in them the idea of being one thing--Americans. Nathaniel Philbrick embarked on his own journey into what Washington called "the infant woody country"--and to see for himself what it had become in the 230 years since. Writing in a thoughtful first person about his own adventures with his travel companions (wife and puppy), Philbrick follows the tour of America that Washington went on after becoming President--an almost 2,000-mile journey from Mount Vernon to the new capital in New York, a tour of New England, a venture out across Long Island, and into the hinterlands of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The narrative moves smoothly back and forth from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries, so we see the country through Washington's eyes as well as Philbrick's. Written at a moment when America's foundational ideals--or claims to them--are under scrutiny, Travels with George grapples bluntly and honestly with George Washington's legacy as a man of the people, a mythical figure of the early republic, a reluctant President, and a plantation owner who held people in slavery. At historic houses and landmarks, Philbrick reports on the reinterpretations at work, as well as meeting reenactors and other keepers of the flame. He paints a picture of 18th century America as divided and fraught as it is today, and he comes to understand how Washington entranced, compelled, enticed, and stood up to the many different kinds of citizens he met on this journey--and how through belief, vision, and sheer will he convinced them that they were now all Americans, creating a sense of national solidarity that had never existed before"--

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