Inventing George Washington

Research George Washington and you will find yourself wishing for an authoritative guide through the tangle of myths that pass for his public memory. Edward G. Lengel has compiled just that. Inventing George Washington traces “the means by which [Washington myths] have defined and redefined the Founder” since his death (p. xviii). This goal, more than any argument, pits Lengel against a pantheon of tall tales, ranging from rumors of a loveless marriage with Martha to claims that a Philadelphia spy enabled victory at the battle of Trenton. Lay audiences will enjoy Lengel's romp through the back pages of Washington lore; however, those who expect a cultural history akin to Karal Ann Marling's classic George Washington Slept Here (1988) will be less satisfied. As editor in chief of the University of Virginia's The Papers of George Washington documentary project, Lengel is perfectly qualified to excavate two centuries of phony quotes and sordid folktales. Doing so, Lengel contends, reveals Washington's two selves: one private and hidden, the other “meticulously cultivated ... [and] on display for popular consumption” (p. 7). This notion of a bifurcated man, which is certainly not new to Washington scholars, frames Lengel's study. He suggests that the proliferation of Washington mythology has resulted from “Americans’ enduring desire to know Washington personally” (pp. 138–39). Paradoxically, Americans concoct stories to make him more “real” because Washington's stoic self-portrayal has not proven satisfying

Archaeology · Art history · Battle · George (robot · Mythology · Political science · Politics · Victory · American Constitutional Law and Politics · American History and Culture · Classics · History · Law · Mormonism, Religion, and History

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  Laura J Galke•International Journal of Heritage…•2019

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