Washington: A Life

Highlights: He started the 7 Years War!

What I Took Away:
Poor; terrible weird relationship to mother
Hung out with his social superiors, learned from them - manners, self-control - schmoozed quite a bit as a young man
all his life felt he had missed out on getting a proper education (unlike Jefferson/Hamilton/Madison/Adams etc)
QUITE the ladies' man (very flirtatious)
Not adaptable - if a battle plan went awry, he didn't quite know what to do. Not good at off-the-cuff speeches.
Extremely good at hearing what everybody had to say, didn't surround himself with “yes-men” - listened to all the point of view and then came to a conclusion. But once conclusion was reached, was very difficult to change his mind.
His value as a general was not as a tactician, but as a figurehead - everybody looked up to him, he held the army together for 8 years.
Was greatly concerned with his reputation, with his contemporaries and with “posterity” (e.g. great care he took in preserving his letters)

Was very conscious that what he did as President was precedent-setting - formation of cabinet, State of the Union address, down to little details of how he was to be addressed in conversation. As a consequence, was very careful and methodical about those precedent-setting actions.

Selection of future capital on Potomac (in Chernow's view) opened Washington to criticism for the first time - broke the dam.

Support of Hamiltonian national bank was a great step in keeping the new country going - possibly the single most important?

When did idea of being “an American” take shape? GW's disgust at war profiteers and others who sold food/goods to British instead of to Continental Army was very great - why did people do that? At what point did a Virginian or a Pennsylvanian begin to consider himself an American? (did it take until after the Civil War?)

(must look up history of money/credit/finances - how did people function being in debt their whole lives?)
(must also read Federalist Papers)