In the Name of the Father: Washington's Legacy, Slavery, and the Making of a Nation
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Book Overview
In this revelatory and genuinely groundbreaking study, Fran ois Furstenberg sheds new light on the genesis of American identity. Immersing us in the publishing culture of the early nineteenth century, he shows us how the words of George Washington and others of his generation became America's sacred scripture and provided the foundation for a new civic culture, one whose reconciliation with slavery unleashed consequences that haunt us still. A dazzling work of scholarship from a brilliant young historian, In the Name of the Father is a major contribution to American social history.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0143111930
ISBN13:9780143111931
Release Date:April 2007
Publisher:Penguin Publishing Group
Length:352 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.9" x 8.3"
Age Range:18 years and up
Grade Range:Postsecondary and higher
Customer Reviews
1 rating
An interesting thesis
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Furnestberg has written an interesting book describing how the worship of George Washington has led to stagnation in American political thinking. According to Furstenberg popular historians in the early nineteenth century depicted Washington as a man of moral self control and artists pictured him as an rock against the revolutionary change that was occurring in Europe. Also Washington was depicted by artists and historians alike as a heavenly being whose words had to be worshipped as a sacred canon. Finally the legacy of Washington and the revolutionary generation helped to legitimize slavery since white Americans were considered to have fought for their freedom as opposed to slaves who were nothing more than passive agents. I would reccomend this book for anyone who wants to see a darker side of this country's fetish with the founding fathers.
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