George Washington's Journey: The President Forges a New Nation

by T.H. Breen

An exciting introduction to a George Washington we rarely see, a president who strategically traveled to all thirteen states and transformed American political culture. “Breen’s clearly written account of these sojourns give readers a fresh understanding of the president’s personality, his public and private lives, and the political and social climate of the time” ( Library Journal ).

During his first term as President, George Washington made arduous journeys to each of the thirteen new states. He understood that Americans did not yet feel part of a nation, and that he alone could bring them to that conviction. For Washington, the stakes were high. In scores of communities, he communicated a powerful and enduring message—that America was now a nation, not a loose collection of states. And the people responded to his invitation in ways that he could never have predicted.

In George Washington’s Journey , T.H. Breen introduces us to a George Washington we rarely meet. By nature shy and reserved, the brand new president decided that he would visit the new citizens in their own states, that only by showing himself could he make them feel part of a new nation. He displayed himself as victorious general (he wore his regal uniform and rode his white stallion) and as President (grand dinners, military parades, arcs of triumph, and fancy balls). He travelled by open carriage on terrible roads, in awful weather, staying and eating at lousy inns.

Breen takes us on Washington’s journeys. We see the country through his eyes and listen through his ears. Washington drew on his immense popularity, even hero worship, to send a powerful and lasting message—that America was now a nation , not a collection of states. In George Washington’s Journey , we come to understand why the first presisdent is the indispensable Founding Father.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography, American Revolution, Politics, Us Presidents

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2016

About the author

Timothy H. Breen is the William Smith Mason Professor of American History at Northwestern University. He is also the founding director of the Kaplan Humanities Center and the Nicholas D. Chabraja Center for Historical Studies at Northwestern. Breen is a specialist on the American Revolution; he studies the history of early America with a special interest in political thought, material culture, and cultural anthropology.

Breen received his Ph.D in history from Yale University. He also holds an honorary MA from Oxford University. In addition to the appointment at Northwestern University, he has taught at Cambridge University (as the Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions), at Oxford University (as the Harmsworth Professor of American History), and at University of Chicago, Yale University, and California Institute of Technology. He is an honorary fellow of the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford University. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and has also enjoyed research support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Humboldt Foundation, the National Humanities Center, the Mellon Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation. An essay he published on the end of slavery in Massachusetts became the basis for a full-length opera that was produced in Chicago. He has written for the New York Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, American Scholar, the New York Times, and the London Review of Books.

Reviews

[Ionia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"George Washington's Journey" is not your typical, boring historical account of the life of a president. Instead, it follows closely in the footsteps of a man who had many difficult decisions to make and set out on a course to learn everything he could about the new nation he took command of.

I love history, and that is no secret. I'd rather read non-fiction most of the time and tend to get particularly excited over early American history, so when I saw this book I had high expectations for it. Truly, it not only met those expectations, but far exceeded them.

Everything about this book was exciting for a history lover. Not only did it incorporate careful research and obvious effort from the author for accuracy, but it was written in a conversational tone that made it seem less intimidating for me as a reader. I liked the way the author made an attempt to follow the same roads that the former president had, offering unique insights into the changes that have occurred in these places since Washington's original journeys.

If you are interested in the life and times of George Washington, or simply this period of history, this would be an excellent book to add to your collection. Recommended.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and was provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Barbara Carney-Coston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the information presented was fascinating. I was sometimes confused by the writing style, however. It was a bit didactic and sometimes repetitive, but I still enjoyed learning about this aspect of George Washington and his vision and hard work to make the role of President and the federal government strong. The book made me appreciate, once again, the enormity of what Washington did--his sacrifices to lead the country inspire awe and make me appreciate how rare that kind of selfless leadership is, especially today.

[Peter Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book -- gives a good flavor of life in post-Revolutionary America and emphasizes the key role of Washington in the development of the USA.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories of the first years of the Presidency, when the public did not know what to call him, and his various trips throughout the new nation.

[Knitress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting, gave me a different perspective on a period I thought I knew well.

[Andrew Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breen, an accomplished historian, has written a definitive account of Washington's journey through the thirteen original states from 1789-1791 to promote domestic unity. Although Nathaniel Philbrick followed that tour with his wife and dog in tow for a book just recently, Breen adds the domestic and foreign problems that plagued the new nation at the time of the journey. Washington comes across as a true American symbol of heroism and unity except for one fatal flaw, the curse of slavery. Priding himself as a honest man who would not stoop to deception, he made an exception with slavery. Yet, his travels through the entire nation gave the Constitution and the new government a much needed shot in the arm to combat the misinformation that opponents of the new government were disseminating in the media of that day. Breen has done an excellent job.

[Ralphz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice piece of history that recounts President Washington's attempts to knit the new nation together by undertaking a trip to visit each state.

The goal was to make himself known and to take the temperature of the people. During the trips, he encounters holdout British supporters, people who counted loyalty to city and state instead of nation, and governors who challenged him for primacy.

There are a number of interesting sides to this story, including the elephant in the room, the continuing presence of slavery. The author doesn't condemn, but doesn't forgive either, with good explanations of how the founders - Washington included - betrayed their ideals.

All told, this is an interesting story of an interesting time and the success of the only man who could have kept the nation together.

[RichVT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating piece of American history- the first president with no precedent seeking to provide common cause for a new nation. The author succeeds in setting these events in their context. However, there seemed to be few actual events, so the book is really about the mood of a new nation and the purposeful news of its new leader. In that it is extremely repetitious. The gossip and carping of the founding fathers always makes for enjoyable reading and is related to the books theme but there just isn’t enough historical material for a full book. The opening third of the book covered its main points.

[Martin Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Supplemental reading on Washington, covering his two tours to visit all the original 13 colonies.

Most of the book is a retelling of what led up to the journeys Washington took, along with bringing up common themes the first President found along the way.

Only a small portion of the book is actually devoted to the journeys themselves, found within the last two chapters.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look into George Washington's travels and what he did after the war and when he became President. How traveling around he was able to keep what really was not a collective Nation at the time and yet bring the people together. That is what I got out of it. Also seeing he was the perfect man for the job at that time and oh what he did for our Nation. I found this to be a wonderful book.

[Jeremy Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-written account of Washington's first years in Office. T.H. Breen does a very good job of outlining the problems encountered on his travels throughout the young United States. From the sectional differences, to the feelings of small town vs. big cities.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting analysis of Washington's efforts to shape the presidency.

[Kevin Moynihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book providing in-depth coverage of Washington’s journey around the country. Highlights some of the key differences between and the politics within each state. Very informative.

[Patrick Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad story - I learned a few things of Washington that were interesting.

[Lindsay Chervinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and well written, but the book doesn't end up saying a whole lot.

[James Bechtel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit it - I am a fiction reader. I like characters and dialogue and settings and costumes...

Therefore I found this a bit of a slog. It wasn't my choice; I read it for a book club.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book. It was filled with lots of information that I had not read before, and it was fun to learn about.

[Jim Benton · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good article unfortunately expanded

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was young, I saw the movie 1776. It appealed to my love of history and my love of musicals and I was taken by the main character, John Adams. A few years later, my dad bought a new book by author David McCullough about our second President and I was once again fascinated by this man who was so instrumental to the American Revolution but is so often overshadowed by his compatriots. So, let's just say I have a soft spot for Adams. T.H. Breen does not have a soft spot for Adams and makes it very clear exactly what he thinks of him every time he mentions him. Honestly, I wouldn't even say that he is wrong in his character assessment (Adams is a brash and often unlikeable character, it is one of the reasons he is so often overlooked), but from page 16, John Adams was under attack in this book. That was strike one for me.

Strike two, was the pedantic tone. Nonfiction books for me walk a narrow line. Obviously, they shouldn't be making up conversations and situations but I also don't like to feel like I am reading a textbook. For me, this book felt exactly like my history texts did in high school. Complete with "as we will discover later in this chapter..." and "we will examine in greater detail in another chapter..." On page 112 I started counting all the times phrases like this were used and there were five more times in the last 144 pages. The author is a college professor and I predicted that before reading his mini biography on the back flap, because this book felt exactly like a college lecture.

Strike three was my general confusion about what the book was about. I thought this book was going to be about Washington's trips to visit all thirteen states, something I knew very little about. Instead, it was more a summary of the political climate during this time. I understood why a summary of the reasons Washington decided to go on a progress was included, but when it comes right down to it, we get to the visit of the southern states in the very last chapter. And, then, most of that chapter ends up being about Washington's cook Hercules and a problem involving him and Washington's other slaves at home and then John Adams and Jefferson's disagreement over the French Revolution. Not that we didn't learn anything about the trips, we learn that he was feted in every town he came to and that there was consistently a parade, a speech in his honor and then a dinner with toasts every night. Something I am sure became monotonous for him, probably as monotonous as it would have been reading about it, so the book wanders off onto other subjects regularly. Thus we learn about everything else going on in the time period that could be even remotely related to Washington's journey.

I think this book definitely has an audience, I just don't think I am it. If you love nonfiction and read it regularly (I like certain authors and was looking to branch out) or if you are obsessed with Washington history, then you should try it. If you are more of a casual reader of nonfiction, then maybe choose something different.

I received this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book, but not a great book. It was a bit of a disappointment, really. The book’s focus is on a series of trips Pres. George Washington took during to his administration that took him to each state in the union. The purpose of the trips was to increase the sense of nationality and union among the people. The new nation was still fragile, and Washington wanted people to think of their nation above their individual states – which isn’t how most of them saw things.

Breen notes that Washington was a practical mind more than a great philosopher. He was better at building national loyalty through actions – like these trips – than through any grand statements. (However, grand lofty statements are often better remembered, so something like these journeys are often overlooked). Washington recognized that political legitimacy was a process of negotiation, and he did this as part of his negotiation with the people. Some in his administration opposed it. He’d earlier tried a series of informal talks with average citizens, but these had backfired as Washington was terrible at being informal. Vice President John Adams refused to go on the trip to New England. This was a major political failure on the part of that prickly personality.

One problem with the book is that it’s 160 pages of talks about why Washington wanted to go on his journeys followed by 90 pages of the journeys. It feels like a prologue that takes up two-thirds of the material.

The best part is the chapter discussing the trips to New England. Most notably, Massachusetts’s Gov. John Hancock tried to pull rank on Pres. Washington – hoping to get his position be seen as superior to Washington inside his state. This failed badly. (Hancock always had too much on an ego for his own good and this was part of that). Also of note was also Washington’s interest in manufacturing during this trip. Finally, he visited Rhode Island, long the holdout from recognizing the Constitution.

The weakest part is the final chapter on Washington’s southern trips. Breen builds it up as a trip that disappointed Washington, revealing the dangers the Union face. Yeah, well, nothing in the trip did that. Oh, there were problems – but they were entirely unrelated to the trip. Washington had a slave in Philadelphia (formerly the nation’s capital) run off, bringing embarrassment over the dangerous issue of slavery. Also, a partisan battle heated up between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams over the French Revolution. True, that happened – and true it happened while Washington toured the South. But it’s happened had nothing to do with the tour. Breen’s build up made it sound like something in the tour itself caused signs of concern. No, it didn’t.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"George Washington's Journey" described President Washington's efforts to unite the 13 states into a nation by personally visiting each state. Washington realized that winning a war for freedom doesn't guarantee the formation a stable and prosperous nation. Americans were thinking in terms of state and local interests, but they needed to think of national interests if the new government was going to succeed. Washington visited each of the original 13 states in an effort to unite the people behind a strong federal government and to hear their concerns.

The author described Washington's inaugural journey (from home to the capital) and his tour of the states. Washington toured the northern states in 1789 and the southern states in 1791. The author didn't give a day-by-day description of the travels but instead grouped similar incidents and analyzed what was going on. He described various things that Washington and the people did that helped define how the president should be addressed, treated, and how he should interact with the people who elected him.

There were many quotes from Washington's diary, various letters, and newspaper accounts. These quotes helped to show how people at the time viewed the events. The author also gave the context of what was happening so we could understand Washington's motives or the significance of various interactions. The author did a good job of showing events within the context of the time period rather than purely through hindsight.

I found the book to be an interesting, easy read that brought that period in history alive for me. I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy learning about early American history.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the conversational tone of this historic book, and the interesting details of early America. Informative insight into the views of leaders and citizens when America was a new nation. I loved the historic detail and insights to what life was really like in the late 1700s. The author brought forward a great feel for the people who were getting accustomed to political independence and their challenge to reach economic independence from Great Britain. Without sounding pedantic, the author reinforced the early issues of federalism, antifederalism, republicanism, states rights vs. a strong federal govt, slavery and anti-slavery realities. I learned many new and interesting facts about our first president and the roles of other players in creating and keeping the union together.
I loved learning that Washington took the new federal government directly to the people. He organized an extraordinary journey carrying him to all thirteen states. No wonder there are so many "Washington slept here" sights!

Washington was the impetus behind continuing the break with Great Britain and overturning the fundamental conventions of an aristocratic world. In contrast to the European aristocratic base, the newly independent Americans were ambitious, commercial, and according to Great Britain a little vulgar! Yea for us!

To quote the author, "Washington's greatest insight was seeing the need to perform his office on a new national stage. That is his legacy.” I thoroughly enjoyed reading the details of HOW he did that!

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and informative book. George Washington felt that to make the union work he had to go to the people and meet with them to see how they felt about the new government and how they thought things should be handled. During Washington's travels he stated that he did not want to stay with any family because he did not want to put them out and cause any expense to them. He stayed in public rooms without any guards around him. He learned a lot of how others lives were affected by their local governments and how that was causing problems with trying to become a national government. Washington had a job to do as first President and he set out to learn from the people and the land what would be a good direction to go to achieve a unified country.
I got this for free in a Goodreads Giveaway drawing.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of history book that makes people hate reading history.

That may sound harsher than I mean, but this is the kind of reading only a person truly dedicated to the topic could love; and a book that is largely about George's reasons for wanting to go on these journeys but wants to be a book about those journeys...well.....

I find no fault with the topic, which is very much a milestone event in the creation of these United States. I do find fault with the slow build to the actual events. The opening chapters introduce Washington's chosen companions, and his horses, and his carriage, but not the better carriage, that is described later, and this companion was not a close friend...

[Jennifer Autry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very informative book that is broken down in segments that make it an easier read then other historical nonfiction I have read. However, it did not deliver a story type format that I had seen mentioned by other reviewers. I fell like I learned a lot from the book and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of history and historical nonfiction. I prefer fiction or story format non-fiction like Unbreakable. I can only imagine the amount of time and research that T.H. Breen put into this. I wish I loved it more.

[Paul Criscuolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a pleasant read. It's more a review of the affairs of the time and a bit light on the journey's actual events. Nice review for the "history.light" reader. I was hoping for a bit more. The book did support a major theme: the reason for the journey as an example of Washington's dream for America. One more defined than his counterparts.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical information about George during his Presidential years but little on the journey, I understood it to be on his two trips to North and South. More on his learning of what to do to be a president.

[Mary Metcalf]

Light read. Learn many new and interesting facts about our first president and the roles of other players in creating and keeping the union

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not find it to be very well done. Actually very little time spent on the actual journee she made. Mostly a bunch of preamble which I already knew.