The Washingtons: George and Martha, "Join'd by Friendship,

The Washingtons: George and Martha, "Join'd by Friendship, Crown'd by Love"

A full-scale portrait of the marriage of the father and mother of our countryâ€”and of the struggle for independence that he led

The Washingtonsâ€™ long union begins in colonial Virginia in 1759, when George Washington woos and weds Martha Dandridge Parke Custis, a pretty, charming, and very rich young widow. The calm early years of their marriage as plantation owners at Mount Vernon and as parents to Marthaâ€™s two children, Jacky and Patsyâ€”both of whom present difficult challengesâ€”yield to harsher times. Washington has been prominent among Virginians in opposing British government measures, and at the outbreak of fighting in 1775 he is elected commander-in-chief of the Continental army. The war sees Martha resolutely supporting her husband, sharing in the hardships at Valley Forge and other wretched winter headquarters. Essential to Georgeâ€™s personal well-being, she is known as â€œLady Washingtonâ€â€”a redoubtable and vastly admired figure in her own right.

Flora Fraser provides us with a brilliant account of the public Washington and of the war he waged, and gives us, as well, the domestic Washingtons, whether at Mount Vernon before and during the war or in New York and Philadelphia during his presidency. Even in wartime, Martha manages to scour Philadelphia to find a doll for her newest granddaughter and keeps careful control of her Virginia inheritance. George grapples with a formidable enemy, without proper troops and often without basic suppliesâ€”his soldiers frequently lack rations, blankets, even shoesâ€”while always fearful for his wifeâ€™s welfare and safety, given the constant worry that the British might descend on Mount Vernon. Even so, a true Virginian, he manages to dance for more than three hours with Alexander Hamiltonâ€™s pretty young wife at a makeshift ball.

With victory and the arrival of peace in 1783, the Washingtons hope to remain at home, a hope dashed when, in 1789, George is elected our first president and Martha becomes a faultless first First Lady. During the presidency, they together negotiate the many pitfalls of establishing republican entertainmentâ€”the weekly â€œCongress dinner,â€ levÃ©es, and drawing roomsâ€”before, finally free of official responsibilities after Washingtonâ€™s second term, they are at last able to retreat to their beloved Mount Vernon.

This is a remarkable story of a remarkable pair as well as a gripping narrative of the birth of a nationâ€”a major, and vastly appealing, contribution to the literature of our founding fathers . . . and founding mother.
Country USA
Brand Knopf
Manufacturer Knopf
Binding Hardcover
Height 9.5
Length 6.6
Weight 1.91
Width 1.5
ReleaseDate 2015-11-03

Country	USA
Brand	Knopf
Manufacturer	Knopf
Binding	Hardcover
Height	9.5
Length	6.6
Weight	1.91
Width	1.5
ReleaseDate	2015-11-03

The Washingtons: George and Martha, "Join'd by Friendship, Crown'd by Love"

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