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Zusammenfassung von You Never Forget Your First

Name: You Never Forget Your First
Rating: 3.9 (52 reviews)
Author: Alexis Coe

Alexis Coe

A Biography of George Washington

3.9 (52 Bewertungen)

24 Min.

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'You Never Forget Your First' by Alexis Coe is a historical biography of America's first president, George Washington. It challenges myths and stereotypes surrounding him, offering insight into his complex, multifaceted personality and political life.

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What’s in it for me? An irreverent history of George Washington that cuts through myth to reveal the man.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that you already know the story of George Washington. Most Americans have seen his face on the dollar bill and heard his name invoked by politicians. Americans even get a federal holiday on his birthday. But Washington’s story is more complex than we’ve been led to believe. For one thing, you can forget about the cherry tree.

In these blinks, you’ll learn the nuanced truth behind the legend of George Washington and why Americans have clung so tightly to his stories over the years. We’ll follow Washington from his impoverished upbringing to his rise through the military ranks. We'll find that, as a leader of the Revolutionary War, he was as much, if not more, of a trickster as he was a military strategist. Even more scandalous is proof that his presidential career was a lot less illustrious than you think you remember. Throughout his life, he never once freed one of the hundreds of enslaved people at his plantation. But with his human flaws as a backdrop, his many successes only shine brighter.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what Washington’s favorite tropical fruit was, as well as his preferred breakfast;
the terrible truth behind Washington’s famous dentures; and
exactly how fancy his inauguration shoes really were.

Many of the most famous stories about Washington simply aren’t true.

You know that joke about history being so named because it’s literally “his story”? Well, corny as the saying may be, it’s kind of true. History has typically been written by men, about men, and for men.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the stories we tell about George Washington, America’s Revolutionary War hero and first president. He’s the subject of hundreds of biographies, artworks, and memorials, including the one-dollar bill and a statue so massive that it’s carved into a literal mountain. Because he’s so revered, his story has attained cult status.

But when you actually cut through the hero worship, it turns out that several of our favorite stories aren’t based in reality at all.

The key message here is: Many of the most famous stories about Washington simply aren’t true.

Let’s take, for example, the old tale that Washington had wooden dentures, which kept him in constant agony. The fact that he was able to speak, let alone lead a country, is supposed to demonstrate his mighty stoicism and steadfast resolve.

But when you think about it, the story doesn’t make sense. Wood is an awful material for dentures, given its annoying tendency to rot. It’s true that Washington had terrible teeth – if any – but his dentures were actually made from a combination of animal teeth and human teeth that he bought from enslaved people at well below the going market rate.

The famous cherry tree incident also wilts under scrutiny. The story has a young Washington, overexcited by the gift of a new ax, chopping down his father’s favorite fruit tree. When questioned, Washington immediately confesses, uttering the famous line, “I cannot tell a lie.” Washington may have been many things, but an “arborcidal” maniac he was not. The story was invented by his first biographer in 1798.

That these stories have stayed with us throughout the years says more about us than it does about Washington. As the so-called Father of his Country, Washington’s character and actions are a reflection of our own.

But as we re-examine history from the perspectives of all of the participants, not just the great men, it becomes clear that history is more nuanced than we realize. Washington was a great man, sure, but he was also flawed, just like us. How he was able to overcome his normal-guy nature to become great, well, that’s a story worth telling.

After an impoverished childhood, the ambitious Washington advanced – but he soon realized he could only get so far.

The story starts not in 1732, the year George Washington was born on the banks of the Potomac in Virginia, but 11 years later, in 1743 when his father Augustine died. His father’s death was a blow to the young family and a crucial catalyst for George’s boundless ambition.

Augustine expected George’s mother to remarry, so he left her very little in his will. But Mary Washington didn’t remarry. Instead, she sold off most of their farm to make ends meet and prayed the weather would allow her to grow enough surplus crops to sell. Small-scale farmers like her were disadvantaged by the British monopoly on trade.

Fed up with the army, Washington retired to genteel civilian life – but he was soon plagued by familiar frustrations.

Washington knew he wasn’t going to reach his financial or social goals as an officer in His Majesty’s army. He was going to have to marry rich – facial scarring be damned.

It helped that in 1758 he had been inducted into Virginia’s House of Burgesses, the colonial legislative body. His fancy plantation friends had lobbied on his behalf, which in those days meant plying voters with beer and spirits before they cast their ballots.

Washington defeated the British as much through subterfuge as military might – but the victory came at a grave personal cost.

As the big hero of the Revolutionary War, you’d expect Washington to have been extraordinarily successful as a general. But he actually lost more battles than any victorious general in modern history.

He had swagger, though. The Patriots were up against serious odds. The British arrived in 1776 off the coast of New York with 32,000 troops on 400 ships – the largest invading force they had ever mustered. The Patriots had 19,000 ragtag troops with no naval support.

After shocking the world by relinquishing power, Washington retired – but he couldn’t stay away from politics for long.

After the war, Washington was overwhelmingly popular: everywhere he went, huge crowds would cheer and toast him. Ladies laid flowers under the feet of his horse. Congress waived postage on letters to him, and he was inundated with fan mail, tributes, and gifts.

The Founding Fathers were watching closely – if not jealously, then at least with some anxiety. Why would someone so popular willingly give up power? It had never been done before. They suspected him of maneuvering to become a Caesar-like figure, an emperor-general. Even King George of England couldn’t believe that Washington would cede power so readily, saying “if Washington does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

Washington began his presidency fighting off well-wishers; by its end, he had alienated all but his closest friends.

George Washington’s first presidential inauguration, even by our modern standards, was nothing to sneeze at. For one thing, his shoes were pretty fancy: they had silver buckles and large diamonds and were worn over knee-high stockings of white silk. Five hundred soldiers escorted him through massive crowds to the ceremony. The festivities culminated with pyrotechnics that painted the new president’s face in the night sky.

But no one thought Washington looked particularly happy to be there. Attention always made him feel uncomfortable. It’s also possible, though, that he foresaw the difficulties he would face in the coming years.

As Washington began focusing on his legacy, he took action to appear more magnanimous in death than he had been in life.

In his final retirement, Washington was a man of routine. He ate the same breakfast every morning. It was a type of corncake known as a hoecake, swimming in butter and honey, and washed down with three cups of tea. After breakfast, he took his horse for a long ride to inspect his estate.

Washington worried about his legacy. When members of his cabinet published tell-all accounts of their time working for him, including attacks on his personal character, he annotated his copies with catty remarks in the margins.

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Worum geht es in You Never Forget Your First?

You Never Forget Your First (2020) is a playful history of America’s first president, the first biography of George Washington to be written by a woman in over 40 years. A unique departure from the typical Washington biography, these blinks cut through the hero worship to reveal a nuanced character with problems – just like the rest of us.

Bestes Zitat aus You Never Forget Your First

Fact: One of Washingtons bodyguards during the Siege of Boston had USA engraved on his buttons. This is the first recorded use of the abbreviation.

—Alexis Coe

Wer You Never Forget Your First lesen sollte

Anyone who thinks they already know the story of George Washington
History hounds excited by how the discipline is changing
Skeptics who love poking holes in an established narrative

Über den Autor

Alexis Coe is a best-selling author, historian, and writer. Her novel Alice + Freda Forever made the New York Times Best-seller List and is soon to be a major motion picture. She was a consulting producer on the History Channel series Washington and hosts the podcast series Presidents Are People Too! from Audible.

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