Pity the Washington Biographer

Chapter 8 talks about George Washington. The man is a legend whose life has been reduced to one-liners. In truth, Lepore says, this may have been what he wanted. Washington was, she says "a staged man."

"Here is Washington's entire diary entry for October 24, 1774, a day he was in Philadelphia, as a delegate to the Continental Congress, debating, among other things, a petition to be sent to the king: "Dined with Mr. Mease & Spent the Evening at the New Tavern."  - Making Washington less stiff and more human has been the aim of every Washington biographer, from the start, and not a one of them has done it."

 Remember me.

I don't know what the point of this post is, but I think I just love the idea of living your life with an eye toward history. Washington knew he would be remembered forever - war hero, first president, physical specimen - that he was. So, every day that he lived, everything that he did, everything he wrote down, he knew would become real lasting history. So he turned himself into a symbol. A fake man while he was alive but tailor-made for history books. I would be afraid to get out of bed in the morning.