Here a close first-person voice—intimate and reflective—excavates a remarkably underdiscussed section of Washington’s life ... Philbrick’s imagery of Washington traveling long distances by horse and carriage over narrow dirt roads through mud, rain, and America’s untouched forests reveals the fragile and delicate infrastructure of a new world ... Philbrick is selective with his empathy. In one breath, he admires Washington’s remarkable leadership under pressure despite regular bouts of anxiety. The next, he elaborates on the 'cold pocket of horror' within Washington, the plantation-owning man ... Philbrick’s strongest descriptive moments arrive when juxtaposing grander welcome displays in state capitals, with humble offerings from small towns that suffered greatly from the war ... Philbrick is both the protagonist—speaking in the first-person throughout—and the omniscient narrator observing Washington from a distance. It’s a neat track, one that shows off Philbrick’s considerable narrative skills ... This book is quintessential Philbrick—a lively, courageous, and masterful achievement.
Visiting the cities Washington once rode through on his white horse, or paraded through in a cream-colored carriage with two enslaved postillions, or strode into wearing a simple brown suit (the new president had a feel for political theater), Philbrick delivers the details ... Philbrick keeps one foot in, and a respectful perspective on, the present throughout, assessing hazards then...and now ... With Travels With George, he succeeds again ... Washington emerges as the complicated, flawed but no less heroic leader that his newborn country desperately needed. The quantity and quality of the details Philbrick gathers as he straddles past and present make this an extraordinary read.
... he has not written a mere travelogue: running through the book is a strong current of concern not unlike that which Washington sought to address ... He is not afraid to show his cards: the country is in trouble ... Philbrick’s book addresses weighty matters but is nevertheless an enjoyable read, a fitting if unusual capstone to a trilogy on the revolution. At times, the book seems like a valedictory. The author’s many readers hope not.
Philbrick’s survey of Washington’s journeys draws on his own knowledge of the period, and on his eye for detail ... Philbrick’s present-day experiences and thoughts are skippable, except when he wrestles with problems, some of Washington’s vintage, that continue to afflict us. Of greatest concern to us now are slavery and its child, racism. Philbrick introduces us to several enslaved people whom Washington owned ... We might have heard more about the 123 others he owned whom he freed in his will. The descendants of one of them, Nancy Carter Quander, hold an annual family reunion. Philbrick could have attended.
... both a lighthearted travelogue and a timely exploration of Washington’s historical legacy ... Years ago, the Washington biographer Douglas Southall Freeman warned that the details of such ceremonies can become 'dull to read about.' With an upbeat and conversational style, Mr. Philbrick succeeds in avoiding this danger ... Given Mr. Philbrick’s determination to see even the parts of the past that don’t make us proud, it seems strange that he has only kind words for the crowds pulling down [Confederate] statues ... In defense of protesters taking history into their own hands, Mr. Philbrick cites the example of a New York mob ... Unfortunately, Mr. Philbrick omits the most important part of the story: Washington afterward issued orders condemning such acts of lawlessness.
Philbrick’s reporting is cogent and impressively detailed as long as Washington remains the central character. We get Washington the monument more than the man, because that was the role he played at every stop ... If you are looking for a story that exposes the dark side of Washington’s struggle with slavery, the Ona Judge episode would be it. Philbrick shrewdly folds it into his narrative. He takes his responsibilities as a historian of Washington’s world more seriously than his role as a journalist of ours. With a few exceptions, most of the people he interviews are tour guides, reenactors and local historians, who help him paint his picture of 18th-century America ... A sizable number of citizens in the Southern states where Philbrick traveled were ardent believers in Donald Trump’s agenda, but they don’t make it into Philbrick’s narrative. There was a dramatic story to be told, contrasting the two presidents, and addressing the residual racism that endures in the wake of Washington’s personal minuet with slavery, our original sin. Philbrick either missed it or chose not to tell it, though multiple asides make it clear that he is fully aware of our ongoing struggle with racial equality.
Less a meaty tale than a pupu platter of historical anecdote, travel writing, personal reminiscence, dog stories, and an alarming encounter with a tornado, the book may not fill you up, but you’ll probably find a lot to like ... The stories that Philbrick tells about these three carriage trips, to Rhode Island, Long Island, and South Carolina, meanwhile, serve as personal snapshots of our first president, caught in the act of nation-building ... Philbrick shows us a man of physical grace and character who grasped the personal effect he had on people ... Philbrick has great fun with the discovery that in many towns that Washington visited, there has been handed down for generations a version of a tale in which a child sees the president and blurts, 'Why, he’s only a man!' The joke, obviously, is that, yes, he was just a man, but also so much more ... Including a slave owner. In the most upsetting part of the book, Philbrick introduces Ona Judge, a young woman held in bondage by Martha Washington ... Still, it’s disconcerting to see such a sad and ugly scar on the most indispensable figure of our founding myth.
There is a lot of history in the book; Philbrick does an outstanding job telling the story of Washington’s first inauguration in New York, detailing the triumphal journey through Philadelphia and Trenton, and the political calculation of the brown suit (crafted in America) that he wore to the ceremony ... All of that is coupled with a good bit of interesting historical travel guidance ... It is not necessarily bad criticism to point out that if you are someone who would roll your eyes about Philbrick stopping the narrative to tell a (hilarious) story about his dog, you are going to have an issue. But I think it is unfair criticism to say that this sort of thing is wrong, or even self-indulgent. Even if you were to say it is self-indulgent (and you might not be wrong), I mean, come on. This is Nathaniel Philbrick we’re talking about. If you or I had put together a body of historical literature to rival his, we might be self-indulgent, too ... However, the focus of the book, where it should rightly be, is on George Washington ... memorable and vital.
Philbrick doesn't excuse Washington's faults, and the contradictions are glaring ... He intends to give readers a more complete understanding of Washington's efforts to sustain unity ... This enjoyable read, as intensely researched as all of Philbrick's books, offers insight into the motivations and career of the author (a self-described history geek), and the vision, character, and impact of Washington. For history readers at all levels.
Philbrick moves from one century’s point of view to another’s, perceptively observing what has changed and what has not. He particularly notes the past and current legacy of slaveholding, whether in North or South. This provides highly personal reflection and unique perspective on both the history and the often-contradictory lives of present-day Americans. Includes maps, illustrations, and bibliography.
... an instructive history lesson ... Though some histories of the era treat slavery as an unfortunate footnote, Philbrick does not shy away from pointing out its evils. When he cuts back to the present, roads and accommodations improve, and he encounters monuments, museums, and local historians who describe details of Washington’s visit and, more often than not, disprove a popular myth. An agreeable historical travelogue.
