Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: A Portrait of an American Revolutionary

by Kent J. McGaughy

Overview

Richard Henry Lee played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, yet he remains one of the most misunderstood revolutionaries. His contemporaries, as well as modern historians, deemed him a political opportunist or dismissed him as an enigma. In bridging the gap between Lee's private interests and public career, J. Kent McGaughy seeks to overturn many of the misconceptions about Lee and shows that, throughout his life, he remained dedicated to his family and public service. By separating fact from fiction and unraveling the history of Lee's life and the times in which he lived, J. Kent McGaughy brings to light not only the truth about Lee, but also the hidden history of the American Revolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742533844
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/27/2003
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

J. Kent McGaughy is instructor of history at Houston Community College, Northwest.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Prologue: "We Cannot Do Without You"
Chapter 2 A Virginia Dynasty
Chapter 3 Richard Henry Lee, Esquire
Chapter 4 Chantilly-on-the-Potomac
Chapter 5 The Making of a Radical
Chapter 6 The Decision for American Independence
Chapter 7 Business and Politics
Chapter 8 Defending the Potomac
Chapter 9 "Mr. President"
Chapter 10 "Killing Ourselves for Fear of Dying": The Debate over the Federal Constitution
Chapter 11 The Honorable Senator from Virginia
Chapter 12 Twilight
Chapter 13 Epilogue: Legacies

Editorial Reviews

Kent McGaughy does good historical detective work. He established some years ago that Richard Henry Lee was not the author of the 'Letters from the Federal Farmer' attributed to him by generations of leading American historians. In this volume he persuades readers that Lee deserves higher ranking among the astounding generation of this nation's founding fathers than most historians have accorded him.

Philip L. White

J. Kent McGaughy has fashioned a highly readable and informative account of the life of Richard Henry Lee. In this concise biography Lee is depicted as a conservative, pragmatic agent for many of the changes that helped create the American Revolution and form the early republic. . . .with his persuasive use of primary resources, McGaughy does a fine job of dispelling many earlier historian's pejorative assessments of Lee.

Journal of Southern History

J. Kent McGaughy has fashioned a highly readable and informative account of the life of Richard Henry Lee. In this concise biography Lee is depicted as a conservative, pragmatic agent for many of the changes that helped create the American Revolution and form the early republic. . . .with his persuasive use of primary resources, McGaughy does a fine job of dispelling many earlier historian's pejorative assessments of Lee.

Journal Of Southern History

Kent McGaughy does good historical detective work. He established some years ago that Richard Henry Lee was not the author of the 'Letters from the Federal Farmer' attributed to him by generations of leading American historians. In this volume he persuades readers that Lee deserves higher ranking among the astounding generation of this nation's founding fathers than most historians have accorded him.--Philip L. White, University of Texas

J. Kent McGaughy has fashioned a highly readable and informative account of the life of Richard Henry Lee. In this concise biography Lee is depicted as a conservative, pragmatic agent for many of the changes that helped create the American Revolution and form the early republic. . . .with his persuasive use of primary resources, McGaughy does a fine job of dispelling many earlier historian's pejorative assessments of Lee.--Journal of Southern History

From the Publisher