First Among Men: George Washington and the Myth of American Masculinity

Dispelling common myths about the first US president and revealing the real George Washington.

Winner of the George Washington Prize

George Washington—hero of the French and Indian War, commander in chief of the Continental Army, and first president of the United States—died on December 14, 1799. The myth-making began immediately thereafter, and the Washington mythos crafted after his death remains largely intact. But what do we really know about Washington as an upper-class man?

Washington is...