Description
Book SynopsisExamines the first American presidential inauguration, including the people, ceremonies, and issues surrounding the event, and argues that George Washington’s inaugural address provides a compelling statement of the values necessary to make the experiment in republican government a success.
Trade Review“Browne skillfully synthesizes biography, travelogue, social and political history, and rhetorical analysis to reach fresh conclusions about the relationship between individual and national character.”
—Richard Norton Smith The Wall Street Journal
“A paean to the country’s past as well as its ever-present possibility.”
—Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern Yeshiva University Straus Center Reviews
“Browne’s analysis of Washington’s address is superb. He succeeds admirably in showing how Americans performed and instantiated a dynamic, protean conception of nationhood.”
—Peter S. Onuf,author of The Mind of Thomas Jefferson
“A very interesting topic. The idea of employing Washington’s trip from Mount Vernon to New York City as a way of demonstrating his commitment to republicanism is inherently fascinating. So much has been written and published about Washington over the decades that it’s hard to find a niche where something worthy of public attention has become available.”
—James Kirby Martin,author of Insurrection: The American Revolution and Its Meaning
“There is much to praise in The First Inauguration, which uses detailed historical reconstruction of George Washington’s journey to the first inauguration ceremony in New York and careful analysis of his inaugural address, as well as celebrations of the anniversary of those events, to draw conclusions about the creation of American identity, along with the development of American civil religion, American exceptionalism, and democratic rhetorical norms. Browne’s writing is engaging, and his reconstruction of Washington’s journey is impressive.”
—Robert C. Rowland,coauthor of Reagan at Westminster: Foreshadowing the End of the Cold War
“A masterful analysis.”
—Gregory Michna Anglican and Episcopal History
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Things He Carried with Him
2. On the Road to Philadelphia
3. Between Past and Future: Trenton & Beyond
4. His Excellency Arrives in New York City
5. Sacred Fire of Liberty: The First Inaugural Address
6. The Inauguration in American Memory
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
