George Washington: Writings (1997) is a definitive volume from the Library of America, meticulously curated by John H. Rhodehamel, that collects the essential letters, speeches, and documents of America’s first president. Spanning Washington’s life from his early surveying journals (1748) to his Farewell Address (1796), this anthology reveals the man behind the myth—a pragmatic leader whose words shaped a nation.
- Revolutionary War Orders: Harrowing dispatches from Valley Forge and Yorktown.
- Constitutional Debates: Private letters on federal power and slavery’s moral stain.
- Presidential Addresses: The measured tone of his First Inaugural (“No event could have filled me with greater anxieties”).
LoA’s scholarly appendices decode his 18th-century prose, while omitting mundane farm ledgers (unlike Papers of George Washington).
For context, pair with Hamilton: Writings (2001) or John Adams: Revolutionary Writings.
(Fun fact: Washington’s 1783 Circular to the States urged unity “as Americans,” avoiding “Virginian” or “New Yorker”—a radical idea then.)
