"His mind was great and powerful": George Washington's reading and the fashioning of his American self

This dissertation explores George Washington's intellectual development through the reading he conducted over the course of his lifetime. The chapters that follow offer answers to the questions: why did he develop his unique reading preferences at different periods in his life; what did he read; how did he use the knowledge gained from his reading; and where did Washington read. Answering these questions opens a window into Washington's mind. Over the course of his adult life, Washington meticulously cultivated his reputation and played a large part in the creation of his own myth. The success of this endeavor largely hinged on his ability to maintain a certain aloofness from those around him. As a result, Washington's closest contemporaries and scores of historians and biographers over time all concluded that Washington's mind was inaccessible. As long as the keys to understanding Washington's intellect remained hidden, the studies of how he achieved such greatness were somewhat hollow. However, this dissertation argues that one of these keys has hidden in plain sight -- in his library. Washington eventually amassed a library of over nine hundred volumes, a fact that many scholars have noted, but none have seriously examined. By examining the library to determine what Washington read and then placing that reading in the context of the events taking place in his life and world, what emerges is a picture of a man driven to succeed. Washington spent a lifetime compensating for a "defective education" through self-directed study. He pursued useful knowledge so that he could lead scores of men who were often more qualified than he. This reading was the key to Washington's self-fashioning project. This project not only makes Washington more real and accessible, but it also sheds important light on how his own American identity was formed. This project will therefore contribute to future research on the development of American nationalism.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Adrienne Marie Harriso