It's a commonly expressed belief that histories are at least as much about the time in which they are written as about the past period being written about.
This slim book is a good example of what that means. Breen's argument in George Washington's Journey is that the new president of the new nation deliberately marshalled his many theatrical / political talents during the tours of the states he made in his first administration to present an image of himself as the worthy example of the benefits of the strong, central federal government in which he believed. Without a central overarching authority, there was no way for the states' rights states to either hang together as a fully functioning independent nation, or to protect the democracy's declared intention of religious tolerance (i.e. the diversity / minority rights of the day) and other less majority groups.
One sees Breen's argument, which he makes at least once on every page, directed deliberately at those elements of our national political life who have been expressing for years contempt and hatred for central government of the U.S.A.
It's heartening to see this argument so sincerely presented by a member of the insider U.S. History scholars. His book is endorsed by both Gordon Wood and Douglas Bradburn, a librarian at Mount Vernon.
When looking at the fate of the CSA, it's impossible not to conclude that those who despise government can neither govern nor create a functioning government. That's the lesson we need to get out there, quite a few of us believe.
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