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American Patriarch

The Life of George Washington

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Pub Date May 12 2026 | Archive Date Jul 9 2026


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Description

From historian and Pulitzer Prize–finalist H. W. Brands comes a vivid portrait of George Washington, an iconic leader who steered the American army to victory and set our nation on its path to democracy and freedom.

“With this masterly volume, Brands has further solidified his standing as one of our nation’s greatest historians. American Patriarch is by turns brilliant and bold.”
—Justin Vaughn, founder and director of the Presidential Greatness Project


George Washington was a singular figure in American history, and he remains unmatched. In his military career, Washington was more than just a leader; he was the embodiment of the American Revolution. As the first president of the United States, he established expectations that have shaped the presidency ever since. Other men gained military fame; some of these became president. But in American Patriarch, scholar and master storyteller H. W. Brands argues that none so towered above his contemporaries in both war and peace as Washington.

In a compelling narrative that confounds expectations, Brands portrays a Washington who perseveres through a series of failures and setbacks, attributing to him a resolute will and uncovering qualities that made him a model of American virtue. With its dazzling cast of characters—from the French and Indians on the Ohio frontier; to the Marquis de Lafayette, Benedict Arnold and Baron von Steuben on the revolutionary battlefield; to Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton locked in conflict during Washington’s presidency—American Patriarch shows that it is Washington above all who wrested America free from British control, gave credibility to the Constitution and crafted the norms of governing that would steady America as a nation for generations to follow. Drawing on diaries, letters, speeches and broadsides of the day, American Patriarch brings to startling life the man who was called on time and again by his peers to lead.
From historian and Pulitzer Prize–finalist H. W. Brands comes a vivid portrait of George Washington, an iconic leader who steered the American army to victory and set our nation on its path to...

Advance Praise

“H. W. Brands is a talented storyteller, with a novelist’s feel for pacing and detail.” —The Wall Street Journal, on The Last Campaign

“Fascinating. . . .This book is the work of a master historian at the top of his craft.” —New York Journal of Books, on The Zealot and the Emancipator

“Brands is the rare academic historian who can write like a bestselling novelist.” —USA Today, on Reagan

“A historical spellbinder. . . . A lively, vivid, and thoroughly researched account of a time when discord gripped the nation and wouldn’t let go.” —The Christian Science Monitor, on Heirs of the Founders

“Jackson was an American original, a wholly fascinating figure whom H. W. Brands brings to life in a big, rich biography. . . . Brands weaves together keen political history with anecdote and a marvelous sense of place to produce a vivid tableau.” —The Boston Globe, on Andrew Jackson

“A biography with a rich cast of secondary characters and a large and handsome stock of historical scenery. . . . This is a Franklin to savor.” —The Wall Street Journal, on The First American

“Like its subject, this biography is both solid and enchanting.” —The New Yorker, on The First American

“Mr. Brands, a terrific writer who commands his material, handles this sprawling, complicated story with authority and panache. [This is] as close as serious history gets to a page turner.” —The New York Times, on American Colossus

“H. W. Brands is a talented storyteller, with a novelist’s feel for pacing and detail.” —The Wall Street Journal, on The Last Campaign

“Fascinating. . . .This book is the work of a master historian...


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• Regional NPR and Podcast Interviews

• Political and Historical Media Coverage

• Original Essays and Opinion...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780385551557
PRICE $40.00 (USD)
PAGES 640

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