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An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America Kindle Edition

by Henry Wiencek (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 144 ratings
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  1. Los Angeles Times Book PrizeWinner, 2003
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An Imperfect God is a major new biography of Washington, and the first to explore his engagement with American slavery

When George Washington wrote his will, he made the startling decision to set his slaves free; earlier he had said that holding slaves was his "only unavoidable subject of regret." In this groundbreaking work, Henry Wiencek explores the founding father's engagement with slavery at every stage of his life--as a Virginia planter, soldier, politician, president and statesman.

Washington was born and raised among blacks and mixed-race people; he and his wife had blood ties to the slave community. Yet as a young man he bought and sold slaves without scruple, even raffled off children to collect debts (an incident ignored by earlier biographers). Then, on the Revolutionary battlefields where he commanded both black and white troops, Washington's attitudes began to change. He and the other framers enshrined slavery in the Constitution, but, Wiencek shows, even before he became president Washington had begun to see the system's evil.

Wiencek's revelatory narrative, based on a meticulous examination of private papers, court records, and the voluminous Washington archives, documents for the first time the moral transformation culminating in Washington's determination to emancipate his slaves. He acted too late to keep the new republic from perpetuating slavery, but his repentance was genuine. And it was perhaps related to the possibility--as the oral history of Mount Vernon's slave descendants has long asserted--that a slave named West Ford was the son of George and a woman named Venus; Wiencek has new evidence that this could indeed have been true.

George Washington's heroic stature as Father of Our Country is not diminished in this superb, nuanced portrait: now we see Washington in full as a man of his time and ahead of his time.

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  1. Print length
    501 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  4. Publication date
    November 12, 2013
  5. File size
    1.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Was George Washington a dedicated slaveholder and, like Thomas Jefferson, a father of slave children? Or was he a closeted abolitionist and moralist who abhorred the abuse of African-Americans? In An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America Henry Wiencek delves into Washington's papers and new oral history information to assemble a portrait of the first President of the United States that (while uneven in the telling) concludes that Washington supported emancipation by the time of his death.

To begin, Wiencek briefly addresses and dismisses the claim that Washington fathered a child with Venus, (a slave owned by Washingtong's brother, John Augustine). According to Wiencek, the President was likely sterile and such an affair would have been out of character for a man who prided himself on "self-control."

Wiencek's real focus in An Imperfect God is Washington's personal and political position regarding emancipation. The primary ground for Wiencek's argument is Washington's will and a selection of private letters that elaborate a plan for providing land and means for his freed laborers. The will in particular offers powerful evidence of Washington's true intentions, including explicit declarations manumitting Washington's slaves after his death. As Wiencek shows, the document punctuated a long period of equivocation.

An Imperfect God is an imperfect book. Wiencek's occasional first-person accounts of his field research, including discussions with descendants of Washington, feel strangely out of place in what is elsewhere a straightforward biography punctuated with digressions into Washington's larger historical context. Further, Wiencek sometimes dabbles in hagiography and is willing to excuse much in a man who was a slaveholder his entire life. Yet, Wiencek is right to point out the distinctions of Washington among the slaveholding Founding Fathers. Readers can only imagine along with Wiencek the national tragedy that could have been averted had Washington provided the great example of emancipation while in office. --Patrick O'Kelley

From Publishers Weekly

This important work, sure to be of compelling interest to anyone concerned with the nation's origins, its founders and its history of race slavery, is the first extended history of its subject. Wiencek (who won a National Book Critics Circle award for The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White) relates not only the embrangled "blood" history of Washington's family and that of the Custis clan into which he married, but also the first-person tale, often belabored, of his own search for facts and truth. What will surely gain the book widest notice is Wiencek's careful evaluation of the evidence that Washington himself may have fathered the child of a slave. His verdict? Possible, but highly improbable. Yet his detective work places the search on a higher plane than ever before. Also, while being a social history (unnecessarily padded in some places) of 18th-century Virginia and filled with affecting stories of individual slaves, the book stands out for depicting Washington's deep moral struggle with slavery and his gradual "moral transfiguration" after watching some young slaves raffled off. While by no means above dissimulation, even lying, about his and Martha's bond servants, by the time of his death in 1799 Washington had become a firm, if quiet, opponent of the slave system. By freeing his slaves upon Martha's death, he stood head and shoulders above almost all his American contemporaries. This work of stylish scholarship and genealogical investigation makes Washington an even greater and more human figure than he has seemed before. History Book Club main selection.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00FCR3K5S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First edition (November 12, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 12, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 501 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 144 ratings

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Henry Wiencek

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4.6 out of 5 stars
144 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They appreciate its comprehensive examination of George Washington's life and attitudes. Readers praise the writing quality as articulate and emotional, evoking an intellectual as well as emotional response. The biography is described as an excellent combination of a biography and a clear, nuanced view of Washington's life and attitude. The narrative is laid out vividly and thoroughly fleshes out Washington's character.

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ReadabilityKnowledgeHistory knowledgeWriting qualityBiographyYarn qualityPacing
15 customers mention "Readability"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They say it's a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how we got where we are today. The book is well-written and entertaining, making it worth buying.

"...Another good book on this early period that is out of print is "America at 1750: A Social Portrait" by Richard Hofstadter...." Read more

"...Why house them in hovels and work them dusk to dawn?I enjoyed reading this book,it is well researched and brings to light many sad truths about the..." Read more

"I enjoyed the book. However, I bought it used and when I got to disc 4, I realized I didn't have one. I had two disc 3's instead...." Read more

"...beyond the life and attitudes of George Washington .It is worth reading more than once ." Read more

14 customers mention "Knowledge"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They describe it as a comprehensive examination of George Washington's views on slavery. The book is interesting and provides an honest portrayal of slavery in the Colonies.

"...It is a great book in explaining slavery historically and how Washington opinions about slavery evolved over his life...." Read more

"...of apparently fresh research and his ideas were definitely new and insightful. Bravo!..." Read more

"...and work them dusk to dawn?I enjoyed reading this book,it is well researched and brings to light many sad truths about the founding fathers...." Read more

"...My hat is off to Henry Wiencek for his painstaking research. This book will be invaluable for my own research...." Read more

7 customers mention "History knowledge"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history content. They find it an engaging read with interesting facts about Washington that are not included in other histories. The story is well-told and provides a fresh perspective on the topic.

"...I recommend it to students, lovers of history, Washington buffs...and I want to see more from this articulate author! Diana Rubino..." Read more

"...Great customer service. The book was good and a good listen if you like history. Lots of detail on George Washington." Read more

"I love history. The book has more than 350 pages but, i enjoyed them all. The book itself was in perfect conditions. I bought used." Read more

"There are facts that history books never showed....the good, the bad ,and the ugly. I have recommended this book to friends." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They find it well-written and engaging, providing a good sense of life in Virginia at that time. The author is articulate and the story is well-told, evoking an emotional as well as intellectual response from them.

"...of history, Washington buffs...and I want to see more from this articulate author! Diana Rubino Author of A NECESSARY END" Read more

"Wiencek does it. With focused yet rich writing, he untangles and displays the complexity and horror of the abject racism of Washington and his..." Read more

"...The writing evoked an emotional as well as intellectual response in me...." Read more

"Well written and kept one's attention...." Read more

6 customers mention "Biography"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the biography of Washington insightful and well-written. They say it goes beyond the life and attitudes of George Washington, providing a nuanced view of his character and changing opinions over time.

"...A real eye-opener, for anyone who wants to augment knowledge about George, Martha and the Washington and Custis heirs, and learn what our teachers..." Read more

"...His view of Washington is nuanced, tracking changes in his attitudes over time and appreciating both his attempts to act according to his conscience..." Read more

"...The book was good and a good listen if you like history. Lots of detail on George Washington." Read more

"...This book goes FAR beyond the life and attitudes of George Washington .It is worth reading more than once ." Read more

4 customers mention "Yarn quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the yarn quality good.

"...These sections were quite interesting and well done, too." Read more

"Henry Wiencek has produced another masterpiece with his book An Imperfect God: George Washington, his Slaves, and the Creation of America...." Read more

"Pretty good, although off the subject at times. Makes ya wonder about who we chose to be our heros.Long in the tooth." Read more

"...evidence to try to come up with a "big finding." But some very good yarns," Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pacing engaging. They say the narrative provides a vivid and intimate look at Washington.

"...or she knows about Washington, this narrative will so thoroughly flesh out Washington-the-man that one can never again think of him merely as the..." Read more

"...It is all laid out quite vividly. Its a must-read for anyone wanting additional understanding as to how we got where we are today...." Read more

"A fascinating topic and a fresh look at Washington..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Grover Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Early History of Black Slavery in America
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This book details the change in G. Washington's attitude toward the institution of black slavery and his efforts to free the slaves under his control and the many reasons why he could not just free them all in his life time. (Many were not 100% his. But the property of his wife and her children (his adopted children and grandchildren). The author gives insight how slaves could earn money by which they could purchase their freedom. That slave owners used various tools to motivate their slaves , from the whip to rewards as incentives. This book also reveals the hard hearted attitude many slave holders developed even toward slaves who would today be recognized as half sisters having the same father but different mothers . An excellent book on the nature and early history of black slavery in the Colonies . Slavery as we understand it today as a birth to death existence only developed about the late 1730s - 1865 in the 13 colonies and later the U.S. Prior to this people of every race could be sold into indenturement which was a limited servitude of a set term usually 7-9 years after which they were free to pursue their own interests . The poor in England often would sell themselves into indenturement as a way to get to America . Another source of indentured servants was the English prisons. As these sources dried up land owners looked to African slavers to provide them with laborers. These too were originally treated in a similar way as the British laborers gaining their freedom after 7-9 years of labor.(This is the origin of many the early free American Negros by the time of the American Revolution.) As greed took over, owners of the indentured began took look for ways and reasons to keep their servants longer thus between 1720-1740 a view that blacks were not really fully human but more like animals was developed by those in power. This allowed a false morality to developed that said Negros and their offspring could be kept, bought and sold into slavery not indenturement Thus if only Negros could be kept in a lifetime of slavery Greed (follow the money) led to owners to define that to be negro only required that they be as little as 1/8 some as little as 1/16 negro to be bought and sold in slavery. .It is a great book in explaining slavery historically and how Washington opinions about slavery evolved over his life. Another good book on this early period that is out of print is "America at 1750: A Social Portrait" by Richard Hofstadter. But Can now be found Amazon new/used books.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Howard Schulman
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating topic and a fresh look at Washington
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This book is definitely "different". In it, the author examines how President George Washington went from a man steeped in the belief that slavery was acceptable to one who seemed to be deeply troubled by it. Unlike most history texts of the period, this one spends a lot of time constructing arguments and making educated guesses. Although at times the arguments seemed to be a little bit of a stretch, the author presents a lot of apparently fresh research and his ideas were definitely new and insightful. Bravo!

    It is fairly interesting how the author pours through seemingly uninteresting records of slave sales and otherwise uninteresting personal correspondences of Washington and his family in order to discover what Washington's true thoughts were and what he actually did when it concerned his slaves. Slavery was not a topic that Washington liked to talk about publicly, and he seemed to have thoughts both pro and con, so we're frequently left with no definite answer.

    Furthermore, he seemed to part company with his wife on this subject! Martha, it appears, had no problem with the continuation of slavery, while Washington clearly did. In his will, Washington freed most of his slaves. We also discover that Washington had thoughts about doing so during his presidency. That would have set quite a precedent. It never happened, but things would have been different if it did.

    In the first half, the author spends time explaining how slavery evolved in the United States. Slavery just didn't happen overnight. It evolved and changed over the years, finally becoming that brutal institution we all now recognize. These sections were quite interesting and well done, too.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • August Treeson
    4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed reading this book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Wiencek presents Washington as a closet abolitionist,a man who has grown to abhor slavery but is helpless to suppress it.This spiritual awakening is due to his experiences in the revolutionary war serving with African soldiers.I don't buy it.Why not just give the slaves a salary? Why house them in hovels and work them dusk to dawn?I enjoyed reading this book,it is well researched and brings to light many sad truths about the founding fathers. Washingtons' will freeing his slaves upon the the death of Martha is Hitchcockian.She wisely told them that there was no need to wait.
    One person found this helpful
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