For liberty and glory : Washington, Lafayette, and their revolutions

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Title:

For liberty and glory : Washington, Lafayette, and their revolutions

Author:

Gaines, James R.

ISBN:

9780393061383

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2007.

Physical Description:

viii, 533 p., [24] p. of plates : ill. (some col.), maps ; 25 cm.

Contents:

The quest for glory -- Lexington and Versailles -- Endgames of the old regime -- La Victoire -- To Brandywine -- Another kind of crucible -- Enter France -- The beauty of a draw -- Showing their colors -- The ally and the traitor -- Into Virginia -- Yorktown -- The dark side of liberty -- Entr'acte -- Movements west and left -- Forms of bankruptcy -- Two conventions -- First blood -- Experiments in democracy -- Acts of defiance -- The spring of 1789 -- Come the revolution -- Front lines -- Works of the guillotine -- Between Scylla and Charybdis -- Farewells -- Epilogue.

Personal Subject:

Washington, George, 1732-1799.

Washington, George, 1732-1799-Influence.

Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834.

Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834-Influence.

Subject Term:

Presidents -- United States -- Biography.

Statesmen -- France -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.

United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Biography.

France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799.

France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Biography.

Summary:

They began as courtiers in a hierarchy of privilege, but history remembers them as patriot-citizens in a commonwealth of equals. On April 18, 1775, a riot over the price of flour broke out in the French city of Dijon; that same night, across the Atlantic, Paul Revere mounted the fastest horse he could find. So began what have been called the "sister revolutions" of France and America. In a single narrative, this book tells the story of those revolutions and shows just how deeply intertwined they actually were. Their leaders, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, were often seen as father and son, but their relationship, while close, was every bit as complex as the long, fraught history of the French-American alliance. Vain, tough, ambitious, they strove to shape their characters and records into the form they wanted history to remember.--From publisher description.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	973.41092 GAI	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

On April 18, 1775, a riot over the price of flour broke out in the French city of Dijon. That night, across the Atlantic, Paul Revere mounted the fastest horse he could find and kicked it into a gallop.So began what have been called the "sister revolutions" of France and America. In a single, thrilling narrative, this book tells the story of those revolutions and shows just how deeply intertwined they actually were. Their leaders, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, were often seen as father and son, but their relationship, while close, was every bit as complex as the long, fraught history of the French-American alliance. Vain, tough, ambitious, they strove to shape their characters and records into the form they wanted history to remember. James R. Gaines provides fascinating insights into these personal transformations and is equally brilliant at showing the extraordinary effect of the two "freedom fighters" on subsequent history.

Author Notes

James R. Gaines has been the editor of several magazines, including Time and People, and is also the author of Evening in the Palace of Reason. He lives with his family in Paris.

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this absorbing and learned study, Gaines (Evening in the Palace of Reason) chronicles the friendship of two great generals along with the American and French Revolutions, bringing great insight to both. He questions the standard theory that Lafayette and Washington had a father-son relationship and argues that the two men were the "founding fathers" of the centuries-long political alliance between France and America. This book is distinguished as much by the writing as the argument. Gaines's fresh narrative of the very familiar late-18th-century revolutions is exemplified by his exploration of the important role the playwright Beaumarchais played in French politics. With his typical flair for including perfect, cunning details, Gaines points out that Beaumarchais's nickname, "fils Caron," sounded remarkably like the name of his theatrical hero Figaro. Thus, when Figaro debuted in the radical play The Barber of Seville, the "self-consciously savvy audience knew exactly who they were watching on stage." Gaines also captures the drama of tense moments, such as Lafayette's public call for a convocation of the Estates-General. This winning volume will likely overshadow David Clary's Adopted Son. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

The American and French revolutions were inseparably linked. French financial and military support for the American cause helped bankrupt France's treasury, precipitating the financial crisis that began the slide into revolution. On a deeper level, both American and French revolutionaries took their inspiration from icons of the Enlightenment, including Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Gaines, former editor of Time and People magazines, has written an excellent examination of both revolutions and the men and times that spawned them. At the heart of his story is the complicated relationship between George Washington and Lafayette, the young French aristocrat with republican ideals who came to serve both Washington and the American cause. Gaines shows their relationship as nuanced: both sharing a tendency toward vanity, a thirst for glory, and a need to stand apart from their peers. Although Gaines provides some useful insights into the commonalities of the revolutions, he is at his best in illustrating how and why the French Revolution evolved so differently.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2007 Booklist

Choice Review

The French and American revolutions are backdrops to this fascinating study of the peculiar but intimate relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. Historians tend to say "father/son," but it was a good deal more complicated than that. As journalist Gaines (former managing editor of Time and People magazines) implies, their rapport was "America/Europe" in microcosm. Separated in age by a quarter century and by light-years in terms of experience and background, on the battlefield the two men formed a close bond that was still unbroken when Washington died. The author manages to provide a sweeping overview of both revolutions (and of the politics of both countries, in the interim) while not losing sight of his two protagonists. At times, Gaines wanders off into amusing but pointless trivia that general readers will appreciate, but of which professional historians may not approve. The author sometimes too closely draws parallels between events in the US and France, but he provides new insights into Washington's character and into the chaos and contradictions of life in Paris just before the deluge. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. T. S. Martin Sinclair Community College

Kirkus Review

Exciting, well-wrought narrative strikes a terrific balance between George Washington's stoic endeavors to galvanize a new American republic and the Marquis de Lafayette's efforts to foment ideas of liberty and equality in despotic France. The pair enjoyed a close, lifelong relationship, notes Gaines (Evening in the Palace of Reason, 2005, etc.). The elder general of the ragtag colonial forces first met the effusive, wild-eyed and very rich 19-year-old Frenchman in 1777 and had to figure out what to do with him. Steeped in Enlightenment ideals, each would be profoundly changed by the American war for liberty. Washington, the taciturn man of honor, lent his immense gravity and dignity to the founding years of the new republic. Lafayette fought courageously for the patriots, most notably at the siege of Yorktown, and he aggressively foisted on Louis XVI's moribund court the ideals of inalienable human rights and self-government. Indeed, the French became necessary allies in the war against England, and Gaines notes that numerous first- and second-rank leaders of the French Revolution besides Lafayette were veterans of the American revolt and "carried home to their tottering monarchy the ideal of an Arcadian society free from want and despotism." The author also stresses the importance of playwright and royal spy Beaumarchais, who pushed Louis to help arm the American rebels by setting up a secret trading house funded by the French government. Gaines maneuvers deftly between developments in America and France, from Washington's camp at Valley Forge and reluctant first presidency to Lafayette's intervention at the French court and the monstrous violence unleashed by the revolution. A marvelous reliving of history through the lives of two key players who were also devoted friends. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

The famous relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette was forged in battle in the American Revolution. Gaines (former editor, Time magazine; Evening in the Palace of Reason) presents an engrossing book about their complex friendship. He effectively argues that theirs was not a father-son relationship of pure devotion and that the two did end up on opposites sides on occasions. For example, although Washington supported the principles of liberty within the French Revolution, he did not support the export of those liberties beyond French borders when France then waged war with Prussia and Austria-Hungary. However, Lafayette commanded one of those French armies. Gaines's book is much broader than David Clary's recent Adopted Son: Washington, Lafayette, and the Friendship That Saved the Revolution because Gaines includes more about Lafayette's role during the French Revolution and his life after Washington's death in 1799. He uses a good balance of primary and secondary sources and includes recent works as well. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.-Bryan Craig, MLS, Nellysford, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

This is history that's hard to put down. . . . A fascinating portrait of two remarkable men into a vivid evocation of an era. -Robert A. Caro, author of Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson On April 18, 1775, a riot over the price of flour broke out in the French city of Dijon. That night, across the Atlantic, Paul Revere mounted the fastest horse he could find and kicked it into a gallop. So began what have been called the sister revolutionsof France and America. In a single, thrilling narrative, this book tells the story of those revolutions and shows just how deeply intertwined they actually were. Their leaders, George Washington and the marquis de Lafayette, were often seen as father and son, but their relationship, while close, was every bit as complex as the long, fraught history of the French-American alliance. Vain, tough, ambitious, they strove to shape their characters and records into the form they wanted history to remember. Excerpted from For Liberty and Glory by James R. Gaines All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Choice Review

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review

Excerpts

Excerpts

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