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There have been many serious abuses of presidential power in recent decades, including Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal, and the Lewinsky affair, subsequently Americans have demonstrated renewed interest in discussing the relationship between character and political leadership. Through an investigation of the life and career of George Washington, often considered the exemplary moral president, the chapters offer a balanced scholarly contribution to this analysis.
Fishman, Pederson, Rozell, and their contributors examine the legacy of Washingtons presidency. Leading political scientists and historians describe and evaluate the impact of Washington's leadership on the institution of the presidency and on those who have since occupied the Oval Office. In the contemporary era of almost endless speculation about the role of character in presidential leadership, an analysis of Washington's character and the model he established is especially germane.
The chapters provide diverse interpretations of the value of understanding Washington's leadership and the character of the modern presidency. Some of the scholars conclude that Washington indeed laid the foundation for good character and strong leadership in the presidency. Others take a more critical approach and see Washington, like many of his successors, as a fallible human being who possessed both character strengths and weaknesses. The lasting value of this analysis for political scientists, historians, and other students of the American presidency is that it demonstrates the continued vibrant debate over Washington's authentic legacy to the office.
List of contents
Preface
Evaluating Washington's Leadership and CharacterThe President as Moral Leader: George Washington in Contemporary Perspective by Glenn A. Phelps
The Command of Its Own Fortunes: Reconsidering Washington's Farewell Address by Matthew Spalding
Washington as Cincinnatus: A Model of Leadership by Jason S. Lantzer
George Washington: Can Aristotle Recapture What His Countrymen Have Forgotten? by Colleen J. Shogan
Duty, Honor, Country: Parallels in the Leadership of George Washington and Dwight David Eisenhower by Philip G. Henderson
The Foreign Policy of Republicanism: A Free Society in an Unfree World by William Allen
Washington's Leadership: Prudence and the American Presidency by Ethan Fishman
America's Presidential Triumvirate: Quantitative Measures of Character by William D. Pederson and Frank J. Williams
The Origins of Washington's Leadership and CharacterThe Young Washington: An Interpretive Essay by Mostafa Rejai and Kay Phillips
The Nature and Development of Washington's Statesmanship: 1753-1783 by Kent A. Kirwan
Washington and the Specter of Cromwell by Jim Piecuch
"A Complete Gentleman": Congress's "Partiality" for George Washington in 1775 by William Guthrie Sayen
George Washington, Popular Sovereignty, and the Legitimacy of Revolution by Ricardo A. Herrera
Index
About the author
ETHAN FISHMAN is Professor of Political Science at the University of South Alabama.
WILLIAM D. PEDERSON is Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Social Sciences at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
MARK J. ROZELL is Associate Professor of Politics at The Catholic University of America.
