In the Name of the Father : Washington's Legacy, Slavery, and the Making of a Nation

In this revelatory and genuinely groundbreaking study, François Furstenberg sheds new light on the genesis of American identity. Immersing us in the publishing culture of the early nineteenth century, he shows us how the words of George Washington and others of his generation became America’s sacred scripture and provided the foundation for a new civic culture—one whose reconciliation with slavery unleashed consequences that haunt us still. A dazzling work of scholarship from a brilliant young historian, In the Name of the Fatheris a major contribution to American social history.

Fran+ºois Furstenberg was educated at Columbia University and The Johns Hopkins University, and was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in U.S. history at Cambridge University, England. He is presently an assistant professor of history at the Universit+¬ de Montr+¬al in Montreal, Canada.