First founding father : Richard Henry Lee and the call to independence

Evolution of a dynasty -- Egyptian bondage -- No liberty, no king! -- Poet, playwright, watchmaker, spy -- An indispensable necessity -- The enemy of everything good -- A most bloody battle -- To discard General Washington -- President Richard Henry Lee -- Riots and mobbish proceedings -- The farmer and the Federalist -- His majesty the president.

Summary:

A portrait of one of America's Founding Fathers illuminates his role in securing key political and diplomatic victories in the Revolutionary War, his efforts to unite the colonial government and his negotiations with French supporters to secure essential arms.

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xiii, 306 pages :

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Before Washington, before Jefferson, before Franklin or John Adams, there was Lee--Richard Henry Lee, the First Founding Father

Richard Henry Lee was first to call for independence, first to call for union, and first to call for a bill of rights to protect Americans against government tyranny. A towering figure in America's Revolutionary War, Lee was as much the "father of our country" as George Washington, for it was Lee who secured the political and diplomatic victories that ensured Washington's military victories. Lee was critical in holding Congress together at a time when many members sought to surrender or flee the approach of British troops. Risking death on the gallows for defying British rule, Lee charged into battle himself to prevent British landings along the Virginia coast--despite losing most of his left hand in an explosion.

A stirring, action-packed biography, First Founding Father will startle most Americans with the revelation that many historians have ignored for more than two centuries: Richard Henry Lee, not Thomas Jefferson, was the author of America's original Declaration of Independence.

Author Notes

Acclaimed historian Harlow Giles Unger is a former Distinguished Visiting Fellow at George Washington's Mount Vernon. He is the author of twenty-six previous books, including twelve biographies of America's Founding Fathers and three histories of the early Republic. He lives in New York City.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Richard Henry Lee has not lacked for biographies, but none is as well executed as this one. Unger, who has written biographies of 11 leaders of the early American Republic, such as Henry Clay (CH, Feb'16, 53-2785), makes a solid case for placing Lee among the earliest advocates of American independence and the most important architects of victory in the Revolutionary War. While serving on key Continental Congress committees, Lee "assumed a role as [his friend, George] Washington's personal representative" in Congress. Throughout the war, Lee's brothers, William, a merchant in London, and Arthur, a diplomat in Paris, made him among the best-informed congressmen concerning affairs in Europe. During Lee's 1784-85 term as president of the Congress, he lived and entertained lavishly to impress European diplomats. His opposition to ratification of the Constitution led its Federalist supporters to heap "insults and false accusations" on Lee--including complicity in the Conway Cabal's attempt to remove Washington from command of the Continental Army--but did not prevent his election as one of Virginia's first US senators. Unger's thorough research, smooth narrative, and placement of Lee in the context of 18th-century America will inform both general readers and historians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic levels/libraries. --James C. Bradford, emeritus, Texas A&M University

List of Illustrations	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Chapter 1 Evolution of a Dynasty	p. 5
Chapter 2 Egyptian Bondage	p. 31
Chapter 3 No Liberty, No King!	p. 53
Chapter 4 Poet, Playwright, Watchmaker, Spy	p. 75
Chapter 5 An Indispensable Necessity	p. 91
Chapter 6 The Enemy of Everything Good	p. 113
Chapter 7 A Most Bloody Battle	p. 133
Chapter 8 To Discard General Washington	p. 157
Chapter 9 President Richard Henry Lee	p. 177
Chapter 10 Riots and Mobbish Proceedings	p. 193
Chapter 11 The Farmer and the Federalist	p. 213
Chapter 12 His Majesty the President	p. 237
Afterword	p. 259
Appendix A The Leedstown, or Westmoreland, Resolves	p. 265
Appendix B The Signers and the Declaration	p. 269
Notes	p. 273
Bibliography	p. 289
Index	p. 295

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