In a short biography, Henriques (The Death of George Washington
) weighs in on many debates surrounding America's first president. Born-again Christians like to claim that Washington was an evangelical, but Henriques says it wasn't so: the Virginia Anglican was sporadically involved in his local church, but he was not theologically "orthodox" and his interest in religion was "perfunctory." Henriques is extremely generous when describing his subject's attitudes toward slavery. While acknowledging that Washington owned slaves all his life, Henriques emphasizes the ways Washington's views on slavery evolved and insists that the master of Mount Vernon "be judged against the standards of his day, not ours." The women in Washington's life also come under scrutiny. Washington was happily married to Martha Dandridge Custis, but he may have carried a torch for his friend Sally Cary Fairfax. In a strained psychological argument, Henriques suggests that Washington "channeled" whatever "passions" he had for Fairfax into the founding of America. Throughout, the prose is clunky ("The story of... Washington and slavery has much material in it for those desiring to engage in the 'ecstasy of sanctimony' "). And Henriques's ultimate conclusion—that Washington was a man of great character, always willing to do his duty, even when it cost him his privacy and an easy retirement—is anodyne. 15 b&w illus. (Apr.)
