In [i] George Washington Dealmaker-in-Chief,[/i] Cyrus A. Ansary offers a detailed account of the life of George Washington as the first President of the United States and how he founded the entrepreneurial economy in America in the late eighteenth century. The book is divided into four parts with each part having several chapters. The first part explores Washington’s life as a farmer who later turned into an entrepreneur and reaped the full benefits of entrepreneurship. Mr. Ansary indicates that, during his youth, Washington was a surveyor and a farmer who grew tobacco, wheat, corn, potatoes, and other crops on his farm at Mount Vernon. Then, he turned to manufacturing by making clothes, building a tannery, a commercial fishery, a distillery, and a dairy plant. He also drained the Great Dismal Swamp and built inland waterways and canals in Virginia. The second part analyzes the rank, deference, and preference in the British aristocracy. The hierarchical system of the British divided people into two classes; rich and powerful aristocrats and poor commoners. The British economic policies were influenced by mercantilism and the chartered trading companies. Part III of the book explores Washington’s knowledge of the field of economics, his prescription for governance, and the entrepreneurial model that he adopted to grow the American economy. Mr. Ansary notes that despite Washington lacking an MBA or Ph.D. in economics, his business activities became the stuff of economics that economists would later use to formulate their theories. Washington’s initiatives covered issues like the national debt, the constitution, national union, defense, international trade, judiciary, and manufacturing among other areas. Washington abandoned the centrally-planned economy created by the British and adopted the entrepreneurial economic model. The last part of the book discusses the paradigm shift brought by President Washington, a clever legislative maneuver to build the capital city of the United States, the establishment of a fair judiciary, the creation of the national bank, and the treaties made with Britain and Spain.
One of the things I liked about the book is that the content is well-researched and guided by a research question. The goal of the author is clear because he examines the life and times of Washington while looking for evidence of his involvement in business activities and how that influenced the economic policies that he put in place as President. Clearly, the author’s attention to detail is unmatched because he explains things that are not commonly addressed by other writers, biographers, or historians. Another positive aspect is that by reading about Washington, you also get to know the history of America in the eighteenth century. For example, you learn about the British colonies, the Revolutionary War, British Crown, the French and Indian War, and the events that led to American Independence. The book’s contents are also based on careful reading and analysis of primary and secondary sources of American history, for example, the papers and journals of Washington, the debates and proceedings of the first Congress of the US, and Senate journals and books. The other positive aspect is that Mr. Ansary does not forget to show his prowess in law and finance because he analyzes anything to do with courts, petitions, and incomes involving Washington in detail. Lastly, I liked the inclusion of pictures showing the many faces of Washington as a farmer, soldier, and President.
Perhaps the only shortcoming of the book is the presence of a few grammar mistakes, but those ones can be corrected. I would have indicated that the book is long, but that is justified considering that it is a text about the first President of the United States whom the author seems to associate with in his career and personal life.
Regarding rating, I would rate the book as well-written and give it [b] 4 out of 5 stars.[/b] The deduction of one point comes because of the few grammar mistakes that I found in the book. Otherwise, this book has many positive aspects that far exceed the negative ones. Besides this book is top-notch if you consider that Mr. Ansary has explored a little-known part of Washington’s life, which is his involvement in business affairs.
I would recommend this book to economists, finance experts, members of Congress, presidents, and other political leaders who would be interested in reading the biography of Washington. The book is also suited to students of American history and economic history because it describes how the entrepreneurial economy in America was first created by Washington. Academicians, professors, researchers, and philosophers in the field of economics can also learn a lot from the book and add theories to the existing knowledge.
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