To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment
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- Create Date：2023-11-02 13:22:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bret Baier
- ISBN：B0BT18R5KB
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Summary
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and Fox News Channel's Chief Political Correspondent， a blockbuster new biography of George Washington， centering on his return from retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and secure the future of the United States。
George Washington rescued the nation and the Constitution three times: first by winning the Revolutionary War， second by presiding over the Constitutional Convention and ushering the Constitution through a fractious ratification process， and third by leading the nation as president in its first years。 There is no doubt that the struggling new nation needed to be rescued。
After the victorious war， when a spirit of unity and patriotism might have been expected， instead the nation was broken。 The states were no more than a loosely knit and contentious confederation， with no strong central union。 They were in constant conflict。 A frustrated Washington wrote to James Madison， "We are either a united people， or we are not。。。 If we are not， let us no longer act a farce by pretending to it。。。" It was an urgent matter， and led to the calling of a Constitutional Convention。
Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon， where he had a happy family life and was fully engaged in his farming enterprises， Washington agreed to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia。 There he was unanimously elected president of the convention。 After successfully bringing the Constitution into being， Washington then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life by accepting the unanimous election to be the nation's first president。 Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose， but his quiet， steady leadership gave life to the Constitution by showing how it should be enacted。 He not only helped write the nation's blueprint; he lived it。
In this colorful and moving portrait of America's early struggles， when the fight for survival was constant， Baier captures the dramatic moments when Washington's leadership brought the nation from the brink of collapse。 Baier exposes an early America that is grittier and far more divided than it is often portrayed--one we can see reflected in today's conflicts。
George Washington rescued the nation and the Constitution three times: first by winning the Revolutionary War， second by presiding over the Constitutional Convention and ushering the Constitution through a fractious ratification process， and third by leading the nation as president in its first years。 There is no doubt that the struggling new nation needed to be rescued。
After the victorious war， when a spirit of unity and patriotism might have been expected， instead the nation was broken。 The states were no more than a loosely knit and contentious confederation， with no strong central union。 They were in constant conflict。 A frustrated Washington wrote to James Madison， "We are either a united people， or we are not。。。 If we are not， let us no longer act a farce by pretending to it。。。" It was an urgent matter， and led to the calling of a Constitutional Convention。
Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon， where he had a happy family life and was fully engaged in his farming enterprises， Washington agreed to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia。 There he was unanimously elected president of the convention。 After successfully bringing the Constitution into being， Washington then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life by accepting the unanimous election to be the nation's first president。 Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose， but his quiet， steady leadership gave life to the Constitution by showing how it should be enacted。 He not only helped write the nation's blueprint; he lived it。
In this colorful and moving portrait of America's early struggles， when the fight for survival was constant， Baier captures the dramatic moments when Washington's leadership brought the nation from the brink of collapse。 Baier exposes an early America that is grittier and far more divided than it is often portrayed--one we can see reflected in today's conflicts。
Reviews
Jackie
，
While much of the information presented in To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment is not unheard of （by me）， it serves as a great reminder of where our country started， how it has survived， and its inevitable outcome of embracing ideas that shape our country。 Also， while it is evidently incredibly well-researched， it comes from an author that it is affiliated with a ‘news’ network that is off-putting to say the least。 For me， difficult to accept。 That b While much of the information presented in To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment is not unheard of （by me）， it serves as a great reminder of where our country started， how it has survived， and its inevitable outcome of embracing ideas that shape our country。 Also， while it is evidently incredibly well-researched， it comes from an author that it is affiliated with a ‘news’ network that is off-putting to say the least。 For me， difficult to accept。 That being said， kudos are in order for the presentation within the book of （mostly） facts。 A look into the mind， demeanour， and respect that George Washington had is inspiring。 An example of fairness， calm disposition， and love for family and country is evident。 An important reminder of what was a shaky start to a powerhouse nation。 Includes an Introduction， Prologue， Afterword， Appendix （Washington’s Farewell Address）， Acknowledgments， Notes， and Index。 3 1/2 stars。 。。。more
Cheri Branham
，
Great ReadIt's true。 George was ordained by God and our forefathers to lead our country through it's infancy。 He made a huge influence on our constitution and how it was written and how are government was initially set up。 Great ReadIt's true。 George was ordained by God and our forefathers to lead our country through it's infancy。 He made a huge influence on our constitution and how it was written and how are government was initially set up。 。。。more
Ed
，
Excellent and well written。 A very enjoyable and informative read。
Cheri Cole
，
Great historical record and overview of the people who formed our nation’s documents。 Understanding where we started encouraged me to continue when things feel so far from my own imagined US。 We are going to do it all again and reposition ourselves as a republic for generations to come。
dennys1
，
Wonderful Story About The Formation Of The Constitution This is an outstanding account of how we got our constitution。 One will get a greater appreciation of the role of George Washington。
Rick Grant
，
Fantastic job Brett and Catherine。 Loved the entire Washington final address at the end。 Founding fathers sure were so forward thinking。 Thank you。
J。B。
，
Some old， some new， but always well written
Wendi Fisher
，
This is such a well written book about our first president George Washington！ I remember some and learned more。 He was such a brilliant， devoted caring leader！ The US was blessed， he was the right man at the right time。
Suzanne Neuheimer
，
I enjoyed this book tremendously。 Another great read from Mr。 Baier。
Natalie
，
To Rescue the ConstitutionBy Bret BaierThis book is ostensibly about George Washington， from his childhood to his first military experiences; from his first dabbling in local and state politics to his leading the colonial army to victory in the Revolutionary Way; from his post-war retirement to his return to help write a Constitution which would be adopted by the states and serve as the core document for the government of the United States; and finally to his being elected and serving two terms To Rescue the ConstitutionBy Bret BaierThis book is ostensibly about George Washington， from his childhood to his first military experiences; from his first dabbling in local and state politics to his leading the colonial army to victory in the Revolutionary Way; from his post-war retirement to his return to help write a Constitution which would be adopted by the states and serve as the core document for the government of the United States; and finally to his being elected and serving two terms as President - the very first！But this book is so much more。 Mr。 Baier has laid out the various personalities in the cast of characters during those years。 We are treated to the petty， the mean-spirited， the ambitious， the self-righteous – but also the heroics of the men involved to overcome all the human frailties – "in order to form a more perfect union"。 There were so many patriotic， intelligent and far-seeing men and women involved in our struggle to bring forth a new nation。 This book destroys the myth of the founding fathers as a monolithic block of near godlike figures; it show us instead what a group of flawed human beings can accomplish when their minds and hearts are engaged in a cause。This book should be required reading in American history classes！ 。。。more
Chris
，
I learned a lot。Thanks to Goodreads for the kindle copy。
Tony Siciliano
，
Baier has the great ability to convey a sense of history with all its complexities in a clear， understandable way。 He proved this in his "To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S。 Grant， the Fragile Union， and the Crisis of 1876。" He tackled even more complex， deeply philosophical and practical issues in this work。 George Washington proved to be the calm， competent （and， often， just plain lucky） leader of the war against England。 Baird traces the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the chaoti Baier has the great ability to convey a sense of history with all its complexities in a clear， understandable way。 He proved this in his "To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S。 Grant， the Fragile Union， and the Crisis of 1876。" He tackled even more complex， deeply philosophical and practical issues in this work。 George Washington proved to be the calm， competent （and， often， just plain lucky） leader of the war against England。 Baird traces the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the chaotic conditions that resulted in the new republic。 Most interesting， Baird describes the Constitutional Convention of 1787， the clashing philosophies of those favoring a strong central government against those who opposed it， and the gradual coming together on a document that provided incentives for both sides。 Through all of this， George Washington was the quiet， solemn， dignified leader around whom all sides gathered。 He kept his opinions to himself while he managed to mold and eventually lead a much stronger country。 He was a man called by his country many times during his life。 Each time， he met the challenges that faced him with calm， dignity， and modesty。 Washington as president was ever-aware that all he did was precedent-setting。 He surrounded himself with the best thinkers of his day and steered his country through the first peaceful transition of power when he turned over the presidency to his successor， John Adams。 This is not a scholarly work and doesn't pretend to be。 It does， however， remind us that conflicting opinions are the crux of a democratic republic， that compromise and good will are not evil， and that government is an evolving construct that should ever strive to serve its citizens。 。。。more
Mark Mears
，
To Rescue the Constitution Brett BaierI would recommend this book。 Baier does his usual good work telling an important story with attention to detail and with an “angle” to bring out new information。 I will say for many of us， the details of Revolutionary War combat was repetitive。 If you have studied much about it， or even like documentaries on FNC or the History Channel， you will not learn much new in this section of the book。 That said， the ground work had to be laid within the narrative for To Rescue the Constitution Brett BaierI would recommend this book。 Baier does his usual good work telling an important story with attention to detail and with an “angle” to bring out new information。 I will say for many of us， the details of Revolutionary War combat was repetitive。 If you have studied much about it， or even like documentaries on FNC or the History Channel， you will not learn much new in this section of the book。 That said， the ground work had to be laid within the narrative for the remainder of the story， so just be patient and enjoy the review。 What WAS new for most， was the detail about how Washington conducted himself during the framing of the Constitution， and his relationships with the other framers。 Also， the background and reference material regarding his reluctance to serve; his desire to be “just” a gentleman farmer。 We all see the false humility in politicians; I don’t wanna do this， but golly shucks I gotta for the good of the country。 Uh-huh。 It is easy to make the same assumption about Washington’s famous reluctance。 But Baier convinced me… Washington was the real deal。 He served because fate， and his contemporaries， convinced him he must。 Good book。 Read （or listen） to it。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd （History Nerds United）
，
Thank you， Bret Baier for reminding us that the United States has always been arguing with itself。 To Rescue the Constitution is the story of how the U。S。 was born and immediately started screaming。 Whether it was over bigger government， citizenship， or states rights， the U。S。 has never lacked for political passion。 Baier brings out the Murderers' Row of Founding Fathers but mostly centers on how George Washington is the reason anything got done （mostly）。 I will say that for American history sup Thank you， Bret Baier for reminding us that the United States has always been arguing with itself。 To Rescue the Constitution is the story of how the U。S。 was born and immediately started screaming。 Whether it was over bigger government， citizenship， or states rights， the U。S。 has never lacked for political passion。 Baier brings out the Murderers' Row of Founding Fathers but mostly centers on how George Washington is the reason anything got done （mostly）。 I will say that for American history super nerds （like myself）， you are not going to find any new revelations other than a few smaller fun facts （which are always wonderful）。 That said， Baier's prose is very easy to read and if you are unfamiliar with the time period， then you will find this book fantastic。 （This book was provided as an advance copy by Mariner Books。） 。。。more
Rachel
，
To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment by Bret Baier is an excellent nonfiction that delves into the imperfect and complex beginning of country as it began to form into the solid nation we know today。I absolutely loved this book。 I know it was nonfiction but it reads as smooth as fiction。 Reading this book gave me more of an understanding of the difficulties and obstacles that were present on the bumpy road of a new nation in its infancy and the struggl To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment by Bret Baier is an excellent nonfiction that delves into the imperfect and complex beginning of country as it began to form into the solid nation we know today。I absolutely loved this book。 I know it was nonfiction but it reads as smooth as fiction。 Reading this book gave me more of an understanding of the difficulties and obstacles that were present on the bumpy road of a new nation in its infancy and the struggles that were present as George Washington helped mold and sculpt the separate threads into a tapestry of art that evolved into the United States。 I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys American history。 5/ 5 starsThank you NG and Mariner Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。I am posting this review to my NG account immediately and will post it to my GR， Bookbub， Amazon， Instagram， and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/10/23 per publisher request。 。。。more
Rachel
，
To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment by Bret Baier is an excellent nonfiction that delves into the imperfect and complex beginning of country as it began to form into the solid nation we know today。I absolutely loved this book。 I know it was nonfiction but it reads as smooth as fiction。 Reading this book gave me more of an understanding of the difficulties and obstacles that were present on the bumpy road of a new nation in its infancy and the struggl To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment by Bret Baier is an excellent nonfiction that delves into the imperfect and complex beginning of country as it began to form into the solid nation we know today。I absolutely loved this book。 I know it was nonfiction but it reads as smooth as fiction。 Reading this book gave me more of an understanding of the difficulties and obstacles that were present on the bumpy road of a new nation in its infancy and the struggles that were present as George Washington helped mold and sculpt the separate threads into a tapestry of art that evolved into the United States。 I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys American history。 5/ 5 starsThank you NG and Mariner Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon， Instagram， and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/10/23。 。。。more
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