Please join me in welcoming Stephen Yoch, author of Becoming George Washington, to A Literary Vacation! He's provided us with an excellent guest post regarding the relationship between George Washington and his mother. I hope you enjoy it and continue after the post for more information about Becoming George Washington, the blog tour and how you can enter to win your own paperback copy (US only)!
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Little Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and FDR were mama’s boys. Isn’t that a prerequisite to being president?
The father of our country was the exception that proved the rule.
The paradigm for U.S. presidents is an absent father and an overprotective, doting mother. There is certainly evidence that a number of presidents were heavily influenced by their mothers. Indeed, many were literally named after their mothers:
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was named after his mother Sophia Birchard
Woodrow Wilson was named after his mother Janet Woodrow
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was named after his mother Sara Delano
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was named after his mother Rose Fitzgerald
Lyndon Baines Johnson was named after his mother Rebecca Baines
Richard Milhous Nixon was named after his mother Hannah Milhous
Ronald Wilson Reagan was named after his mother Nellie Wilson
Whether it was Abraham Lincoln or Woodrow Wilson, they all were unabashed devoted and dutiful sons. But what about George Washington, the father of our country?
Washington’s father died when he was only 11 and his mother never remarried. The oldest of six children, he never had a close or loving relationship with his mother. While some historians would disagree, most acknowledge that from the beginning, young Washington bristled and resisted his mother’s controlling hand.
At only age 14, Washington sought to join the British navy. The steadfast resistance of a demanding mother prevented him from leaving the colonies and likely changing the course of history. Mary Washington’s refusal was not driven solely by a desire to protect Washington, instead she focused on having him working on the family farm and providing leadership to his younger siblings. What is clear is that her compulsion to keep him under her thumb had exactly the opposite effect. It energized Washington to take chances and seek opportunities early in life to escape her clutches.
At age 19, Washington sought a military position as a major in the Virginia militia. Over his mother’s strenuous objections, he obtained the position and ultimately played a central role in the French and Indian War, raising him to national prominence. Yet, despite his success, Mary Washington repeatedly objected that he had “abandoned her” and was not fulfilling his family duties.
The relationship was so troubled that Mary Washington refused to attend her son’s wedding to Martha Custis or his presidential inaugurations. Throughout his life, Washington maintained the role of supportive son, attending to her financial needs, but they never developed the warm and loving relationship that is the characteristic of so many of our presidents.
Washington often set the pattern for many subsequent presidents, including achieving great success in the face of an early loss of a father, however, he sought desperately to avoid those traits he saw in his mother that he disliked the most. While it was certainly not her goal, her actions motivated Washington away from her and toward his destiny.
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Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Paperback & Ebook; 382 Pages
Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Paperback & Ebook; 382 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
George Washington, action hero . . .
Long before Washington was the old man on the dollar bill, he was a fatherless boy with few resources and even less education. So how did he become the most famous person in American history?
Becoming George Washington tells the story of a young man with boundless energy, bravery, and passion, who grew from a fatherless boy into a self-confident leader. At the same time, he struggled to suppress both an awful temper and his love for a married woman, Sally Fairfax. A courageous war hero, Washington rose to the pinnacle of Virginia politics. His experiences as a young man allowed him, decades later, to lead the Revolution.
This compelling historical novel reveals the person behind the famous face and how he grew to become America’s leading Founding Father.
Buy the Book
About the Author
Steve doesn’t golf or fish and is a below average hunter, but his love of history and writing compelled him to pick up his pen and tell the little-known stories behind the men that made American history. After years of extensive research, Steve wrote his first book on young George Washington.
Steve lives in a suburb north of St. Paul, Minnesota with his supportive wife and two fantastic teenage sons. He graduated with honors from Boston College and the University of Minnesota Law School. He has enjoyed over two decades of practicing law in the Twin Cities, helping individuals and businesses solve complex problems.Find out more about Stephen Yoch on his website and connect with him on Facebook.
Giveaway Time!!
I am thrilled that, thanks to wonderful Amy at HF Virtual Book Tours, I have one paperback copy of Becoming George Washington up for grabs! This giveaway is open to US residents only and all you have to do is enter your name and email address on the giveaway form HERE. Please be sure to enter BOTH your name and email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.
If you would like extra entries you can follow me on various social media sites (links are on the right hand sidebar) just be sure to leave the name/email address you follow with on the giveaway form (I check!).
That's it! I'll pick a winner on December 30th and the winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to pick another winner.
Good Luck!!
Giveaway Rules
You must be 18 years old to enter
Only one entry per household
All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
Becoming George Washington Blog Tour Schedule
Guest Post & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, December 9
Review at Library Educated
Friday, December 11
Spotlight at The Writing Desk
Monday, December 14
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Tuesday, December 15
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Wednesday, December 16
Interview at Layered Pages
Spotlight at Historical Readings and Reviews
Thursday, December 17
Guest Post & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Friday, December 18
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Monday, December 21
Review at Bookish
Tuesday, December 22
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Wednesday, December 23
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Guest Post & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation
Thursday, December 24
Review at Book Nerd
Monday, December 28
Review at Just One More Chapter
Spotlight at Puddletown Reviews
Tuesday, December 29
Review at The Absurd Book Nerd
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Wednesday, December 30
Review at Luxury Reading
Guest Post at The Absurd Book Nerd
Thursday, December 31
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
I'm so happy to announce my winner of a copy of Becoming George Washington! Using a random number generator my winner is....Faye Gates!! Congratulations, Faye, and I'm off to email you for your mailing address!
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