Richard Henry Lee of Virginia

A Portrait of an American Revolutionary

By (author) Kent J. McGaughy

Not available to order

Publication date:

17 December 2003

Length of book:

272 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781461643128

Richard Henry Lee played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, yet he remains one of the most misunderstood revolutionaries. His contemporaries, as well as modern historians, deemed him a political opportunist or dismissed him as an enigma. In bridging the gap between Lee's private interests and public career, J. Kent McGaughy seeks to overturn many of the misconceptions about Lee and shows that, throughout his life, he remained dedicated to his family and public service. By separating fact from fiction and unraveling the history of Lee's life and the times in which he lived, J. Kent McGaughy brings to light not only the truth about Lee, but also the hidden history of the American Revolution.

Chapter 1 Prologue: "We Cannot Do Without You"
Chapter 2 A Virginia Dynasty
Chapter 3 Richard Henry Lee, Esquire
Chapter 4 Chantilly-on-the-Potomac
Chapter 5 The Making of a Radical
Chapter 6 The Decision for American Independence
Chapter 7 Business and Politics
Chapter 8 Defending the Potomac
Chapter 9 "Mr. President"
Chapter 10 "Killing Ourselves for Fear of Dying": The Debate over the Federal Constitution
Chapter 11 The Honorable Senator from Virginia
Chapter 12 Twilight
Chapter 13 Epilogue: Legacies

J. Kent McGaughy has fashioned a highly readable and informative account of the life of Richard Henry Lee. In this concise biography Lee is depicted as a conservative, pragmatic agent for many of the changes that helped create the American Revolution and form the early republic. . . .with his persuasive use of primary resources, McGaughy does a fine job of dispelling many earlier historian's pejorative assessments of Lee.