The long farewell
Subtitle: Americans mourn the death of George Washington
By: Gerald E. Kahler.
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Charlottesville
Language: eng
Number of pages: 190
ISBN-13: 9780813927503
Subjects: Washington, George, -- 1732-1799 -- Death and burial; Washington, George, -- 1732-1799 -- Public opinion; Political culture -- United States -- History -- 18th century; Grief -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 18th century; Grief -- Social aspects -- United States -- History -- 18th century; Public opinion -- United States -- History -- 18th century; United States -- Politics and government -- 1797-1801
Description: "The news of the death of George Washington at Mount Vernon on December 14,1799, was reported to have been "felt as an electric shock throughout the Union" Martha Washington gave permission for Congress to have her husband's body reinterred under a marble monument to be constructed in the new capital in Washington, D.C. Grieving Americans organized and participated in over four hundred funeral processions and memorial services during the sixty-nine-day mourning period that culminated on February 22, 1800, the National Day of Mourning." "Washington's death came in a highly contentious period in American political history, and a variety of groups and individuals tried to take advantage of the occasion to advance their own agendas." "The biographical sketches included in the more than three hundred eulogies examined here provide a unique historical perspective on who George Washington was in the eyes of his contemporaries."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.