A contempary anecdote not only confirms that Martha commanded respect in
her own right during her lifetime, but also suggests an awkward truth
later historians have preferred to ignore-that without Martha and her
fortune, George might never have risen to social, military, and
political prominence.Toward the end of his life, George Washington, war
hero, retired president, and object of universal fame and veneration,
was negotiating to purchase a plot of land in the new capital city, to
be named in his honor. The seller, an aged veteran of the Revolution,
was reluctant to part with the plot, even to so distinguished a
purchaser. Washington persisted until the veteran's patience snapped:
'You think people take every grist that comes from you as the pure
grain. What would you have been if you hadn't married the Widow
Custis!'
-from the Introduction to
Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty
From the glittering social life of Virginia's wealthiest plantations to
the rigors of winter camps during the American Revolution, Martha
Washington was a central figure in some of the most important events in
American history. Her story is a saga of social conflict, forbidden love
affairs, ambiguous wills, mysterious death, heartbreaking loss, and
personal and political triumph. Every detail is brought to vivid life in
this engaging and astonishing biography of one of the best known, least
understood figures in early American life.
