President George Washington – Fisher Ames, An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington. Boston, 1800

Description

President George Washington – Fisher Ames, An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington. Boston, 1800.

 

Printed for Young & Minns and Manning & Loring. 31 pp. Original stitched pamphlet, untrimmed edges, title page with engraved emblem of funerary urn within rays.

 

Delivered at the Old South Meeting House on February 8, 1800—less than two months after Washington’s death—this is one of the most significant contemporary mourning orations.

 

Fisher Ames (1758–1808), leading Federalist statesman and U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, offers a profound assessment of Washington’s character, leadership, and indispensable role in the founding of the United States. The oration was presented before the Lieutenant-Governor, the Council, and both Houses of the Massachusetts Legislature, marking it as an officially sanctioned tribute of the Commonwealth.

 

This example shows good preservation for a 225-year-old pamphlet, retaining its original sewn binding with expected age toning, minor staining, and edge wear. Widely regarded as the finest and most eloquent of all Washington eulogies, Ames’s speech became a foundational text in shaping early American memory of the first President.

 

A highly desirable early national imprint and an essential Washington mourning piece.

 

Comes housed in 8 x 12 riker display case with red velvet and descriptive card.

 

Inventory Number: HIS 287