 Reprinted with permission from the Georgia Bar Journal, Volume 14, Number 5, February 2009. Copyright State Bar of Georgia. Statements expressed within this article should not be considered endorsements of products or procedures by the State Bar of Georgia.
Footnotes to History: A Primer on the American Political Character
By
Griffin B. Bell, edited by John P. Cole
Mercer University Press, 186 pages
reviewed by Hollie Manheimer
Perhaps the Hon. Griffin B. Bell’s life should be included within this volume, wherein he assembles brief but incisive examinations of the lives of American patriots, some famous, some not, who have marked their place in American history. With the assistance of lawyer John P. Cole, Bell offers the reader lessons in character—what contemporary citizens can learn from the contributions of historical patriots. The volume is a compilation of Bell’s lectures delivered to a dinner club, perhaps what we might call a salon, “devoted to intellectual conversation,” and each chapter is footnoted with the date and place of delivery of the subject lecture.
From the Revolutionary War era, Bell focuses a chapter on George Washington, several on Thomas Jefferson, and one each on John Marshall and Aaron Burr. From the Civil War era, he selects Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, John Singleton Mosby, and Generals Grant, Lee and Sherman as character studies. Bell includes Lewis F. Powell Jr., and Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well. While all of the vignettes are rich in detail, the overriding theme in each chapter is the character, caliber and mettle of the individual subject. Bell asks, and asks us to ask of other historical figures: how are their examples and thinking applicable to contemporary problems?
For example, the book’s second chapter examines George Washington as a military officer. We learn that Bell presented this paper initially on Feb. 22, 2006, George Washington’s 274th birthday. The chapter provides rich detail concerning General Washington’s military service and significant detail as to some of the Revolutionary War battles. Nevertheless, Bell focuses the reader on his subject’s character. Regardless of the battles fought, many of which were lost, Washington persevered. From Bell’s careful examination of Washington’s life, he draws his own conclusion: “Whatever his doubts and fears, Washington kept up the fight long enough to know his enemy, to take back the momentum, to give time for the French to join the fray, to give legitimacy to the new American government.” The overriding principle of character in Washington’s life: leadership in the face of adversity.
Similarly, Bell provides his own interpretation of the famous surrender scene between Generals Grant and Lee in the waning days of the Civil War. The volume notes that he presented this paper on Jan. 31, 1991, and again, the chapter is laden with detail. The chapter reprints the text of the correspondence between the generals as they begin to negotiate whether or not there will be a surrender, and if so, its terms. We also learn the occasional odd fact, showcasing Bell’s thorough research: “Grant was never much on military pomp. One reason: he was tone deaf, and military music was especially annoying to him.” Bell concludes the chapter with an analysis of the “unconditional surrender” demanded by Grant, and shares the reasoning of both Grant and Lee. But again, the detail of the chapter is less important than its themes. In this chapter, Bell urges his reader to focus on honor, dignity and style, be it in victory or defeat.
Of course, the book has its comic moments. Chapter six recounts the trial of Aaron Burr, who served as vice president during 1801–05 under President Thomas Jefferson. Subsequently, Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to the well-known duel, in which Hamilton was killed and after which the vice president “fled to Pennsylvania to escape arrest and continued to serve out the final months of his term as vice president. It is said that he handled his duties well as vice president…” this, despite the fact that he was charged with murder. The detail with which Bell recounts each story is compelling, and provides a nice balance to the emphasis on character which is Bell’s primary objective. He writes that one of Burr’s defense lawyers “was a firebrand type of lawyer who kept a jug of whiskey at the counsel table. Whether the whiskey made him more vigorous is not known, but he was indeed vigorous.”
Character trumps detail and that is where Bell asks us to focus. While Washington, as noted above, exhibited leadership in the face of adversity, Joshua Lawrence Bell, “the best educated soldier[] in the Union Army,” was a man of conviction. John Sington Mosby, “[o]ne of the legendary figures of the Civil War,” would take any assignment, and work it to completion regardless of its scope or difficulty. Similarly, Bell examines John Marshall in the context of the idea of a strong executive branch, and Thomas Jefferson in the context of the idea of separation of church and state and religious freedom. The strength of the respective characters of each of Bell’s subjects enabled them to make a contribution to American history.
However, Bell does not only look backwards. He acknowledges the difficult times of today, and appears optimistic. As the volume concludes, Bell renews the call for public service, and points out that these historical figures are good examples. The publication looks forward to a new chapter in U.S. history and urges renewed commitment to traditional notions of patriotism—of which we often lose sight during immediate crises. As Bell closes the book, he encourages us to ask and answer this question: “What is it that we want as a nation and as a member of the world community?” Bell believed that it is the responsibility of citizenship to ask and answer these questions. His final publication points the reader towards a few examples of lives well-lived wherein we might find some answers.
Hollie Manheimer practices law at Stuckey & Manheimer, Inc., and is the executive director of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, a grass roots non profit organization formed in 1994 to promote freedom of information in Georgia through education and advocacy. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Manheimer received her J.D. from Emory University School of Law and holds two masters’ degrees, one in English from New York University and one in Communications from Georgia State University. |
