Sins of the Founding Father: George Washington, the Indigenous Tribes, and the Decisions that Shaped America’s Future

Written by Peter Stark

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

From the bestselling author of Astoria, Young Washington, and an upcoming book about the legendary Shawnee Chief Tecumseh comes a startling, revisionist look at the earliest days of the United States, its first president, and the policies that laid the groundwork for the political and racial divisiveness of today.

A violent clash that sparked outrage and division. A president governed by self-interest and unfettered by the limits of executive power. Fierce debate over the status of non-white people. A Constitution under threat. The crises that have plagued America in recent years are largely viewed as unprecedented events. But they’re not—far from it. The country was first rocked by these seemingly modern-day troubles more than two centuries ago, when the United States was in its infancy and the ink on its governing document was barely dry. At the center of it was our history’s hero, George Washington.

In the fall of 1791, Washington, just two years into his presidency, was unsatisfied with where the country was going—or not going. Worried about Revolutionary War debt owed to France and an unsettled frontier that left the fledgling country vulnerable to European attack, Washington was determined to expand westward. Through a series of increasingly heavy-handed treaties with Indigenous tribes, the U.S. government claimed bigger and bigger swaths of the vast wilderness west of the Appalachian Mountains. The tribes, many of which rejected the notion that their ancient homelands were for sale, pushed back, hard. They refused to cede territory and launched raids against white settlers who, at the government’s urging, poured into traditionally Indigenous lands. Looking out for the nation’s interests, and his own—years earlier, he had claimed 30,000 acres of this land for himself—Washington decided it was time to act. After a series of small military efforts to subdue the tribes had little effect, he sent a large battalion of soldiers to a compound of Indigenous villages in the Ohio Valley, rich and fertile land that the country, and its president, was hungry for.

The expedition was a disaster for the Americans troops. Some 700 soldiers were killed in a surprise attack in the pre-dawn hours of November 4, 1791. In a symbolic gesture that spoke volumes, Indigenous warriors crammed dirt—the very soil Americans wanted for their own—into the eyes and mouths of their victims. It would be the most devastating loss at the hands of Native Americans in the military’s history, resulting in three times more casualties than at Custer’s Last Stand, a century later.

The ignominious defeat in Ohio was an unacceptable debacle for both the president and Congress, which demanded answers. This prompted a series of controversial debates that eerily foreshadowed questions we struggle with today. How to investigate a president? How much power and autonomy does he have? What is the role of the military during national crises? This all but forgotten battle was a defining moment, with repercussions that echo down the years. It exposed gaping holes in the Constitution and shined a spotlight on the power of the U.S. presidency. Most tragically, it marked the hardening of an attitude toward Native Americans that would allow the U.S. federal government to take over 95 percent of Indigenous lands in the next hundred years. Today, we are living with the consequences.

Both a gripping wilderness narrative and an astute commentary on American politics and history, Sins of the Founding Father takes a fresh and nuanced look our country’s earliest days and its beloved but deeply flawed Founding Father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Originals
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094450889

Peter Stark

Peter Stark is an adventurer and historian. He is the author of Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire, a New York Times bestseller and a PEN USA Literary Award finalist. A former correspondent for Outside magazine, Stark has also been published in Smithsonian, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Men’s Journal. His other books include Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father, a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize; and Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation. Based in Montana, he and his family have also lived in Mozambique and Brazil.

Reviews for Sins of the Founding Father

[Joseph Hinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A short, and information packed understanding of the true history of the founding father(s). In an age of rising fascism this should be required reading. A solid use of 2 hours of your time to understand that America’s history has always been marked by moral compromise.

[Anthony Yap · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very nice book /audiobook! It's always fun to learn history and the politics within.

[Marilyn Mongiello · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found the book very interesting. I learned many facts about the Washington and the native Indians that I had no idea ever happened. For instance, Washington and the rest of the founders ended up with 92% of America.

[anca mihaela · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A short history about US occupation of native lands and the oppression of the native American tribes continued until present day. Good voice actor.

[Hannah May · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book, well researched, lots of important information all Americans should know

[Merritt Moore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting facts about how we have treated the Native Americans in the past and how much of the political turmoil of today was experienced in the past too!

[Angela Peel-White · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting will read the bigger book when it comes out

[David Slaton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shocking and powerful chronicle of how the U.S. got started, and committed to its insatiable quest for all the land on the North American continent previously inhabited by Indigenous nations.

This is a must read for anyone interested in how our country treats the peoples it encounters.

[Larry · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The title alone tells me all I need to know...that this is leftist revisionist historical rubbish. Live not by lies!

[Robert Doepker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really well thought out and thought evoking. Amazing how the author masterfully draws parallels between two hundred year old American politics and modern day political strife. A very good short read.

[Tad Wimmer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great short book to listen to. It covers a historical event that usually gets left out of the history we’re taught is school, and it sheds light on some of the issues facing the United States today. Highly recommended, but hurry before it gets banned in Florida!

[ral_robaee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Don't listen to the racists, this is a great book

[Kai Nien · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The true story of America's founding fathers. It is quite informative to read.

[eric m · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is pure propaganda. The Framers are not above criticism - and deserve a fair amount - but fabrications, distortions, and lies don’t help anyone. I’m not going to write a mini-essay here describing all the mis/disinformation that litters this book (it would actually require its own book), but I’d urge listeners to find a more credible source. Gordon S. Wood and Joseph Ellis both do a fantastic job of balancing the achievements and failures in our history while sticking to facts.

[Greg Miller · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

WARNING: Trump Derangement Syndrome. An otherwise interesting story was used as a backdrop for the author to infect his work with his PTSD about the so-called "insurrection" of January 6, 2021 and his disdain for Donald Trump. But as his ending explains, this is not an author who really cares about the U.S. Constitution. He's more interested in the "evolution of the system" which is newspeak for Marxism. This is leftist propaganda.

[Paul Schonbrun DO · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Political opinion throughout. If If he just kept to the topic period

[Doug Stanton · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Washington in his farewell address also provided warnings of not having loyalty to partisan parties over country - clearly, this editorialization of our history is littered with partisan politics! Don't waste your time on this read!

[c · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Tried too hard to tie Washington to modern Politics. The statements made did not age so well, making it sounding like a hit job, not a book about History. Seams to be a theme with Scribid.

[r · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

More lies, and propaganda. Thanks scrib’d for jumping on the most despicable bandwagon this country has ever seen.

[Kirk Fontaine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Educational to say the least about life and learning lots of it was not new to me and what I learned in school

[Bernard Clark · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It is one thing to talk and write about the past, but to hold this against citizens 250 year later and blame citizens from the past is just hearsay. We can not forget, but we must forgive and move forward being more aware of the past with lessons learned.

[Aaron Cobb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was interesting at best. I'm just glad we got the land and have become the greatest nation on earth. Admittedly, we have room to grow. Just have to tamp down the whole "woke" garbage so we can move on and do so.

[Nick S · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is nothing more than a biased opinion piece that bends the truth and even tells outright lies.

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting bit of our history with George Washingtin

[Will Von · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ignore the maga hats. This is a solid story. Well researched written by a decent historical novels. Is it fair story that does have ties to modern times. It's a good listen.

[Kevin Woosley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent historical account that highlights the role early policy has played in our current political arena.

[Chopp · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed it thoroughly; however could have done w/o authors politicking in certain sections. It felt completely out of place and was very biased. I found it unnecessary, other than that it was informative/captured my attention. Would still recommend.

[Ayanna Cobb · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A superficial talk on the sins of the founding father.

[Bobbie Osterberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Just OK. Addresses one single event during the 1790’s and executive power. Briefly makes connections with the behavior of Presidents including Trump and January 6. A reminder that there are no new stories.

[michaelwaynehunt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A well balance piece on the noble efforts of America’s first and true patriots! Well read!