Blood Of Tyrants Summary

Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency by Logan Beirne is a fascinating investigation on the original meaning of the commander in chief clause in the U.S. Constitution, and its direct applicability to contemporary debates. Such debates include the ways that successive presidents have exercised their power as commander in chief. Beirne looks to the nation’s first commander in chief, George Washington, for insight into how best to assess these debates. Blood of Tyrants centers around General Washington’s crucial role during the American Revolutionary War and how his wartime precedents influenced the meaning of the commander in chief clause. Beirne believes that this early history is of great importance on how the president, the Congress, and the Supreme Court interpret the powers of the

By drawing from reams of primary source documents, this book brings to light facts that have been largely overlook. It relies heavily on primary sources from both American and British sides in order to provide rich eyewitness accounts. Delving into some of these previously lost documents, this book injects incendiary new facts into the present discussion and is intended as fodder for debate. Well documented.
Blood of Tyrants is academically sound.
We have fierce debates today concerning war tactics, drone strikes on Americans, torture, military tribunals, citizens’ rights during wartime, and how to reconcile the needs of the national defense with liberty and self-rule. Does the president have a constitutional power to torture foreign enemy combatants? Overrule Congress on war tactics? Deny formal trials to enemies? At least consider our first commander in chief’s principles when searching for an answer . Constrains and empowers contemporary occupants of the oval office.