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    The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch Summary

    The First Conspiracy
    Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch
    3.82 (13661 Reviews)
    HistoryPoliticsLeadership
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    Overview of The First Conspiracy

    Discover the shocking plot to assassinate George Washington that birthed American counterintelligence. Brad Meltzer's historical thriller, praised by historian Joseph Ellis, transforms a forgotten 1776 conspiracy into a page-turning "real life treasure hunt" that reveals how close our nation came to collapse before it began.

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    Order from chaos-this was Washington's guiding principle as he tackled the monumental task of transforming an unruly mob into a proper army.

    ”
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    Key Takeaways

    1

    When America's Father Nearly Fell Before the Nation Was Born

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    What if George Washington had been assassinated before the Declaration of Independence was signed? Picture thousands of Continental soldiers gathering in a field outside New York City on June 28, 1776, watching one of their own-a member of Washington's elite bodyguard-mount the gallows. Thomas Hickey's execution wasn't just punishment for betrayal. It was a warning shot in America's first counterintelligence operation, a shadow war most history books forgot. Just days before America declared independence, a conspiracy reached into Washington's inner circle, threatening to kill the revolution before it could take its first breath. This wasn't a footnote-it was nearly the final chapter.

    2

    The Reluctant Commander Who Feared His Own Legend

    3

    The City Where Loyalties Shifted Like Tides

    4

    Forging an Army from Broken Parts

    5

    The Counterfeiter Who Accidentally Saved America

    6

    The Bodyguard's Betrayal and America's First Treason Trial

    7

    The Declaration Nobody Knew Was Coming