More Info »

More Info »

Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith reflects on George Washington at the age of 22 and how his parents, peers and early military experiences helped shape his personality.

More Info »

Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith reflects on the evolution of George Washington’s character, examining how his parents, peers, marriage, and military experience helped shape his personality.

More Info »

To mark George Washington's birthday, the American Enterprise Institute hosted a gathering of political thinkers to consider the presidency and legacy of our nation's first chief executive. Among the topics discussed are Washington's Farewell Address and the many precedents he set for his successors, including what many historians believe to be his most lasting legacy -- his decision to relinquish power after only two terms in office.

More Info »

Author and history professor David Hackett Fischer discusses the problems that faced George Washington and the tactics and strategies the first President used to address those challenges.

More Info »

Author William Fowler details General George Washington’s struggles as he dealt with an ineffective Congress and a Continental Army on the verge of mutiny in his book “American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years after Yorktown, 1781-1783.”

More Info »

President George Washington's personal copy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights was auctioned at Christie's in New York City for $9.8 Million, which was the most ever paid for an American printed book or manuscript. The 1789 book contains brackets and notes in the margins written by Washington himself to mark the powers of the executive branch. American History TV recorded the auction, and interviewed specialists at Christie's and at George Washington's Mount Vernon, the successful bidder at the auction.  

More Info »

Jonathan Hansen presents a history of America's presence at Guantanamo Bay.  The author reports on the United States' early interest in the area, which was central to U.S. plans to control the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Hansen examines the creation of the U.S. naval base and prison at Guantanamo and its continued use despite calls for its closure.

More Info »

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talks about the political career of fellow Kentuckian John J. Crittenden, a member of the U.S. Senate in the 1880s.  A friend and ally of Henry Clay's, Crittenden also served as Kentucky's governor and twice as U.S. attorney general. Senator McConnell emphasizes Crittenden’s commitment to the Union before and during the Civil War and reflects on what current lawmakers can learn from former legislators. This event was hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.

More Info »