Videos

Nathaniel Philbrick talked about his book Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution, in which he examines the relationship between…

Martha Saxton, history and women’s studies professor at Amherst College, recalled the life of George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington. Professor Saxton is the author of The Widow…

Gene Allen Smith, a Texas Christian University history professor, taught a class about George Washington’s character. He examined how the first president interacted with his contemporaries,…

Professor Erica Armstrong Dunbar talked about her book Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, in which she recounts the life of Ona Judge, a…

In addition to his Mount Vernon estate along the Potomac river, George Washington owned a townhouse in the heart of nearby Alexandria, Virginia. The current owner, Rick Garcia, talked about his…

Matthew Costello reached back to 1790s politics to explain George Washington’s vision for the capital city later named for him. Washington’s influence extended not only to the city’s design, but…

Historian Peter Henriques talked about the relationship between George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. He discussed why their collaboration was an important factor in founding the nation,…

Peter Stark recounted the early life and military career of George Washington.

The leadership of George Washington’s Mount Vernon took the rare step of holding a press conference in hopes of preventing the building of a natural gas compressor station within sight of the first…

Two Dublin architects talked about the Irish-born James Hoban, who worked with George Washington to design the president’s house. They discussed Hoban’s architectural influences and how…

Historian Peter Lillback talked about his book, George Washington’s Sacred Fire. He argued that while many historians consider Washington to be a deist or only a nominal Christian, he was,…

George Washington’s Mount Vernon hosted the annual Martha Washington Lecture, which highlights new thinking about her life and times. This year, the focus was on two 18th century women. Amherst College…

Mount Vernon President and CEO Doug Bradburn, on the eve of a White House state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, provided historical insight into the private dinner and the special…

Colin Calloway - author of The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation - talked about Washington and his relationship with…

Author Kevin Hayes discussed George Washington’s love of reading and how it influenced his thinking on everything from military matters to gardening and religion. Washington was considered by many of…

Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith discussed how George Washington’s vision for the American Republic shaped the role of president. Mr. Smith then talked about Founding Fathers…

Senator Gary Peters (D-MII) delivered the reading of George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address. The annual event began on the former president’s birthday in 1896, with the two political…

Richard Brookhiser addressed the question before George Washington in 1777: Could the British subdue the American rebels by capturing their capital, Philadelphia? It was Washington’s…

Revolutionary War historian J.L. Bell described George Washington’s first months as Continental Army commander-in-chief. Washington arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in July 1775 and made the…

Thomas Reinhart talked about the architectural trends that influenced the design of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. Mr. Reinhart is director of architecture at Washington’s…