Episodes
Oct. 22, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Library
New from the Washington Presidential Library, Leadership and Legacy invites prominent leaders and historians to reflect on their growth, challenges, and innovative approaches that made them the leaders that they are today, as...
July 8, 2024
The Farewell Address
The publication of the Farewell Address was a momentous occasion for the young United States. In it, Washington established the most significant precedent of his presidency: the two-term limit. By giving up power, Washington ...
June 24, 2024
Resistance and Freedom
Ona Maria Judge was twenty years old when the young enslaved woman walked out the doors of the Presidential mansion and never returned. Judge's courageous act of self-emancipation launched a national search and tested Washington's commitment to gradual abolition on the national stage. In this episo…
June 3, 2024
The Price of Peace
In 1794, the United States was on the brink of war. But the British weren't the only ones on the offensive. An incendiary printer with a famous grandfather would soon accuse Washington of treason, tyranny, even murder. In this episode, Joseph Adelman and Lindsay Chervinsky discuss the backlash surr…
May 20, 2024
The Neutrality Crisis
In 1793, a charismatic young Frenchman would arrive on American shores. His goal? To recruit American support for France’s War against Britain. As his popularity with Americans soared, Washington faced a new crisis that would pit him between two mighty European nations. Refuse the French, and the U…
May 7, 2024
Special Update on Rare Discovery of Preserved Cherries at Mount Vernon
Since news emerged that rare 18th-century cherries were discovered at Mount Vernon, archaeologists have uncovered more artifacts from George Washington’s basement. In this exclusive interview, archaeologists Dr. Jason Boroughs and Lily Carhart reveal their latest discoveries, including the name of …
April 22, 2024
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising in Western Pennsylvania protesting an unpopular tax. For George Washington, the rebellion held echoes of the revolution of days past. Except this time, the rebellion was against the new A...
April 8, 2024
Chief of Thirteen Fires
St. Clair’s Defeat in 1791 was—and remains—the worst defeat of the US army by Native American forces in American history, but it was just one incident in the complex relationship between the United States and the independent ...
March 25, 2024
The First Year
After the first presidential inauguration in 1789, George Washington faced the daunting prospect of starting a presidency from scratch. Every action he took would set a precedent. Ramin Ganeshram, Dr. Sara Georgini, Dr. Sandra Moats, and Dr. Patrick Spero explain the challenges of Washington’s firs…
March 11, 2024
The Making of a President
In the early days of June, 1787, in the thick of the Constitutional Convention, a debate unfolded that would test the fate of the young American nation. Four years after the end of the American Revolution, the United States still had no functioning Executive branch. The Convention sought a solution…
Jan. 9, 2024
Coming Soon: Inventing the Presidency
When George Washington was first elected in 1789, he became more than just the first president of the United States--he became the first president of any nation in the world. In this new podcast from the George Washington Pre...