Martha Saxton's guest appearances

Martha Saxton

Conversations at the Washington Library

John Adams

Benjamin Franklin

Alexis Coe

Thomas Paine

Gordon Fraser

Alexander Hamilton

Joseph Smith

Benjamin Rush

James Comey

Patrick Henry

Annette Gordon-Reed

Harry Lee

Alan Taylor

Laurie Halse Anderson

John Steele

OwlTail

In the eighteenth century, death stalked early Americans like a predator hunting its prey. In Virginia, as in other colonies, death made children orphans and wives widows, making a precarious existence all that much more challenging. For the Virginia elite, death also created opportunities for widows and widowers alike to protect their interests, their property, and their social standing through advantageous re-marriages.But the predator’s teeth never dulled, and when it took another life some Virginians like Mary Washington turned to devotional texts for comfort and for the strength to press onward.Historians have not looked favorably on George Washington’s mother over the past few decades, finding her to be difficult, stubborn, and often a drag on her more famous son. Yet as today’s guest tells us, those observations take their cue from George himself, and ignore the full shape of her life, one in which death was a constant companion.Dr. Martha Saxton joins Jim Ambuske today to discuss her new book, The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington.Dr. Saxton is Professor of History, Women’s, and Gender Studies emerita at Amherst College. And as you’ll hear, books like Matthew Hale’s Contemplations, Moral and Divine offered Mary solace in a world in which death was very much a part of life.About our Guest:Martha Saxton, Ph.D., is Professor of History, Women’s, and Gender Studies emerita at Amherst College. She is the author of Being Good: Women's Moral Values in Early America, (Hill and Wang, 2003), and The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington (Hill and Wang, 2019).

In the eighteenth century, death stalked early Americans like a predator hunting its prey. In Virginia, as in other colonies, death made children orphans and wives widows, making a precarious existence all that much more challenging. For the Virginia elite, death also created opportunities for widows and widowers alike to protect their interests, their property, and their social standing through advantageous re-marriages. But the predator’s teeth never dulled, and when it took another life some Virginians like Mary Washington turned to devotional texts for comfort and for the strength to press onward. Historians have not looked favorably on George Washington’s mother over the past few decades, finding her to be difficult, stubborn, and often a drag on her more famous son. Yet as today’s guest tells us, those observations take their cue from George himself, and ignore the full shape of her life, one in which death was a constant companion. Dr. Martha Saxton joins Jim Ambuske today to discuss her new book, The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington. Dr. Saxton is Professor of History, Women’s, and Gender Studies emerita at Amherst College. And as you’ll hear, books like Matthew Hale’s Contemplations, Moral and Divine offered Mary solace in a world in which death was very much a part of life. About our Guest: Martha Saxton, Ph.D., is Professor of History, Women’s, and Gender Studies emerita at Amherst College. She is the author of Being Good: Women's Moral Values in Early America, (Hill and Wang, 2003), and The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington (Hill and Wang, 2019).

205. Grieving with the Widow Washington with Dr. Martha Saxton

Karin Wulf

Craig Shirley

Charlene Boyer Lewis

On today's show, we bring you the audio from our annual Martha Washington Lecture. This year's topic was Mary Ball Washington, George's mother, and the recent work by historians to rethink what we know about her life. Dr. Karin Wulf, executive director of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, served as our guest moderator for this event. She was joined on the virtual stage by Martha Saxon, a  2020 George Washington Book Prize Finalist for her work, The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington (2019); Craig Shirley, author of Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington’s Mother (2019); and Charlene Boyer Lewis, author of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: An American Aristocrat in the Early Republic (2014). About Our Guests: Martha Saxton is Professor of History and Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies, and Elizabeth W. Bruss Reader, Emerita at Amherst College. In addition to The Widow Washington, Saxton is the author of Being Good: Women's Moral Values in Early America (2003), among numerous other publications.  Craig Shirley is a veteran political advisor with a long career in service to the Republican Party. He is also the author of a number of works on American history, including December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World (2011), and Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative (2017). Charlene M. Boyer Lewis is a professor of history and the director of the American studies program at Kalamazoo College. She specializes in women's history, southern history, and American cultural and social history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She is the author of Ladies and Gentlemen on Display: Planter Society at the Virginia Springs, 1790–1860 (2001) and is at work on a biography of Peggy Shippen Arnold.  About Our Guest Moderator: Karin Wulf is the director of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, which has been publishing the William and Mary Quarterly, the leading journal in early American scholarship, and books with the University of North Carolina Press, since 1943. She is also Professor of History at the College of William &amp; Mary, and co-chair the College’s Neurodiversity Working Group. Her scholarship focuses on women, gender and family in the early modern British Atlantic.

On today's show, we bring you the audio from our annual Martha Washington Lecture. This year's topic was Mary Ball Washington, George's mother, and the recent work by historians to rethink what we know about her life. Dr. Karin Wulf, executive director of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, served as our guest moderator for this event. She was joined on the virtual stage by Martha Saxon, a  2020 George Washington Book Prize Finalist for her work, <a href="https://shops.mountvernon.org/products/widow-washington?_pos=1&amp;_sid=23f92227e&amp;_ss=r" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Widow Washington: The Life of Mary Washington</a> (2019); Craig Shirley, author of <a href="https://shops.mountvernon.org/products/mary-ball-washington?_pos=1&amp;_sid=bb6a68ebf&amp;_ss=r" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington’s Mother</a> (2019); and Charlene Boyer Lewis, author of <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14967.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: An American Aristocrat in the Early Republic</a> (2014). About Our Guests: <a href="https://www.amherst.edu/people/facstaff/msaxton" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Martha Saxton </a>is Professor of History and Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies, and Elizabeth W. Bruss Reader, Emerita at Amherst College. In addition to The Widow Washington, Saxton is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Being-Good-Womens-Values-America/dp/0809016338" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Being Good: Women's Moral Values in Early America </a>(2003), among numerous other publications.  <a href="https://www.craigshirley.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craig Shirley</a> is a veteran political advisor with a long career in service to the Republican Party. He is also the author of a number of works on American history, including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/December-1941-Changed-America-Saved/dp/159555582X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World</a> (2011), and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Newt-Making-Reagan-Conservative/dp/1595554483" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative</a> (2017). <a href="https://www.kzoo.edu/faculty/index.php?name=clewis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charlene M. Boyer Lewis</a> is a professor of history and the director of the American studies program at Kalamazoo College. She specializes in women's history, southern history, and American cultural and social history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She is the author of <a href="https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/1969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ladies and Gentlemen on Display: Planter Society at the Virginia Springs, 1790–1860</a> (2001) and is at work on a biography of Peggy Shippen Arnold.  About Our Guest Moderator: <a href="https://www.wm.edu/as/history/faculty/wulf_k.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Karin Wulf</a> is the director of the <a href="http://oieahc.wm.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture</a>, which has been publishing the <a href="http://oieahc.wm.edu/wmq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William and Mary Quarterly</a>, the leading journal in early American scholarship, and books with the University of North Carolina Press, since 1943. She is also <a href="http://www.wm.edu/as/history/faculty/faculty-list/wulf_k.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Professor of History at the College of William &amp; Mary</a>, and co-chair the College’s Neurodiversity Working Group. Her scholarship focuses on women, gender and family in the early modern British Atlantic.

171. Reinterpreting Mary Ball Washington with Karin Wulf, Martha Saxton, Craig Shirley, and Charlene Boyer Lewis