What did George Washington write in his personal copy of the Constitution? Who left behind messages inside some of Washington’s books? How did Washington learn to become a professional soldier? Mount Vernon introduces its latest podcast and video series, The Secrets of Washington's Archives. Come explore the books, manuscripts, and maps found inside the George Washington Presidential Library’s special collections and hear stories about George Washington, the American Revolution, and the Presidency. The series will release June 5, 2023 for Mount Vernon members and June 19 for audiences everywhere. Learn more at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com. Music by SoulProdMusic at Pixabay.

What did George Washington write in his personal copy of the Constitution? Who left behind messages inside some of Washington’s books? How did Washington learn to become a professional soldier? Mount Vernon introduces its latest podcast and video series, The Secrets of Washington's Archives. Come explore the books, manuscripts, and maps found inside the George Washington Presidential Library’s special collections and hear stories about George Washington, the American Revolution, and the Presidency. The series will release June 5, 2023 for Mount Vernon members and June 19 for audiences everywhere. Learn more at <a href="https://www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow" target="_blank">www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com</a>. Music by SoulProdMusic at Pixabay.

NOW AVAILABLE: The Secrets of Washington's Archives 

James Ambuske

In this final episode of Conversations at the Washington Library, Drs. Anne Fertig and Alexandra Montgomery bid farewell to former Digital Historian and host, Dr. James Ambuske, through a retrospective of his time and work at the George Washington Podcast Network. 

In this final episode of Conversations at the Washington Library, Drs. Anne Fertig and Alexandra Montgomery bid farewell to former Digital Historian and host, Dr. James Ambuske, through a retrospective of his time and work at the George Washington Podcast Network.

229. A Final Conversation with Dr. James Ambuske 

Sara Georgini

The Adams Family is one of the more prominent families in American history. They were at the center of the American Revolution, they helped create a new republic, shaped the young nation’s foreign policy, and later were central to the development of the history profession. Fortunately, we know much about their lives because of the countless letters and diaries they’ve left us. And it is up to a team of editors at the Massachusetts Historical Society to help us make sense of it all. On today’s show, Dr. Sara Georgini joins Jim Ambuske to talk about what it’s like to edit the Adams Family Papers and the questions they help us answer. Georgini is Series Editor for The Papers of John Adams, and she is also the author of Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family, published by Oxford University Press in 2018. We’re joined today by co-host Dr. Anne Fertig, the Washington Library’s Digital Projects Editor.

The Adams Family is one of the more prominent families in American history. They were at the center of the American Revolution, they helped create a new republic, shaped the young nation’s foreign policy, and later were central to the development of the history profession. Fortunately, we know much about their lives because of the countless letters and diaries they’ve left us. And it is up to a team of editors at the Massachusetts Historical Society to help us make sense of it all. On today’s show, <a href="https://womenalsoknowhistory.com/individual-scholar-page/?pdb=111" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Sara Georgini</a> joins Jim Ambuske to talk about what it’s like to edit the Adams Family Papers and the questions they help us answer. Georgini is Series Editor for The Papers of John Adams, and she is also the author of <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/household-gods-9780190882587?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family</a>, published by Oxford University Press in 2018. We’re joined today by co-host Dr. Anne Fertig, the Washington Library’s Digital Projects Editor.

228. Editing the Adams Family Papers with Dr. Sara Georgini

Mark Tabbert

In 1752, George Washington joined the Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was just twenty years old.Despite his early interest in masonry, Washington was not as active in the organization as some might imagine, but Masonic Lodges became important sites of social gathering for men in early America. And while masons and masonic rituals played important roles in the American Revolution and in the early days of the Republic, you won’t find any conspiracy theories here.On today’s show, Mark Tabbert joins Jim Ambusketo discuss his new book, A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2022.Tabbert is Director of Archives and Exhibits at The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

In 1752, George Washington joined the Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was just twenty years old. Despite his early interest in masonry, Washington was not as active in the organization as some might imagine, but Masonic Lodges became important sites of social gathering for men in early America. And while masons and masonic rituals played important roles in the American Revolution and in the early days of the Republic, you won’t find any conspiracy theories here. On today’s show, Mark Tabbert joins Jim Ambusketo discuss his new book, A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2022. Tabbert is Director of Archives and Exhibits at The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

227. Welcoming a Deserving Brother with Mark Tabbert

Gerard Magliocca

When George Washington wrote his final will in the months before he died in December 1799, he named Bushrod Washington as heir to his papers and to Mount Vernon. He took possession of his uncle’s Virginia plantation when Martha Washington passed away in 1802.But Bushrod was not as interested in agriculture as George had been. He was a lawyer who later became an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court, where he became a staunch ally of Chief Justice John Marshall. Yet, like George, Bushrod owned numerous enslaved people and became one of the founding members of the American Colonization Society, an organization dedicated to resettling freed people in Africa.On today’s show, Professor Gerard Magliocca joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Washington’s Heir: The Life of Justice Bushrod Washington, published by Oxford University Press in 2022.Magliocca is the Samuel R. Rosen Professor at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at Indiana University.

When George Washington wrote his final will in the months before he died in December 1799, he named Bushrod Washington as heir to his papers and to Mount Vernon. He took possession of his uncle’s Virginia plantation when Martha Washington passed away in 1802. But Bushrod was not as interested in agriculture as George had been. He was a lawyer who later became an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court, where he became a staunch ally of Chief Justice John Marshall. Yet, like George, Bushrod owned numerous enslaved people and became one of the founding members of the American Colonization Society, an organization dedicated to resettling freed people in Africa. On today’s show, Professor Gerard Magliocca joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Washington’s Heir: The Life of Justice Bushrod Washington, published by Oxford University Press in 2022. Magliocca is the Samuel R. Rosen Professor at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at Indiana University.

226. Cross-examining Washington's Heir with Prof. Gerard Magliocca 

Anne Fertig

Why is the way that we remember the past oftentimes different than historical reality? And how can we use public history to inform conversations in the present about events that took place centuries earlier? On today’s episode, Jim Ambuske introduces you to Dr. Anne Fertig, our newest colleague here at the Washington Library, who will help us think through some of these questions. Dr. Fertig is a specialist in eighteenth century literature, historical memory, and women’s history. She’s the founder and co-director of Jane Austen &amp; Co., a lecture series about Jane Austen and her broader world, and she is our new Digital Projects Editor at the Washington Library.

Why is the way that we remember the past oftentimes different than historical reality? And how can we use public history to inform conversations in the present about events that took place centuries earlier? On today’s episode, Jim Ambuske introduces you to <a href="https://www.annefertig.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Anne Fertig</a>, our newest colleague here at the Washington Library, who will help us think through some of these questions. Dr. Fertig is a specialist in eighteenth century literature, historical memory, and women’s history. She’s the founder and co-director of <a href="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jane Austen &amp; Co.,</a> a lecture series about Jane Austen and her broader world, and she is our new Digital Projects Editor at the Washington Library.

225. Doing Public History with Dr. Anne Fertig

Padraic Scanlan

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the British Empire began dismantling the slave system that had helped to build it. Parliament banned the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, and in 1833 the government outlawed slavery itself, accomplishing through legislative action what the United States would later achieve in part by the horrors of civil war. Abolition has long been a cause célèbre in the British imagination, with men like William Wilberforce receiving credit for moving the empire to right a moral wrong. Yet as our guest today argues, there were other, equally powerful motivations beyond morality that fueled British efforts to abolish slavery. On today’s show, Dr. Padraic Scanlan joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Slave Empire: How Slavery Made Modern Britain. Scanlan is an Assistant Professor of History at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto.  And as you’ll hear, there was as much money to be made in the abolition of slavery as there was in slavery itself.

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the British Empire began dismantling the slave system that had helped to build it. Parliament banned the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, and in 1833 the government outlawed slavery itself, accomplishing through legislative action what the United States would later achieve in part by the horrors of civil war. Abolition has long been a cause célèbre in the British imagination, with men like William Wilberforce receiving credit for moving the empire to right a moral wrong. Yet as our guest today argues, there were other, equally powerful motivations beyond morality that fueled British efforts to abolish slavery. On today’s show, Dr. Padraic Scanlan joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Slave Empire: How Slavery Made Modern Britain. Scanlan is an Assistant Professor of History at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto.  And as you’ll hear, there was as much money to be made in the abolition of slavery as there was in slavery itself.

224. Unpacking the Slave Empire with Dr. Padraic Scanlan 

Mary Sarah

In May 1787, George Washington arrived in Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. One afternoon, as he waited for the other delegates to show up so the convention could begin, Washington accompanied some ladies to a public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania by a woman named Eliza Harriot Barons O’Conner. Eliza Harriot, as she signed her name, had led a transatlantic life steeped in revolutionary ideas. On that May afternoon she argued in favor of the radical notion of Female Genius, the idea that women were intellectually equal to men and deserved both equal opportunity for education and political representation. On today’s show, we dive deeper into Harriot’s story as Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder, who joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her latest book Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2022. Bilder is the Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law School. And as you’ll learn, Harriot’s performance that day may have inspired the new Constitution’s gender-neutral language.

In May 1787, George Washington arrived in Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. One afternoon, as he waited for the other delegates to show up so the convention could begin, Washington accompanied some ladies to a public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania by a woman named Eliza Harriot Barons O’Conner. Eliza Harriot, as she signed her name, had led a transatlantic life steeped in revolutionary ideas. On that May afternoon she argued in favor of the radical notion of Female Genius, the idea that women were intellectually equal to men and deserved both equal opportunity for education and political representation. On today’s show, we dive deeper into Harriot’s story as <a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/law/academics-faculty/faculty-directory/mary-sarah-bilder.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder</a>, who joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her latest book <a href="https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5756" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution</a>, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2022. Bilder is the Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law School. And as you’ll learn, Harriot’s performance that day may have inspired the new Constitution’s gender-neutral language.

223. Attending a Lecture on Female Genius with Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder

Hercules Posey

We're delighted to bring you one of the bonus episodes from our other podcast, Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. In Intertwined Stories, we're featuring extended interviews with some of the expert contributors to the main Intertwined show. Today, you'll hear part of the conversation that Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick had with Ramin Ganeshram about Hercules Posey. Posey was the Washington’s enslaved chef, and for more than 200 years old we didn’t know happened to him after he self-emancipated on George Washington’s birthday - February 22, 1797. But now we do. We hope you enjoy this episode, and to hear more Intertwined Stories, search for your favorite podcast app for Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon or find us at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com

We're delighted to bring you one of the bonus episodes from our other podcast, Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. In Intertwined Stories, we're featuring extended interviews with some of the expert contributors to the main Intertwined show. Today, you'll hear part of the conversation that Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick had with Ramin Ganeshram about Hercules Posey. Posey was the Washington’s enslaved chef, and for more than 200 years old we didn’t know happened to him after he self-emancipated on George Washington’s birthday - February 22, 1797. But now we do. We hope you enjoy this episode, and to hear more Intertwined Stories, search for your favorite podcast app for Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon or find us at <a href="http://www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.georgewashingtonpodcast.co</a>m

Introducing Intertwined Stories: Finding Hercules Posey

Kevin Weddle

The Battle of Saratoga in September and October of 1777 was a decisive turning point in the American War for Independence. The American victory over the British in northern New York put a stopper to London’s dreams of a swift end to the war, and convinced the French to openly declare their support for the colonial rebels. It was, in the words of one American participant, a "Compleat Victory."  Yet, if we focus on the battles alone, we lose site of the entire campaign, the colorful personalities on both sides who developed the strategy, and the key role that geography played in shaping the choices that field commanders and civilian authorities made as their armies traversed forests, lakes, and rivers.  On today’s show, Dr. Kevin Weddle joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution, published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Weddle is Professor of Military Theory and Strategy at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and he’s a West Point graduate who retired as a colonel after 28 years of active services in the United States Army. And as you’ll learn, the Battle of Saratoga was but one single turning point in a series of contingent moments that reshaped the course of the war.

The Battle of Saratoga in September and October of 1777 was a decisive turning point in the American War for Independence. The American victory over the British in northern New York put a stopper to London’s dreams of a swift end to the war, and convinced the French to openly declare their support for the colonial rebels. It was, in the words of one American participant, a "Compleat Victory."  Yet, if we focus on the battles alone, we lose site of the entire campaign, the colorful personalities on both sides who developed the strategy, and the key role that geography played in shaping the choices that field commanders and civilian authorities made as their armies traversed forests, lakes, and rivers.  On today’s show, Dr. Kevin Weddle joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-compleat-victory-9780195331400?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution</a>, published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Weddle is Professor of Military Theory and Strategy at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and he’s a West Point graduate who retired as a colonel after 28 years of active services in the United States Army. And as you’ll learn, the Battle of Saratoga was but one single turning point in a series of contingent moments that reshaped the course of the war.

222. Winning a "Compleat Victory" at Saratoga with Dr. Kevin Weddle

Conversations at the Washington Library is the premier podcast about George Washington and his Early American world.

I enjoy hearing about was is happening at the library and Mt. Vernon. I was part of a Gilder Lehman Course with Gordon Wood in 2014 and since then have tried to keep track of all that is happening there. Thanks for the scholarly reflections of this important time period in American History.

Enjoy This Podcast!

Wonderful podcast.  Interesting topics.  Next best thing to visiting Mount Vernon.

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Conversations at the Washington Library

Harlow Giles Unger

On today’s show, veteran journalist and biographer Harlow Giles Unger talks to Jim Ambuske about revolutionary radical Thomas Paine, one of his predecessors in the newspaper business. He is the author of the new book, Thomas Paine and the Clarion Call for American Independence. It is the latest in a long line of Unger biographies about the founding generation. Unger reveals a fascinating character in Paine, a man who never met a revolution he didn’t like. He also shares with Ambuske about how his previous life as a journalist informs his approach to biography.  You’ll get as much of a lesson in twentieth-century journalism as you will in eighteenth-century political radicalism. About Our Guest: A former Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Harlow Giles Unger is a veteran journalist, broadcaster, educator, and historian. He is the author of 27 books, including 10 biographies of the Founding Fathers—among them, Patrick Henry (Lion of Liberty); James Monroe (The Last Founding Father); the award winning Lafayette; and The Unexpected George Washington: His Private Life. Mr. Unger is a graduate of Yale University and has a Master of Arts from California State University. He spent many years as a foreign correspondent and American Affairs analyst for The New York Herald Tribune Overseas News Service, The Times and The Sunday Times (London), and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and he is a former associate professor of English and journalism. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

On today’s show, veteran journalist and biographer <a href="http://www.harlowgilesunger.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harlow Giles Unger</a> talks to Jim Ambuske about revolutionary radical <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/thomas-paine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thomas Paine</a>, one of his predecessors in the newspaper business. He is the author of the new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Paine-Clarion-American-Independence/dp/0306921936" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thomas Paine and the Clarion Call for American Independence</a>. It is the latest in a long line of Unger biographies about the founding generation. Unger reveals a fascinating character in Paine, a man who never met a revolution he didn’t like. He also shares with Ambuske about how his previous life as a journalist informs his approach to biography.  You’ll get as much of a lesson in twentieth-century journalism as you will in eighteenth-century political radicalism. About Our Guest: A former Distinguished Visiting Fellow in American History at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Harlow Giles Unger is a veteran journalist, broadcaster, educator, and historian. He is the author of 27 books, including 10 biographies of the Founding Fathers—among them, Patrick Henry (Lion of Liberty); James Monroe (The Last Founding Father); the award winning Lafayette; and The Unexpected George Washington: His Private Life. Mr. Unger is a graduate of Yale University and has a Master of Arts from California State University. He spent many years as a foreign correspondent and American Affairs analyst for The New York Herald Tribune Overseas News Service, The Times and The Sunday Times (London), and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and he is a former associate professor of English and journalism. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

126. Entering a World of Paine with Harlow Giles Unger

Lindsay Chervinsky

In the fall of 1789, George Washington ordered a printed copy of the Constitution along with the laws passed by the First Federal Congress. A book binder bound the printed sheets in leather and added the words "President of the United States" to the front cover. Washington referred to the volume as the "Acts of Congress." Inside, he made a few short marginal notations next to key passages in the Constitution. You can see a digitized version of the Acts of Congress here. Why did Washington write in this book? And what can his brief scribbles tell us about how he interpreted the Constitution as well as his actions as the first president of the United States?  In our own time we wrestle with questions about the Constitution’s meaning. Is it a document fixed in time, to be understood as its Framers and the American people understood it in the 18th century, or is it a living, flexible document responsive to historical change? Washington’s answers to these questions may surprise you. On today’s episode, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky of the White House Historical Association helps us to understand George Washington’s Constitution. She is the author of a recently published article in the journal Law and History Review that is the first to make sense of Washington’s careful notations. She is also the author of a soon to be published book entitled The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. Dr. Chervinsky dropped by the studio after speaking with teachers as part of Mount Vernon's Teacher's Institute. If you are a teacher, click the link to learn how you can participate in this program.  This is Part 3 of our Explorations in Early American Law mini-series. Be sure to check out Part 1 with Dr. Nicola Phillips and Part 2 with Dr. Kate Brown.  About Our Guest: Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a White House Historian for the White House Historical Association. She received her B.A. with honors in history and political science from George Washington University and her masters and Ph.D. in Early American History from the University of California, Davis. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University before joining the WHHA.  About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the Americ

In the fall of 1789, George Washington ordered a printed copy of the Constitution along with the laws passed by the First Federal Congress. A book binder bound the printed sheets in leather and added the words "President of the United States" to the front cover. Washington referred to the volume as the "Acts of Congress." Inside, he made a few short marginal notations next to key passages in the Constitution. You can see a digitized version of the Acts of Congress <a href="http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll5/id/865/rec/1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Why did Washington write in this book? And what can his brief scribbles tell us about how he interpreted the Constitution as well as his actions as the first president of the United States?  In our own time we wrestle with questions about the Constitution’s meaning. Is it a document fixed in time, to be understood as its Framers and the American people understood it in the 18th century, or is it a living, flexible document responsive to historical change? Washington’s answers to these questions may surprise you. On today’s episode, <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/staff/lindsay-m-chervinsky" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky</a> of the <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">White House Historical Association</a> helps us to understand George Washington’s Constitution. She is the author of a recently published <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0738248019000208" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">article</a> in the journal Law and History Review that is the first to make sense of Washington’s careful notations. She is also the author of a soon to be published book entitled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Washington-Creation-American-Institution/dp/0674986482/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8Z0L14GNRAQC&amp;keywords=lindsay+chervinsky&amp;qid=1567036862&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=lindsay+ch%2Caps%2C141&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution</a>. Dr. Chervinsky dropped by the studio after speaking with teachers as part of <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/education/for-teachers/teaching-institutes-professional-development/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mount Vernon's Teacher's Institute</a>. If you are a teacher, click the link to learn how you can participate in this program.  This is Part 3 of our Explorations in Early American Law mini-series. Be sure to check out <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/podcast/the-transatlantic-reach-of-thomas-erskine-and-the-law-in-the-age-of-revolutions/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 1</a> with Dr. Nicola Phillips and <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/podcast/meeting-alexander-hamilton-attorney-at-law-with-kate-brown/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Part 2</a> with Dr. Kate Brown.  About Our Guest: Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a White House Historian for the White House Historical Association. She received her B.A. with honors in history and political science from George Washington University and her masters and Ph.D. in Early American History from the University of California, Davis. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University before joining the WHHA.  About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the Americ

121. Interpreting George Washington's Constitution with Lindsay Chervinsky: Explorations in Early American Law Part 3

Patrick K. O'Donnell

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a combat historian, author, and public speaker who has written ten books recounting America’s wars. He is an expert on elite and special operations units and irregular warfare and expert on the Office of Strategic Services, America’s special operations forces during WWII and forerunner of the CIA. He discusses his latest book "Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment who Changed the Course of the Revolution." Mr. O'Donnell spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk on July 5, 2016.

25. Patrick K. O'Donnell

T.H. Breen

Dr. T.H. Breen received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1968 and is currently the Director of the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies and History Department Chair at Northwestern University. He discusses his book "George Washington’s Journey: The President Forges a New Nation." Dr. Breen spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on January 20, 2016.

23. T.H. Breen

John André

On October 2, 1780, Major John André was executed as a spy on George Washington’s orders. The British officer had convinced American general Benedict Arnold to switch allegiances, but having been caught in the act, André was condemned to die a spy's death. He was hung from the gallows like a common criminal, having been denied the honor of facing a firing squad, like an officer and a gentleman. He took comfort in the fact that it would “be but a momentary pang.” While you may know André best for bagging Arnold, and meeting his death bravely, you may not know the whole story. André was involved in the world of secret warfare – of gathering intelligence, seducing his way into private company, and using personal relationships and acquired information to Britain’s military advantage. On today’s episode, Dr. D.A.B. Ronald introduces us to André – a highly educated and cultured young man skilled in the arts of treachery and war. About Our Guest: Dr D. A. B. Ronald has published several books, including Young Nelsons: Boy Soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars (2009), and Youth, Heroism and War Propaganda: Britain and the Young Maritime Hero 1754–1820 (2015). Prior to becoming an academic and full-time writer, he ran his own company as an investment banker in the City of London. His most recent book is The Life of John André: The Redcoat Who Turned Benedict Arnold (2019). About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

On October 2, 1780, Major <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/john-andre/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John André</a> was executed as a spy on George Washington’s orders. The British officer had convinced American general <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/benedict-arnold/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Benedict Arnold</a> to switch allegiances, but having been caught in the act, André was condemned to die a spy's death. He was hung from the gallows like a common criminal, having been denied the honor of facing a firing squad, like an officer and a gentleman. He took comfort in the fact that it would “be but a momentary pang.” While you may know André best for bagging Arnold, and meeting his death bravely, you may not know the whole story. André was involved in the world of secret warfare – of gathering intelligence, seducing his way into private company, and using personal relationships and acquired information to Britain’s military advantage. On today’s episode, Dr. D.A.B. Ronald introduces us to André – a highly educated and cultured young man skilled in the arts of treachery and war. About Our Guest: Dr D. A. B. Ronald has published several books, including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Young-Nelsons-sailors-Napoleonic-Military/dp/1846033608/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Young+Nelsons%3A+Boy+Soldiers+during+the+Napoleonic+Wars&amp;qid=1576118141&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Young Nelsons: Boy Soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars</a> (2009), and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youth-Heroism-War-Propaganda-Bloomsbury/dp/1350002011/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youth, Heroism and War Propaganda: Britain and the Young Maritime Hero 1754–1820</a> (2015). Prior to becoming an academic and full-time writer, he ran his own company as an investment banker in the City of London. His most recent book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-John-André-Redcoat-Benedict/dp/1612005217" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Life of John André: The Redcoat Who Turned Benedict Arnold</a> (2019). About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

136. Executing Major John André with D.A.B. Ronald

Benjamin Rush

Stephen Fried

In 1793, the dreaded Yellow Fever swept through Philadelphia. The deadly virus raced through the nation’s capital between August and November, killing at least 5,000 of the city’s inhabitants. Among the multi-racial group of Americans on the front lines of the battle against the disease was Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a key figure in the nation’s early medical establishment. Rush, who was the architect of the reunion between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams after years of bitter silence between the two men, was a Founding Father in his own right, but one often overshadowed by his contemporaries. On today’s episode, historian and journalist Stephen Fried joins Jim Ambuske for a wide-ranging conversation about Rush, founding legacies, and of course public health and medicine in the eighteenth century. Fried is the author of the recent book, Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father. About Our Guest: Stephen Fried is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author who teaches at Columbia University and at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of seven acclaimed nonfiction books, including Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time (a New York Times bestseller that was the subject of a PBS documentary); Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia (which inspired the Emmy-winning HBO film Gia starring Angelina Jolie); Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs (which triggered an FDA inquiry into CNS adverse reactions to antibiotics); The New Rabbi (a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation’s most powerful houses of worship struggling to choose a new spiritual leader) and a collection of his magazine columns on being a spouse, Husbandry. He is also co-author, with Patrick Kennedy, of the 2015 New York Times bestseller A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

In 1793, the dreaded Yellow Fever swept through Philadelphia. The deadly virus raced through the nation’s capital between August and November, killing at least 5,000 of the city’s inhabitants. Among the multi-racial group of Americans on the front lines of the battle against the disease was Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a key figure in the nation’s early medical establishment. Rush, who was the architect of the reunion between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams after years of bitter silence between the two men, was a Founding Father in his own right, but one often overshadowed by his contemporaries. On today’s episode, historian and journalist Stephen Fried joins Jim Ambuske for a wide-ranging conversation about Rush, founding legacies, and of course public health and medicine in the eighteenth century. Fried is the author of the recent book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rush-Revolution-Benjamin-Visionary-Founding/dp/0804140065" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rush: Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father</a>. About Our Guest: Stephen Fried is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author who teaches at Columbia University and at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of seven acclaimed nonfiction books, including Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wil<a href="http://www.stephenfried.com/wp/books#fred" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">d </a>West—One Meal at a Time (a New York Times bestseller that was the subject of a PBS documentary); Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia (which inspired the Emmy-winning HBO film Gia starring Angelina Jolie); Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs (which triggered an FDA inquiry into CNS adverse reactions to antibiotics); The New Rabbi<a href="http://www.stephenfried.com/wp/books#rabbi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>(a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation’s most powerful houses of worship struggling to choose a new spiritual leader) and a collection of his magazine columns on being a spouse, Husbandry. He is also co-author, with Patrick Kennedy, of the 2015 New York Times bestseller A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

154. Recovering the Founding Legacy of Dr. Benjamin Rush with Stephen Fried

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

What does the American Revolution look like from a British vantage point? How does that change the way we think about the origins of the United States, and major figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or George III? And in the new republic, how did Jefferson try to keep the revolution alive through his ideas on education. On today’s episode, Dr. Andrew O’Shaughnessy helps us explore these questions. O’Shaughnessy is a historian of the American Revolution. He is also the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The ICJS is one of the premier institutes for the study of the American Revolution and the early Republic. In 2014, O’Shaughnessy was awarded the George Washington Book Prize for his book, The Men who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of Empire. He is currently at work on a book about Thomas Jefferson and his vision for education in the early United States. We recorded our conversation at ICJS, just down the mountain from Monticello, and as you’ll hear, O’Shaughnessy oversees a major educational enterprise. About Our Guest: Andrew O’Shaughnessy is Vice President of Monticello, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Professor of History at the University of Virginia.  He is the author of An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000).  His most recent book The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013) received eight national awards including the New York Historical Society American History Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize, and the Society of Military History Book Prize.   About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

What does the American Revolution look like from a British vantage point? How does that change the way we think about the origins of the United States, and major figures such as <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">George Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/thomas-jefferson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thomas Jefferson</a>, or George III? And in the new republic, how did Jefferson try to keep the revolution alive through his ideas on education. On today’s episode, <a href="https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/men-who-lost-america-author-andrew-jackson-oshaughnessy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Andrew O’Shaughnessy</a> helps us explore these questions. O’Shaughnessy is a historian of the American Revolution. He is also the Saunders Director of the <a href="https://www.monticello.org/research-education/for-scholars/international-center-for-jefferson-studies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies</a> at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The ICJS is one of the premier institutes for the study of the American Revolution and the early Republic. In 2014, O’Shaughnessy was awarded the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/george-washington-prize/2019" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">George Washington Book Prize</a> for his book, <a href="https://shops.mountvernon.org/products/the-men-who-lost-america-23075?_pos=1&amp;_sid=04e59cc17&amp;_ss=r" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Men who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of Empire.</a> He is currently at work on a book about Thomas Jefferson and his vision for education in the early United States. We recorded our conversation at ICJS, just down the mountain from Monticello, and as you’ll hear, O’Shaughnessy oversees a major educational enterprise. About Our Guest: Andrew O’Shaughnessy is Vice President of Monticello, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Professor of History at the University of Virginia.  He is the author of An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000).  His most recent book The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013) received eight national awards including the New York Historical Society American History Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize, and the Society of Military History Book Prize.   About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

137. Seeing the British Side of the American Revolution with Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Joanne B. Freeman

What comes to mind when you think about Congress in the nineteenth century? Perhaps you imagine great orators like Henry Clay or Daniel Webster declaiming on the important issues then facing the republic. And yes, in 1856, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the Senate. But Congress generally was model of solemnity, right? Well, you would be wrong. As Dr. Joanne B. Freeman of Yale University argues in her latest book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, the federal legislature was often a very dangerous place. The peoples’ representatives caned their political opponents, engaged in fisticuffs, and resorted to dueling. And as Freeman finds, these violent delights had violent ends. About Our Guest: Joanne B. Freeman, Professor of History, specializes in the politics and political culture of the revolutionary and early national periods of American History.  She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Virginia.  She is the author of Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic (Yale University Press), which won the Best Book award from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, and her edited volume, Alexander Hamilton: Writings (Library of America) was one of the Atlantic Monthly’s “best books” of 2001.  Her most recent book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, explores physical violence in the U.S. Congress between 1830 and the Civil War, and what it suggests about the institution of Congress, the nature of American sectionalism, the challenges of a young nation’s developing democracy, and the longstanding roots of the Civil War. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

What comes to mind when you think about Congress in the nineteenth century? Perhaps you imagine great orators like Henry Clay or Daniel Webster declaiming on the important issues then facing the republic. And yes, in 1856, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the Senate. But Congress generally was model of solemnity, right? Well, you would be wrong. As <a href="https://history.yale.edu/people/joanne-freeman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Joanne B. Freeman</a> of Yale University argues in her latest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Field-Blood-Violence-Congress-Civil/dp/1250234581/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=The+Field+of+Blood&amp;qid=1570652400&amp;sr=8-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War</a>, the federal legislature was often a very dangerous place. The peoples’ representatives caned their political opponents, engaged in fisticuffs, and resorted to dueling. And as Freeman finds, these violent delights had violent ends. About Our Guest: Joanne B. Freeman, Professor of History, specializes in the politics and political culture of the revolutionary and early national periods of American History.  She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Virginia.  She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Affairs-Honor-National-Politics-Republic/dp/0300097557/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Affairs+of+Honor%3A+National+Politics+in+the+New+Republic&amp;qid=1570652735&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic</a> (Yale University Press), which won the Best Book award from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, and her edited volume, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931082049/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alexander Hamilton: Writings</a> (Library of America) was one of the Atlantic Monthly’s “best books” of 2001.  Her most recent book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, explores physical violence in the U.S. Congress between 1830 and the Civil War, and what it suggests about the institution of Congress, the nature of American sectionalism, the challenges of a young nation’s developing democracy, and the longstanding roots of the Civil War. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

127. Walking through The Field of Blood with Joanne B. Freeman

In this episode Dr Joseph Stoltz, sits down with Peter Stark author of Young Washington How Wilderness and War Forged America's Founding Father to discuss Washington's early career and its impact on his life. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode Dr Joseph Stoltz, sits down with Peter Stark author of Young Washington How Wilderness and War Forged America's Founding Father to discuss Washington's early career and its impact on his life. For more information check out our website <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

79. Woodland Washington

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Cassandra Good, former Library research fellow and Assistant Professor of History at Marymount University, to discuss her latest research on George Washington's step-grandchildren and their lives at Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Cassandra Good, former Library research fellow and Assistant Professor of History at Marymount University, to discuss her latest research on George Washington's step-grandchildren and their lives at Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

90. Growing Up At Mount Vernon

In this episode, Dr. Gordon Wood sits down with Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the President and C.E.O. of George Washington's Mount Vernon, to discuss Dr. Wood's fifty-three year career as a historian of early America. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Gordon Wood sits down with Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the President and C.E.O. of George Washington's Mount Vernon, to discuss Dr. Wood's fifty-three year career as a historian of early America. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

61. Reflections on a Historian's Lifetime

Karin Wulf

Early Americans like George Washington obsessed over genealogy. Much was at stake. One's place on the family tree could mean the difference between inheriting a plantation like Mount Vernon and its enslaved community, or working a patch of hardscrabble. Genealogy was very much a matter of custom, culture, and law, which explains in part why Washington composed a long-ignored document tracing his own lineage. It was as much a reflection of his family's past as it was a road map to his future power, wealth, and authority. On today's episode, Dr. Karin Wulf helps us understand the powerful force that genealogy played in early American life. Wulf is a Professor of History at the College of William &amp; Mary where she is also the director of the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture (OI). A recent Washington Library research fellow, Wulf is writing a history of genealogy's essential role in British American society.  She also discusses the OI's leadership in the Georgian Papers Programme, and the OI's work to explore #vastearlyamerica.  About Our Guest: 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. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

Early Americans like George Washington obsessed over genealogy. Much was at stake. One's place on the family tree could mean the difference between inheriting a plantation like Mount Vernon and its enslaved community, or working a patch of hardscrabble. Genealogy was very much a matter of custom, culture, and law, which explains in part why Washington composed a <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw441968/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">long-ignored document</a> tracing his own lineage. It was as much a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-george-washingtons-efforts-genealogist-reveal-about-power-family-early-america-180972433/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reflection</a> of his family's past as it was a road map to his future power, wealth, and authority. On today's episode, <a href="https://www.wm.edu/as/history/faculty/wulf_k.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Karin Wulf</a> helps us understand the powerful force that genealogy played in early American life. Wulf is a Professor of History at the College of William &amp; Mary where she is also the director of the<a href="https://oieahc.wm.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://oieahc.wm.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture</a> (OI). A recent Washington Library research fellow, Wulf is writing a history of genealogy's essential role in British American society.  She also discusses the OI's leadership in the <a href="https://georgianpapers.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Georgian Papers Programme</a>, and the OI's work to explore <a href="http://karinwulf.com/vast-early-america-for-2019/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">#vastearlyamerica</a>.  About Our Guest: Karin Wulf 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. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

139. Harnessing the Power of Washington's Genealogy with Karin Wulf 

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Hamilton musical U.S. tour cast members Sabrina Sloan (Angelica Schuyler) and Nicholas Christopher (Aaron Burr). For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Hamilton musical U.S. tour cast members Sabrina Sloan (Angelica Schuyler) and Nicholas Christopher (Aaron Burr). For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

62. "[Hamilton] History is Happening"

In this episode, Dr. Joe Stoltz sits down with Adam Erby, Associate Curator at Mount Vernon, to discuss the newly restored front parlor room in the mansion. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joe Stoltz sits down with Adam Erby, Associate Curator at Mount Vernon, to discuss the newly restored front parlor room in the mansion. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

97. Give Me Sofas Or Give Me Death!

In late 1777, George Washington’s disappointing performance as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army was a source of growing concern among some army officers and members of Congress. While he had won important victories at Princeton and Trenton months earlier, he had lost New York City, and Philadelphia, and suffered defeats at Brandywine and Germantown. Patriots intended to win the war, not lose it. And to win it, some came to believe that Washington ought to be removed from power, or at least his authority weakened.  On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Edward Lender joins Jim Ambuske to discuss what some have called a cabal or a conspiracy to replace Washington as head of American forces. The reality is much more complicated, and surprising. Lender is the author of the new book, Cabal! The Plot Against General Washington! Lender is a military historian who has written extensively about the Revolutionary War era. This episode begins with a conversation about one of Lender's first books, “A Respectable Army”: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789, co-authored with James Kirby Martin. Lender and Martin published the book at a time when historians started to rethink how to write military history from the bottom up. After chatting about "A Respectable Army," Lender and Ambuske discuss the plot against George Washington. About Our Guest:  Mark Edward Lender has a Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Kean University, from which he retired as Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2011. He is the author or co-author of eleven books and many articles and reviews, and his writings have won awards for history, writing, and research. He was a finalist for The George Washington Prize, from Mount Vernon and Washington College, with Garry Wheeler Stone, for Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle, 2017. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

In late 1777, George Washington’s disappointing performance as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army was a source of growing concern among some army officers and members of Congress. While he had won important victories at Princeton and Trenton months earlier, he had lost New York City, and Philadelphia, and suffered defeats at Brandywine and Germantown. Patriots intended to win the war, not lose it. And to win it, some came to believe that Washington ought to be removed from power, or at least his authority weakened.  On today’s episode, Dr. Mark Edward Lender joins Jim Ambuske to discuss what some have called a cabal or a conspiracy to replace Washington as head of American forces. The reality is much more complicated, and surprising. Lender is the author of the new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cabal-Plot-Against-General-Washington/dp/159416326X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Cabal%21+The+Plot+Against+General+Washington%21&amp;qid=1579726454&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cabal! The Plot Against General Washington!</a> Lender is a military historian who has written extensively about the Revolutionary War era. This episode begins with a conversation about one of Lender's first books, “A Respectable Army”: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789, co-authored with James Kirby Martin. Lender and Martin published the book at a time when historians started to rethink how to write military history from the bottom up. After chatting about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Respectable-Army-Military-Republic-1763-1789/dp/111892388X/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1579726688&amp;refinements=p_27%3AMark+Edward+Lender&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1&amp;text=Mark+Edward+Lender" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"A Respectable Army,"</a> Lender and Ambuske discuss the plot against George Washington. About Our Guest:  Mark Edward Lender has a Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Kean University, from which he retired as Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2011. He is the author or co-author of eleven books and many articles and reviews, and his writings have won awards for history, writing, and research. He was a finalist for The George Washington Prize, from Mount Vernon and Washington College, with Garry Wheeler Stone, for Fatal Sunday: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle, 2017. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

142. Plotting against General Washington with Mark Edward Lender

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down again with Steve Bashore, the Director of Historic Trades at George Washington's Mount Vernon, to further discuss the whiskey production on-site. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down again with Steve Bashore, the Director of Historic Trades at George Washington's Mount Vernon, to further discuss the whiskey production on-site. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

95. A Toast To George Washington

To celebrate the three-year anniversary of the opening of the Washington Library, we joined forces with the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to host an old-fashioned debate entitled "Hamilton v. Jefferson on Executive Power: What Would Washington Say?" on September 27, 2016. The Founding Debates are sponsored by The Ammerman Family Foundation to honor James C. Rees, whose vision lives on with the Washington Library.

30. Founding Debates

There are many things that we take for granted in the modern United States. The president’s cabinet is one of them. Although the cabinet is a prominent fixture of the federal government, and a powerful and essential one at that, it has no foundation in the Constitution. The Framer’s discussed the idea of a cabinet at the Constitutional Convention, but they ultimately rejected it and left it on the cutting room floor. Yet, despite the fact that the cabinet has no Constitutional origin, it does have a historical one. On today’s episode, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky joins Jim Ambuske to explore the cabinet’s emergence during George Washington’s presidency. She also answers listener questions about this formative moment in American history. Chervinsky is a historian at the White House Historical Association and the author of the new book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. Be sure to check out Mount Vernon’s Facebook Page and YouTube Channel for live stream programming every weekday at noon, with occasional evening events featuring your favorite authors.  You can find more information at https://www.mountvernon.org/digital. About Our Guest: Lindsay M. Chervinksy joined the Association in February 2019 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. She received her B.A. in history and political science at the George Washington University and her Ph.D. and Masters in Early American history from the University of California, Davis. She has received fellowships from the International Center for Jefferson Studies, the Society of Cincinnati, the Organization of American Historians, and the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. She has published articles in the Law and History Review, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and several edited volumes on the presidency and Early America. Her book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution will be published by Harvard University Press in Spring 2020. Lindsay has also shared her work with the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, the Society for Military History, the American Historical Association, the Omohundro Institute of Early American History &amp; Culture, and more. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

There are many things that we take for granted in the modern United States. The president’s cabinet is one of them. Although the cabinet is a prominent fixture of the federal government, and a powerful and essential one at that, it has no foundation in the Constitution. The Framer’s discussed the idea of a cabinet at the Constitutional Convention, but they ultimately rejected it and left it on the cutting room floor. Yet, despite the fact that the cabinet has no Constitutional origin, it does have a historical one. On today’s episode, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky joins Jim Ambuske to explore the cabinet’s emergence during George Washington’s presidency. She also answers listener questions about this formative moment in American history. Chervinsky is a historian at the <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">White House Historical Association</a> and the author of the new book, <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674986480" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution.</a> Be sure to check out Mount Vernon’s Facebook Page and YouTube Channel for live stream programming every weekday at noon, with occasional evening events featuring your favorite authors.  You can find more information at <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/digital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.mountvernon.org/digital</a>. About Our Guest: Lindsay M. Chervinksy joined the Association in February 2019 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. She received her B.A. in history and political science at the George Washington University and her Ph.D. and Masters in Early American history from the University of California, Davis. She has received fellowships from the International Center for Jefferson Studies, the Society of Cincinnati, the Organization of American Historians, and the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. She has published articles in the Law and History Review, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and several edited volumes on the presidency and Early America. Her book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution will be published by Harvard University Press in Spring 2020. Lindsay has also shared her work with the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, the Society for Military History, the American Historical Association, the Omohundro Institute of Early American History &amp; Culture, and more. About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Digital History</a> at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the<a href="http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1828 Catalogue Project</a> and the <a href="http://scos.law.virginia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish Court of Session Project</a>.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

152. Creating George Washington's Cabinet with Lindsay Chervinsky

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Allison Wickens, Vice President of Education at George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Allison Wickens, Vice President of Education at George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

66. How Do I Reach These Kids?

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Scott Miller, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Virginia and a former Washington Library research fellow, to discuss his latest findings regarding the economy of the early American Republic. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Scott Miller, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Virginia and a former Washington Library research fellow, to discuss his latest findings regarding the economy of the early American Republic. For more information check out our website at <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mountvernon.org/podcast</a>.

70. Depressions, Recessions, and Panics, Oh My!

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