George Washington Was A Reluctant President. He Did Not Want To Seek Re-Election in 1792

The Premodernist YouTube Channel points out that "George Washington did not want to be reelected in 1792, but he was anyway." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSkUqMddgo&t=1940s 0:00 Washington's decision to retire after one term 4:18 Hamilton's proposals: Funding 7:01 Hamilton's proposals: Assumption 7:57 Centralization vs. state autonomy 9:53 Hamilton's proposals: A national bank 11:21 The underlying cultural divide 14:10 …

The Student Who Exasperated George Washington

Charles Clark, American Heritage magazine: "The president worried that his grandson had “an unconquerable indolence of temper, and a dereliction, in fact, to all study.” Although George Washington didn’t father any children of his own, he devoted years to caring for two privileged step-children and two step-grandchildren. Most accomplished of those elite offspring was George …

Was George Washington Religious?

Religion for Breakfast is an educational Youtube channel "dedicated to the academic, nonsectarian study of religion. We promote improving the public's religious literacy by exploring humanity's beliefs and rituals through an anthropological, sociological, and archaeological lens. Religion for Breakfast does not endorse any particular religious tradition or non-religious perspective. Please be respectful in the comments! …

Virginians Debate Standards for Teaching History

WAPO: "At Mount Vernon, the historic estate where tourists flock to learn about George Washington, dozens of parents, teachers and education leaders tucked into a conference room to weigh one of Virginia’s hottest topics: how to teach history in public school.The comments stretched late into the night as more than 90 speakers took their two-minute …

Would GW Appreciate President’s Day? No, He Would Hate It, Biographer Asserts

Alexis Coe, author of a somewhat light-hearted, best-selling biography of George Washington, "You Never Forget Your First," asserts in a NYT op-ed that the nation's first president would hate all the observances of his birthday, February 22, on President's Day, the third Monday in February. The elevation of the presidency into near-imperial status, he warned …

12 Fascinating Stories About Some of the Giants of History

Writer George Spencer has published more than a dozen outstanding pieces on some amazing characters in history on his Substack site, "Courage 101: True Tales of Grit and Glory." They could be part of a gripping package for beginning students of history or anyone with an interest in the topic. "Hey Bulldog! His Destiny: Save …

Cancel the Honoring of George Washington?

A George Washington University student argues in The Washington Post that the university should be renamed for Frederick Douglass because the nation's founding father was an "enslaver of men." A few blocks away is the university's Mount Vernon campus, which is "named for George Washington’s former slave plantation." Caleb Francois, the student, say students are …

All-Minority Cast Portraying Founding Fathers in ‘Hamilton’?

The musical Alexander Hamilton is making the rounds in American cities through Broadway-On-Tour until at least August 2023. In my free weekly Substack newsletter, I offer tips for people who would consider attending, including cheaper tickets. Some older viewers have complained that they did not find the depiction of George Washington credible as an African …

How Polish General Pulaski Saved George Washington’s Life. He Was Also, Likely, Transgender

Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779 "is remembered as a hero who fought for independence and freedom in Poland and the United States. Numerous places and events are named in his honor." He "was a Polish-American nobleman, soldier and military commander who has been called, together with his counterpart Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, "the father of the American …

George Washington On Ending Slavery, 1786

In a letter to a fellow Virginian and planter owner, George Washington expressed his aversion to the institution of slavery: "I never mean...to possess another slave by purchase," he wrote. He looked to the legislature to adopt a plan by which "slavery in this country may be abolished by slow, sure and imperceptible degrees." Read …