Conversations at the Washington Library: Recent Episodes
George Washington's Mount Vernon
Conversations at the Washington Library is the premier podcast about George Washington and his Early American world. Join host Jim Ambuske as he talks with scholars, digital humanists, librarians, and other guests about Washington's era and the way we tell stories about the past.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian Jeffrey Rosen explores Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton's very different visions of the United States, and how the productive tension betwen them has shaped the history of the country.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, biographer and journalist Sally Bedell Smith explores the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II’s father George VI, who unexpectedly became king after his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated. Smith explores what leadership looks like in the modern British monarchy and the impact George VI had on his daughter Elizabeth.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, attorney and legal analyst Elie Honig explores the origins, mission, and evolving role of the U.S. Department of Justice. While the DOJ is meant to operate independently of politics, its integrity has long depended less on constitutional mandates than on norms, traditions, and the people entrusted to uphold them. Tune in to examine what principled leadership looks like within this powerful arm of the executive branch—and why it ultimately requires presidential leadership grounded in facts, not party loyalty.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and best-selling author Max Boot reflects on the insights he gained while writing the first definitive biography of President Ronald Reagan. From a turbulent childhood to his unlikely rise as a Hollywood leading man, Reagan’s early experiences shaped a leadership style that would eventually carry him to the highest office in the land. Boot explores how Reagan’s willingness to compromise—often overlooked—became a cornerstone of his enduring legacy. Tune in for a nuanced look at the evolution of Reagan’s leadership, including the strengths that defined him and the weaknesses that tested him.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
This live episode was recorded at Mount Vernon as part of The American Military at 250: The 2025 George Washington Symposium.
Retired Marine Corp General and former Chief of Staff John Kelly, the 78th Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, and former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller the Honorable Kathleen Miller discuss the American military today in this panel conversation moderated by Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
This live episode was recorded at Mount Vernon as part of The American Military at 250: The 2025 George Washington Symposium.
In this conversation, Lindsay Chervinsky and Kori Schake discuss the history of civil-military relations from George Washington to today. Dr. Schake leads the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute, and is the author of The State and the Solider: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian, professor, and author Zara Anishanslin explores how art became a powerful form of leadership and resistance in London during the American Revolution. Through striking symbolism and emotional imagery, little-known Patriot artists transformed their creative talents into tools of protest, inspiration, and even espionage, revealing how art shaped the fight for independence in unexpected ways. Tune in for new insights into the hidden power of art, the politics of creativity, and the previously untold stories of artists who impacted a revolution from across the Atlantic.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and author Frank Cogliano takes a fresh look at Thomas Jefferson as a leader of ideas, a party builder, and the President of the United States. By examining Jefferson’s strengths and weaknesses, Cogliano paints a vivid picture of an unconventional leader who learned from his mistakes, balanced lofty ideals with the realities of power, and cleverly relied on others to handle political battles. Tune in for new insights into Jefferson’s evolution as a leader and the turbulent politics of the Early Republic.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Susan K Neely discusses her extensive experience in public service at the state and federal levels, as well as leadership in the business world. She was Special Assistant to President George W. Bush in the White House as well as the first Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She also held senior roles with two members of Congress, and the longest serving governor in American history. She was CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers and the American Beverage Association. In this conversation you’ll hear about her groundbreaking partnerships between business and public service, how she learned from mistakes, and her deep commitment to advancing presidential history through her personal philanthropy, especially the lessons in leadership of George Washington.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, presidential historian William Haldeman explores six defining characteristics of presidential leadership, each illustrated by a president who embodied that trait. From optimism and confidence to courage and dedication, Haldeman emphasizes how true leaders prioritize principle over popularity and understand the long-term impact of their choices. Tune in to gain insights on presidential leadership, character formation, authenticity, and what we should be looking for in the leaders of tomorrow.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy is on summer break -- but we'll be back in September with new great conversations.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Anita McBride—author and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush—offers an insider’s perspective on the evolving role of America’s first ladies. Drawing on her own White House experience, McBride highlights how communication, altruism, and quiet courage have shaped some of the most impactful partnerships in presidential history. From behind-the-scenes influence to public leadership, she demonstrates how first ladies have helped to define the nation’s highest office. Tune in to gain insights on the many roles of women in the White House, our expectations of a first lady, and leadership lessons from the first military spouse of the United States.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Rick Atkinson delves into the nature of military leadership through the lens of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Atkinson outlines the essential traits of an effective commander—unshakable resolve, strategic communication, and a keen ability to navigate the complexities of the battlefield across both space and time. He also highlights Washington’s political acumen and talent for recognizing potential in others, setting him apart from his British counterparts, whose flawed assumptions and leadership missteps raise the intriguing question: Could the British have won? Tune in to gain insights on military leadership, character, and the need to protect hard-won liberties for future generations.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dr. Megan Kate Nelson illuminates the life and legacy of Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne military, political, and diplomatic leader. Drawing from her forthcoming book The Westerners, Nelson explores how Little Wolf embodied leadership values like consensus building, generosity, strategic brilliance, and sacrifice for the greater good—principles deeply rooted in Northern Cheyenne culture. The conversation offers insight into the complexity of Indigenous governance, the strategic resistance to U.S. expansion, and the enduring relevance of leadership qualities often overlooked in traditional narratives. Little Wolf’s story challenges conventional definitions of leadership and reveals the strength found in humility, discipline, and communal responsibility.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and legal scholar Dr. Martha S. Jones delves into black women’s battle for voting rights that began, rather than ended, with the passage of the 19th Amendment. Through the stories of several inspirational leaders of the Black Women’s Club movement, Jones highlights how these women earned leverage in their communities, empowered themselves in their churches, and passed down invaluable lessons to the next generation. She also reflects on their lasting achievements, which continue to shape our world today. Tune in to gain insights on leadership, women’s history, resilience, and the relentless fight for equality and civil rights.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian Catherine Allgor explores the early First Ladies of the United States, examining how they navigated gendered power dynamics within their roles. She delves into how these women found agency in a male-dominated world, leveraging the social sphere to influence Washington culture and shape political policy. At the heart of her discussion, Allgor emphasizes the importance of leaders recognizing and treating people as full, complex human beings. Tune in to gain insights on historical leadership, gendered power, American identity, and what Washington, D.C., needs today.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Jeffrey A. Engel, Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, shares his personal experience with former President George H.W. Bush and the valuable lessons he learned about the presidency—an office for which no one can truly prepare. Engel identifies memory, energy, and empathy as the key traits of an effective leader, while emphasizing that voters should prioritize character and judgement over personality when evaluating presidential candidates. He also highlights the importance of a deep understanding of history for a successful presidency. Tune in to gain valuable insights on leadership, the presidency, the art of restraint, and the challenges of writing history about someone you know.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Georgetown University Law Center professor Steve Vladeck explores the history of leadership on the United States Supreme Court, the qualities of an effective justice, and how public opinion does—or doesn’t—influence the court. He highlights the importance of institution building—his choice for most important justice in this sense may surprise you—and the influential roles played by justices beyond the Chief Justice. Vladeck also cautions that while Court decisions have immediate real-world impact, a lasting legacy takes time to develop. From Bushrod Washington to John Roberts, tune in to gain valuable insights on leadership, teamwork, leading through dissent, and the United States Supreme Court.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com. You can learn more about Steve Vladeck's work at www.stevevladeck.com or check out his recent book The Shadow Docket.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Michelle Korsmo, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, shares expert insights on developing a strong leadership style, navigating crises, and transitioning into new leadership roles. She explores the essential qualities of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and vision that define successful leaders. Korsmo also discusses her greatest leadership role models, from historical figures to the resilient women who have influenced her journey. She emphasizes the power of authenticity in leadership, setting the right tone for organizational success. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation on effective leadership, business strategy, resilience, and empowering women leaders in today’s world.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy season two, episode two: Leading in Times of Crisis with Michelle Korsmo will launch to the public next Monday.
For early access to this and other Mount Vernon podcasts, become a member of Mount Vernon today at mountvernon.org/become-a-member
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian, political analyst, and author Dr. Yuval Levin explores the foundations of American democracy, the qualities of effective presidential leadership, and the role of compromise in governance. Levin discusses how a successful presidency requires restraint over aggression and negotiation over conflict, drawing lessons from historical administrations. He also examines the United States Constitution, arguing that while it is not a flawless document, its strength lies in its ability to adapt and unite a divided nation. With the current state of political polarization and increasing concerns over constitutional integrity, Levin highlights why preserving democratic institutions is more critical than ever. Tune in to gain insights on leadership, political philosophy, governance, and the evolving role of the presidency in American history.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Brook Manville, author of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives, discusses the concept of leadership in a democracy. He emphasizes that democracy is fundamentally a bargain, a system of self-governance where citizens act as checks on one another's power, ensuring that no single individual or "boss" can dominate. Drawing upon historical examples from Athens, Rome, and Great Britain, Manville highlights the challenges democracies face as they grow in scale and complexity.
This is the last episode of season one of Leadership and Legacy. Season two, featuring interviews with current library executive director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, will debut in early 2025.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
This podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Colleen Shogan, the director of the National Archives and Records Administration. Dr. Shogan discusses the importance of effective leadership and communication, particularly in her role overseeing a vast collection of historical records. She emphasizes the need for clear and direct communication, especially when delivering difficult messages. Dr. Shogan also reflects on her career path, highlighting the influence of her academic background in political science and her experiences working in government. She shares insights into the challenges of leading a large organization, navigating the digital transformation, and the importance of being adaptable and thoughtful in decision-making. The episode concludes with Dr. Shogan's call for greater public engagement with the National Archives and a reminder that these records belong to the citizens.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, General David Petraeus and historian Andrew Roberts discuss the art of leadership, drawing from their book Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine. They explore the timeless principles of strategic leadership, emphasizing the importance of getting the big ideas right, communicating them effectively, overseeing their implementation, and adapting to changing circumstances. Through examples from history, including Napoleon, George III, and Churchill, they illustrate how these principles have been applied by successful leaders across different contexts.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Dr. Patrick Spero interviews General John Allen, a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general, about his views on leadership. General Allen defines leadership as the means to accomplish difficult tasks and emphasizes the importance of humility, service, and respect. He shares his personal experiences, from his early days as a Marine officer to his strategic command roles, highlighting the influence of his father and the lessons he learned from his noncommissioned officers. General Allen also discusses the transformative role of artificial intelligence in modern warfare and its implications for leadership in the civilian sector.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Representatives Steve Womack and Pat Ryan, two elected officials on opposite sides of the aisle, discuss their views on leadership. They emphasize the importance of integrity, direction, and leading by example, drawing on their military experiences to illustrate these principles. Both congressmen reflect on the challenges of leadership in a polarized political landscape and the complexities of making difficult decisions that balance party loyalty with the needs of their constituents.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Dr. Patrick Spero interviews Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard. She discusses her experiences at AT&T and HP, highlighting the challenges of leading change within large organizations. Fiorina also reflects on the role of technology in leadership and the importance of preserving history in the digital age.
The conversation also touches on Fiorina's views on corporate responsibility and her vision for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Fiorina concludes by sharing her thoughts on the importance of civic engagement and the role of citizens in shaping the nation's future.
For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. This podcast is hosted by Dr. Patrick Spero and Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. Our executive producers are Dr. Anne Fertig and Heather Soubra.
Now Available on all platforms! In this new podcast from the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, we'll explore George Washington as both President and precedent. From the very origins of the US presidency at the Constitutional Convention to Washington’s final warnings in his Farewell Address, we will break down how one man shaped the Presidency—and the many times that it could have all fallen apart.
Learn more at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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 & Co., a lecture series about Jane Austen and her broader world, and she is our new Digital Projects Editor at the Washington Library.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Hannah Lawrence Schieffelin was an American poet who rhymed about some of the most important issues facing the early United States in the eighteenth century, including the British occupation of New York City during the American Revolution, the debate over the gradual abolition of slavery in the early days of the republic, and the legacy of George Washington.
Schieffelin sat at the heart of the New York literary scene in these years, but until recently, most of her manuscript poetry remained undigitized and inaccessible to readers.
Thanks to Dr. Kait Tonti and her colleagues at the New York Public Library, now you can read Schieffelin’s poetry, too.
Tonti is an expert on early American women's life-writing and poetry. She was also the 2021 Omohundro Institute-Mount Vernon Digital Collections Fellow, which supported the digitization of Schieffelin’s poetry.
She joins Jim Ambuske today to talk about Schieffelin’s life and the politics of her poetry, especially her poetical confrontation over slavery and Washington’s reputation with a mysterious opponent who may not be so mysterious after all.
View Schieffelin's manuscripts at the New York Public Library here.
View Tonti's digital exhibit here.
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In eighteenth-century America, you would’ve had little opportunity for formal schooling or an advanced education. Unless you were among the elite or at least of some means, your chances of attending a local academy or Harvard College weren’t great. But the American Revolution ushered in a new era of education in the United States that paved the way for the educational opportunities we take for granted today. Education became seen as central to the survival of the republic, with local communities, states, and the new federal government all interested in expanding educational opportunities for some Americans, though not as much for others. And in the 1820s, Thomas Jefferson would embark on last great project of his life – the founding of the University of Virginia – which he hoped would preserve the meaning of the Revolution as he understood it. On today’s show, we’re fortunate to have two old chums return to the program to talk about the crucial role of education in early America. Dr. Mark Boonshoft is the Executive Director of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and he is the author of Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic, which was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2020. We’re joined by Dr. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, who recently authored The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2021.
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For years after the ratification of the Constitution, Americans debated how the Federal Government and the several states should relate to each other, and work together, to form a more perfect union. The success, if not the survival, of the new republic depended on these governments cooperating on any number of issues, from customs enforcement to Native American policy. But where there was collaboration there was also friction among them over matters like state sovereignty, slavery, and land. Unsurprisingly, many of the same questions about government relations that American leaders like George Washington or Gouvernor Morris faced in the eighteenth century remain evergreen in the twenty-first. On today’s show, Dr. Grace Mallon joins Jim Ambuske to chat about how the federal government and the states did, or did not, get along in the republic’s early days, and how personal relationships among American leaders often meant the difference between policy victories or defeats. Mallon recently received her Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and she is the incoming Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University. She also hosts the "Conventions" podcast on constitutional history for the Quill Project at Pembroke College, Oxford. Look for it where ever fine podcasts are available. About Our Guest: Grace Mallon received her doctorate in History from Oxford University in 2021. Her dissertation project explored the relationship between the state and federal governments in the early American republic and its effect on policy. She is the incoming Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University, and is a 2021-22 Washington Library Fellow. She hosts the 'Conventions' podcast on constitutional history for the Quill Project at Pembroke College, Oxford.
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In the 1760s, tobacco was one of Virginia’s chief exports. But George Washington turned away from the noxious plant and began dreaming of wheat and a more profitable future. Washington became enamored with new ideas powering the agricultural revolution in Great Britain and set out to implement this new form of husbandry back home at Mount Vernon. His quest to become a gentleman farmer reshaped Mount Vernon’s landscape and altered the lives of the plantation’s enslaved community, and his own ideas about slavery, forever. On today’s show, Dr. Bruce Ragsdale joins Jim Ambuske to chat about his new book, Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery, published by Harvard University Press in 2021. Ragsdale is the retired Director of the Federal Judicial History Office and he’s one of the leading experts on agriculture in the early republic. And as you’ll hear, Washington the revolutionary farmer had more in common with Farmer George in England, that is King George III, than you might think. Please take a moment to rate and review the show on your favorite podcast app. It helps other people find us and the new insights our guests bring to the table each episode.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, North Americans looked up at the sky in wonder at the cosmos and what lay beyond earth’s atmosphere. But astronomers like Benjamin Banneker, Georgia surveyors, Cherokee storytellers, and government officials also saw in the stars ways to master space on earth by controlling the heavens above. And print technology became a key way for Americans of all stripes to find ways to understand their own place in the universe and their relationship to each other. On today’s show, Dr. Gordon Fraser joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Star Territory: Printing the Universe in Nineteenth-Century America, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2021. Fraser is a Lecturer and Presidential Fellow in American Studies, University of Manchester in England, and Fraser and Ambuske were joined today by Dr. Alexandra Montgomery as guest co-host, who is heading up the Washington Library’s ARGO initiative. And yes, they talk about aliens.
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When delegates assembled in Philadelphia in the Summer of 1787 to write a new Constitution, they spent months in secret writing a document they hoped would form a more perfect Union. When we talk about the convention, we often talk of the Virginia Plan, the Connecticut Compromise, the 3/5ths clause, and other major decisions that shaped the final document. What’s harder to see are the long days the delegates spent haggling over numerous proposed amendments, precise words, phrases, and ideas that contorted the constitution into its final form. It’s a process that helped create many of the political institutions that we too often take for granted these days. On today’s show, Dr. Nicholas Cole joins Jim Ambuske to chat about using the Quill Project to demystify the past moments that shaped our political and legal futures. Cole is a Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke College at the University of Oxford, where he is the director of the Quill Project, a digital initiative that investigates the historical origins of some of the world’s foundational legal texts. And as you’ll learn, little moments in the constitutional process can mean a lot. With this episode, we close the books on 2021. Thanks for joining us this past year, we appreciate the opportunity to be in your ears, and we look forward to seeing you in 2022. Have a safe and happy holiday season.
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For most Americans, Thomas Paine is the radical Englishman, and former tax collector, who published Common Sense in early 1776. His claim that hereditary monarchy was an absurdity and that the “cause of America was in great measure the cause of all mankind” galvanized American rebels into thinking more seriously about independence than they had only a few months before.
Paine would go on to publish The American Crisis and other writings during the America Revolution before trying to find his place in the new United States after the war.
But in the early 1790s, Paine took up his pen once again, this time to defend the French Revolution, from its British critics, including his frenemy, Edmund Burke. The result was a two-part work entitled Rights of Man, a treatise that imagined a world that in some ways looks very similar to our own.
On today’s show, Dr. Frances Chiu joins Jim Ambuske to chat about her new guide book to Paine’s Rights of Man, published by Routledge in 2020. Chiu, who teaches at the New School, is a historian of 18thand 19th century Gothic horror, as well as British reform and radicalism. Her guide book is a handy tool for understanding Paine’s ideas and their origins, with some far older than you might imagine.
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On this week's show, we bring you Episode 1 of Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington's Mount Vernon. Entitled "Passages," it features the life of Sambo Anderson, who was just a boy when he was captured in West Africa, survived the Middle Passage, and purchased by an ambitious George Washington sometime in the late 1760s. During his years of enslavement at Mount Vernon, Anderson became a carpenter, a husband, and a father. In this episode, we tell the story of Anderson’s life to explore the rise of slavery in the Chesapeake Bay region, George and Martha Washington’s connections to the transatlantic slave trade, and the laws that marked the boundaries between slavery and freedom in Virginia.
Featuring:
- Dr. Brenda Stevenson, Hillary Rodham Clinton Endowed Chair in Women’s History, St. John’s College, Oxford University
- Dr. Lorena Walsh, Research Historian Emerita, Colonial Williamsburg
- Dr. John C. Coombs, Professor of History, Hampden-Sydney College
- Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, historian of George and Martha Washington and Early America
- Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.
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Intertwined tells the story of the more than 577 people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. Told through the biographies of Sambo Anderson, Davy Gray, William Lee, Kate, Ona Judge, Nancy Carter Quander, Edmund Parker, Caroline Branham, and the Washingtons, this eight-part podcast series explores the lives and labors of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community, and how we interpret slavery at the historic site today.
Intertwined is narrated by Brenda Parker and is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and CD Squared.
Find Intertwined on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Learn more, subscribe to the show, and find full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.
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Although you might not realize it, in the years before the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was all the rage. People concocted various schemes to settle it, and the British government saw it as one of the keys to its new vision of empire after the Seven Years' War. Nova Scotia has a fascinating, often troubled history. Indigenous peoples and European powers competed for the land, and access to the colony’s lucrative fishing grounds, drawing maps to stake their claims, making war, and in the case of the British, using settlers to box out other competing interests, in a strategy that our guest today calls “weaponized settlement.” On today’s episode, Dr. Alexandra Montgomery joins Jim Ambuske to chat about her research on Nova Scotia as an imperial place, and as a site of land dispossession, in the era of the American Revolution. Montgomery is our Postdoctoral Fellow in the Digital History and Cartography of the American Revolution here at the Washington Library. And in addition to telling us about an exciting new digital mapping project we’re working on these days, you’ll also learn about the donair, a Nova Scotian treat that should be on the top of your bucket list. About Our Guest: Alexandra L. Montgomery holds a PhD in early American history from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on the role of the state and settler colonialism in the eighteenth century, particularly in the far northeast. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Digital History and Cartography of the American Revolutionary War Era at Mount Vernon, where she is assisting in the creation of a new digital maps portal in collaboration with the Leventhal Map and Education Center.
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In May 1796, an enslaved woman named Ona Judge fled the presidential household in Philadelphia and escaped to freedom on a ship headed for New Hampshire. Judge’s successful flight was one of many such escapes by the sea in the 18th and 19th centuries. Enslaved people boarded ships docked in ports great and small and used coastal water ways and the ocean as highways to freedom. We often learn about the Underground Railroad in school, but what about its aquatic component?
On today’s episode, Dr. Timothy D. Walker joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new edited volume, Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad, which was published by the University of Massachusetts Press in 2021. Walker is a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and along with the contributors to Sailing to Freedom, Walker guides us towards new horizons in our quest to better understand this history.
About Our Guest: Dr. Timothy Walker (B.A., Hiram College, 1986; M.A., Ph.D., Boston University, 2001) is a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. At UMD, he serves as Fulbright Program Advisor (faculty and students); prior posts include Director of Tagus Press and Director of the UMass in Lisbon Study Abroad Program.
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To kick off Season 6, we bring you the story of America’s Favorite Fighting Frenchmen. In 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette sailed from France with a commission as a major general in the Continental Army. Unlike many other European soldiers of fortune, Lafayette paid his own way and had no expectation that he would be placed at the head of American forces. We best remember Lafayette for his service in the American Revolution, his close relationship with George Washington, and the key to the Bastille that now hangs in the main entrance to Washington’s Mount Vernon. But Lafayette was more than meets the eye. On today’s show, podcasting legend and author Mike Duncan joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution, published by PublicAffairs Books in 2021. You may know Duncan from his two podcasts, The History of Rome and Revolutions, and in his latest book, he tackles a complex man who was at the center of the Age of Democratic Revolutions. It’s great to be back with you; we have a great season ahead of us, and we have a brand new segment in which our guests talk about the work that inspires them. About our Guest: Mike Duncan is one of the most popular history podcasters in the world and author of the New York Times–bestselling book, The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic. His award-winning series, The History of Rome, remains a legendary landmark in the history of podcasting. Duncan’s ongoing series, Revolutions, explores the great political revolutions that have driven the course of modern history. His most recent book is Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution.
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In the eighteenth century, the Myaamia people inhabited what are now parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. More commonly known in English as the Miami, the Myaamia figure prominently in the early history of the United States, especially in the 1790s, when war chief Mihšihkinaahkwa (or Little Turtle) co-led an alliance of Miami and Shawnee warriors that defeated successive American armies in the Ohio valley before meeting defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. In the battle’s wake, through treaty and subterfuge, Americans dispossessed the Myaamia of their lands, removing them first to Kansas in the mid-nineteenth century before final resettlement in Oklahoma not long after. Not only did the Myaamia lose their homelands, their language and culture suffered as well, lapsing into silence as the community fractured and native speakers passed away. But as George Ironstrack tells us on today’s episode, not all is lost, and through the power of education and a lot of hard work, what was once silenced is now heard again in Myaamia communities from the banks of the Wabash River in Indiana to northeastern Oklahoma. Ironstrack is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. The Center is a major educational and research institution dedicated to revitalizing Myaamia language and culture, and a leader in using digital technology to explore the indigenous past. Ironstrack spoke to Jim Ambuske about the history of the Myaamia people, and the work that he and his colleagues are doing at the Myaamia Center to awaken a sleeping language. Be sure to check out the Myaamia Center's many digital resources, including the Miami-Illinois Digital Archive. About Our Guest: George Ironstrack is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. He has participated in Myaamia language renewal projects as both a student and a teacher since the mid-1990s. Examples of his work can be found on the Myaamia Community Blog: aacimotaatiiyankwi.org.
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Consuls are essential to American foreign relations. Although they may not be as flashy or as powerful as an Ambassador like Thomas Jefferson or John Quincy Adams, they’re often the go-to people when an American gets in trouble abroad or when a trade deal needs to get done. Consuls operate in cities and towns throughout the world, helping to advance American interests and maintain good relations with their host countries, all while helping you replace your lost passport. Much has changed about the consular service since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when a consul could earn fees for his services, such as getting you out of a scrape with the local authorities But as today’s guests demonstrates, consuls were and are the backbone of American diplomacy. Dr. Abby Mullen joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her work on American consuls in the early Republic and her podcast, Consolation Prize, a show dedicated to telling the stories of these consuls, and the wider world in which they lived. Mullen is Term Assistant Professor of History at George Mason University where she is also one of the key members of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. About Our Guest: Abby Mullen holds a PhD in history from Northeastern University (2017). Her dissertation, "Good Neighbourhood with All: Conflict and Cooperation in the First Barbary War, 1801-1805," investigates how the U.S. Navy forged international connections in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War.Mullen is the PI on Tropy, a Mellon Foundation-funded software development project. She is also technical lead on All the Appalachian Trails, a project to create an interactive map of the history of the Appalachian Trail over the last 100 years. Mullen teaches digital history courses at George Mason University.
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If you pull any decent history book off your shelf right now, odds are that it’s filled with quotes from letters, diaries, or account books that help the author tell her story and provide the evidence for her interpretation of the past. It’s almost always the case that the quotation you read in a book is just one snippet of a much longer document. Perhaps, for example, Catharine Greene’s letters to her husband Nathanael offer the reader insight into some aspect of the family business she was running while Nathanael served in the southern theater of the War of Independence. But what about the rest of the document? What about the quiet moments when someone like Martha Washington asks after a family member, describes the state of their own health, or apologizes for a hurried scrawl, the result of the writer trying to catch the next post? And as valuable as collections like George Washington’s papers are, how can we write more nuanced and complete histories of the American past by reading letters by early American women? On today’s show, we welcome Kathryn Gehred, who is tackling that question by exploring the lives of early American women, one letter at a time. Gehred is a Research Editor at The Washington Papers Project based at the University of Virginia, where she is also on the team at the Center for Digital Editing, which is publishing documentary editions of historical manuscript collections online. Gehred is also the host of the new podcast, Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant. On each episode, Gehred and her guests break down a letter written by early American women and put it in context to show what is often obscured by the so-called juicier quotes you might find in your favorite book. Gehred joins Jim Ambuske today to talk about her podcast, how her training as an early American women’s historian, Monticello tour guide, and documentary editor informs her approach to it, and some of the exciting letters she’s discussed so far. And as a special treat, stick around after the credits role for a preview of Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant featuring Gehred’s conversation with our colleague Samantha Snyder about a letter from Elizabeth Willing Powel to George Washington. About our Guest: Kathryn Gehred is a Research Editor at The Washington Papers Project at the University of Virginia. She is also on the staff of the Center for Digital Editing. A historian of early American women, Gehred is the host of the podcast Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant, a women’s history podcast which showcases the kinds of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century women’s letters that don’t always make it into the history books.
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On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key began composing "The Star-Spangled Banner after witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry. Of all the things he could have done after seeing that flag, why did Key write a song? And how did his new composition fit into a much longer history of music as a form of political persuasion in the Early Republic?
On today’s episode, Dr. Billy Coleman joins us explore the power of music in the early United States, and how Federalists in particular used it as a kind of weapon to advance their vision of a harmonious nation led by elites. He also helps us understand why music as a form of historical evidence is a remarkable way to get inside the heads, and the hearts, of people from ages past. Coleman is the Kinder Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in Political History at the University of Missouri. He is the author of Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788-1865, (UNC Press, 2020).
Coleman and his collaborator, the music producer Running Notch, have also created a soundtrack for the book, featuring modern interpretations of some of the most important political songs of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.nFind the soundtrack here or search for “Harnessing Harmony” on Spotify.
You’ll hear clips from a couple of these tunes over the course of today’s program, but make sure you stick around after the credits roll for an exclusive opportunity to hear the complete versions of "Hail, Columbia" and "Jefferson and Liberty," which appear “ courtesy of Running Notch from the “Book Soundtrack” to Billy Coleman’s Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788–1865(UNC Press).
About Our Guest:
Billy Coleman, Ph.D. is the Kinder Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in Political History at the University of Missouri. His research articles also appear in the Journal of Southern History and the Journal of the Early Republic. His new project, “Making Music National in a Settler State,” is exploring the transnational origins of national music in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Coleman is currently the North American-based Book Reviews Editor for the peer-reviewed journal, American Nineteenth Century History.
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In 1784, King Charles III of Spain sent George Washington a token of his esteem. Knowing that Washington had long sought a Spanish donkey for his Mount Vernon estate, the king permitted a jack to be exported to the new United States. Washington named the donkey Royal Gift in recognition of its royal origin, and the donkey became somewhat of a minor celebrity when he disembarked from his ship in 1785. As it turns out, Spanish jacks like Royal Gift were highly prized animals in the Atlantic world. And in this case the Spanish, who had supported the United States during the American Revolution, saw an opportunity to use a donkey as a way to shore up diplomatic relations with the new republic and protect their interests in North America. On today’s show, Professor José Emilio Yanes joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift. Yanes is a veterinarian and Associate Professor at the University of Salamanca in Spain. As the title of his work suggests, it is a Spanish language book, one that makes use of manuscripts in Spanish archives to flesh out Royal Gift’s story. We spoke last fall with the help of his friend and collaborator, Allan Winn, Jr., who it so happens is a native of Alexandria, Virginia who has lived in Spain for many years now and runs Allan School of English in Zamora. If Spanish happens to be your mother tongue, or if you are like me and you are desperately trying to get better at it, please check out the Spanish-language version of this episode, which will appear in your podcast feed. Before we get started, we ask that you do us a quick favor. If you like the show, please drop us a review through your favorite podcast app. We’d really appreciate. And be sure to check out our new website for the show, which we think will make it easier for you to find your favorite episodes. You can find us at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com. About Our Guests: José Emilio Yanes Garcia is Superior Polytechnic School of Zamora and Associate Professor at the University of Salamanca (Spain). He is the author of El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift (2019). Allan R. Winn, Jr. is a native of Alexandria, Virginia who now resides in Zomora, Spain. He is the proprietor of Allan School of English. Winn assisted Yanes with translation work in El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington and provided translation for this episode.
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The American Revolution dismembered a protestant empire. In the years during and after the war, states disestablished their churches, old and new denominations flourished, and Americans enshrined religious freedom into their state and federal constitutions.
But claiming religious freedom in a democracy was not the same as enjoying it. In the republic’s early years, Joseph Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his Mormon brethren learned all too well the difference between ideal and reality.
In Missouri and elsewhere, Smith and his fellow Mormons faced persecution for their beliefs, yet had faith that American democracy would help right these wrongs. But as it became clear that state and federal officials would not intervene, Smith arrived at a bold conclusion--he would run for president in 1844 on one of the most radical platforms in American history.
On today’s show, Dr. Spencer W. McBride joins Jim Ambuske to talk about Smith, Mormonism, and the politics of religion in the early republic.
McBride is the author of the new book Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom, published by Oxford University Press in 2021.
About Our Guest:
Spencer W. McBride, Ph.D., is an Associate Managing Historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project and the author of Pulpit and Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America. He has written about the evolving role of religion in American politics for the Washington Post and the Deseret News. He is also the creator and host of The First Vision: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast.
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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).
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If you’ve taken part in a part in a protest recently, perhaps you carried a sign, waved a flag, or worn a special hat.
But if you had grievances in the American Revolution or early Republic, you might have helped raise a Liberty Pole.
Now, you may ask yourself, what good is a large wooden pole gonna do about my high taxes?
And you may ask yourself, do I really want to lift this heavy thing?
Turns out, as the days went by in the late eighteenth century, many Americans thought Liberty Poles were the perfect way to signal their collective displeasure and rally their countrymen against some perceived wrong.
And what one group could put up, another could most assuredly pull down.
On today’s episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Shira Lurie, an expert on these strange objects and the meaning they held for Americans in the founding generation. Americans used Liberty Poles to argue over a citizen’s role in a republic. And what was a symbol of liberty to some, was an icon of tyranny to others.
Lurie is an Assistant Professor of History at St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. She’s the author an article recently published in the Journal of the Early American Republic entitled, “Liberty Poles and the Fight for Popular Politics in the Early Republic.”
Besides Liberty Poles, Lurie tells us how she tries to reach many different audiences as a historian, and what it’s like to teach American history in both Canada and the United States.
About our Guest:
Shira Lurie, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of History at St. Mary's University. She is a political historian of the early United States with particular interests in popular politics, protest, and political violence. Her current book project explores liberty poles and debates over dissent in the early republic. She also thinks, teaches, and writes about historical memory in public space and popular culture.
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Plymouth Plantation occupies a powerful place in American national memory. Think of the First Thanksgiving in 1621; Englishmen escaping religious persecution; the rock marking the alleged spot where settlers first landed; and of course the Mayflower Compact.
In the wake of the American Revolution, citizens of the new nation looked to the Compact for the origins of American Democracy. In Plymouth’s history, many Americans saw the history of the United States itself.
But Plymouth has become shrouded in memory. We often see it as an isolated outpost of religious dissenters who made a pilgrimage into the American wilderness, when in reality it was so much more.
On today’s episode, Dr. Carla Gardina Pestana takes us back to those distant, frigid shores for a new look at an old place.
She is the author of The World of Plymouth Plantation, published by Belknap Press in 2002, and as you’ll hear, Plymouth was a much bigger world than you might imagine.
About Our Guest:
Carla Gardina Pestana, Ph.D. is Professor and Joyce Appleby Endowed Chair of America in the World at the University of California, Los Angeles. The author of numerous books and articles, Pestana studies the 17th and 18th century Atlantic worlds, especially the English Atlantic; the Caribbean; and U.S. religious history.
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Maryland wasn’t so merry for some Americans during the Revolutionary War, especially if you happened to side with the king. Professing fealty to the Crown, for whatever reason or motivation, cost many Maryland colonists their property, and sometimes their lives.
But for other Maryland Loyalists, like enslaved people, loyalism was an opportunity to achieve a different kind of American independence, or to turn ideas about class and patriarchy on their heads.
Last week we, began our two-part look at loyalism in the Chesapeake. We began in Virginia and the potential for a digital project now in its early stages to radically complicate our understanding of loyalty in the Old Dominion.
On today’s episode, we turn north and head to Maryland, to feast on crab cakes, and sink our teeth into The Maryland Loyalism Project.
Created by Dr. Kyle Roberts of the American Philosophical Society and Dr. Benjamin Bankhurst of Shepherd University, the Maryland Loyalism Project is a digital archive that brings together the stories of Maryland women and men who remained loyal to the Crown during the American Revolution.
More than just home to digitized copies of Loyalist Claims, the project is a research and teaching tool about the diversity of the Maryland Loyalist experience.
And to help illustrate its potential, today you’ll also hear from some of Roberts and Bankhurt’s students about what they found digging in these records, and what they make of them.
About Our Guests:
Kyle Roberts, Ph.D., is Associate Director of Library & Museum Programming of the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum. He is co-director of the Maryland Loyalism Project.
Benjamin Bankhurst, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of History at Shepherd University and co-director of the Maryland Loyalism Project.
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Virginia was home to many of the most famous rebels like George Washington during the American Revolution, but it was also a den of Tories who remained loyal to the British king. Loyalists in all the colonies rejected what they called “the unnatural rebellion” and resisted Patriot forces as they tried to restore the king’s peace to British America. In Virginia, a civil war raged between white colonists, enslaved people who sought their freedom, and many more who just tried to stay out of the way. And when the war ended, many Loyalists faced a desperate choice: abandon their homes and seek refuge in the empire, or melt back into American society and hope their neighbors remained ignorant of their political leanings. What can we learn by studying the disaffected in the American Revolution? What do we gain by looking at the Revolution not as a glorious cause, but as a civil war? On today’s show, we begin a two-part look at Loyalism in the Chesapeake Bay region by talking with scholars who are working hard to reconstruct the Loyalist experience in Virginia and Maryland. Drs. Stephanie Seal Walters and Alexi Garrett join Jim Ambuske today to talk about Virginia Loyalists and their world, and their ambition to make documents submitted to the Loyalist Claims Commission by Virginians beginning in 1783 more accessible to the public. On our next episode, Drs. Ben Bankhurst and Kyle Roberts stop by to chat about their Maryland Loyalism Project, a digital archive they’ve created with help from their students to tell the stories of those who gloried in the name of Tory in the Revolutionary Era. Be sure to stay tuned for that conversation. About our Guests: Stephanie Seal Walters, Ph.D., is Digital Liaison to the Humanities at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is an Atlantic World historian studying loyalists and loyalism in Virginia and British North America in the Revolutionary Era. She also serve as the Assistant Editor for the Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi Project. Alexi Garrett, Ph.D., is the 2020-2022 Institute of Thomas Paine Studies and University of Virginia Press Post-Doctoral Fellow at Iona College. She is an early American historian who researches how elite, unmarried white women (legally classified as feme soles) commercially related to the people they enslaved, and how they managed slave-manned enterprises in the American revolutionary and early national periods.
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When the COVID pandemic stuck last spring, thousands of cultural heritage sites, including the Washington Library and Mount Vernon, had to find ways to help team members do work from home. That wasn’t always easy, especially as so much of our normal work requires a physical presence.
One of our solutions at the Library was to use this time to transcribe the voluminous correspondence of Harrison Dodge, Mount Vernon’s superintendent in the late 19th century.
And to do that, we turned to a digital platform called FromThePage. FromthePage is a crowdsourcing transcription tool that allows users to transcribe historical documents from the comfort of their own homes. Since last March, for example, our Dodge project collaborators have made nearly 9,000 page edits and contributed over 400 research notes.
So on today’s episode, you’ll meet Sara and Ben Brumfield, the creators of FromThePage. Inspired by their involvement in Wikipedia’s early days, and hoping to find ways to transcribe treasured family heirlooms, the Brumfields set out to create a way for people – including those of you listening right now – to collaboratively transcribe the past.
Check out our show notes or go to www.fromthepage.com to find out how you can join a crowdsource transcription project.
About Our Guests:
Sara and Ben Brumfield are the proprietors of Brumfield Labs, a software development firm, and the creators of FromThePage. Sara earned a BA in Computer Science and the Study of Women and Gender from Rice University. Ben took his BA in Computer Science and Linguistics from Rice University.
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.
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In the early years of the nineteenth century, former Virginia schoolteacher James Ogilvie embarked on a lecture tour that took the United States by storm. Born Scotland, Ogilvie became a renowned orator, packing rooms in urban Philadelphia and rural Kentucky alike. As he crisscrossed the nation, lecturing on topics that spoke to American anxieties about the fate of their young republic, Ogilvie became a major celebrity. Many Americans admired him, some even hated him, as he asked them to look into the mirror to see themselves. On today’s show, Dr. Carolyn Eastman joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her new book, The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2021. Dr. Eastman is a Professor of History at Virginia Commonwealth University. Please visit the University of North Carolina Press's website to learn how you can get 40% Dr. Eastman's book. About Our Guest: Carolyn Eastman, Ph.D., is associate professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of the prizewinning A Nation of Speechifiers: Making an American Public after the Revolution. 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.
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The South Carolina State House Grounds is a landscape of monuments and memory. Since the capital moved from Charleston to Columbia in the 1780s, South Carolinians have been erecting, moving, and contesting monuments on the capitol’s grounds, using them to debate the past as they really argue about their present. Monuments and statues are the subject of great debate right now, not only in the United States, but around the world, and South Carolina’s commemorations can help us to understand why. In 1858, South Carolinians purchased a George Washington statute for their capitol grounds, as did other legislatures in the nineteenth century, but the reasons they did so may surprise you. On today’s show, former Washington Library Research Fellow Dr. Lydia Brandt joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her new book, The South Carolina State House Grounds: A Guidebook, published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2021. Brandt, who is a professor of art history at the university, is an expert on how American buildings and landscapes shape ideas about the past. Her book takes the public on a tour of the Carolina capitol to show how metal, earth, and stone tell stories about the past and attempt to re-write it. Brandt is also the host of Historically Complex, a podcast that guides listeners on a walking tour of the South Carolina State House Grounds. Stay tuned after today’s conversation for an exclusive sneak peek at one of Brandt’s Historically Complex episodes. About Our Guest: Lydia Mattice Brandt, Ph.D., is an architectural historian, historic preservationist, and associate professor of art history at the University of South Carolina. She is the author of First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington's Mount Vernon in the American Imagination and many articles published in Winterthur Portfolio, Antiques & Fine Art, and the Public Historian. About of 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.
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Two weeks ago, we brought you the story of Johann Peter Oettinger, a seventeenth-century German-speaking barber-surgeon who in 1693 journeyed to Africa and the West Indies on behalf of the Brandenburg African Company. His journal from that period captures the height of German participation in the transatlantic slave trade. Today, we bring you the story of the journal itself and how two historians, Craig Koslofsky and Robert Zaugg, found the manuscript independently of one another in the Berlin archives. The journal’s history is as important as its contents. How we interpret the history within it means we need to know something of its origin. And for more than a century, what historians thought was Oettinger’s authentic journal, wasn’t the real journal at all. On today’s show, Koslofsky and Zaugg weave together a tale made of paper scraps, lost manuscripts, family revisions, and plain dumb luck to reveal the journal’s true origin, and how what could have resulted in the academic equivalent of fisticuffs turned into a wonderful collaboration. Koslofsky and Zaugg are the co-editors and translators of A German Barber-Surgeon in the Atlantic Slave Trade: The Seventeenth-Century Journal of Johann Peter Oettinger (University of Virginia Press, 2021). Our friends at UVA Press are offering a 40% discount on this published edition of Oettinger’s journal. If you’d like your own copy, use discount code 10BARBER on the press's website. About Our Guests: Craig Koslofsky, Ph.D, is Professor of History and Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Roberto Zaugg, Ph.D., is is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. 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.
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In 1693, the young German barber-surgeon Johann Peter Oettinger joined a slave trading venture for the second time.
In the employ of the Brandenburg African Company, Oettinger sailed with his shipmates from Europe to the African coast where they procured their captive human cargo, took the middle passage to the West Indies, and exchanged their enslaved people in the colonies for a variety of goods. Along the way, Oettinger encountered a mix of European, African, and colonial peoples who traded or were traded, across borders, often regardless of nationality.
We know about Oettinger’s involvement because he kept a journal. His two stints aboard slave trading vessels were part of a 14-year period as a journeyman in Europe and the Atlantic world, a life he recorded on scraps of paper that he eventual fashioned into a proper diary.
Oettinger’s voyage marked the high-point of German-speaking peoples' participation in the transatlantic slave trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Through his words we can see how that trade shaped lives far beyond the ocean’s borders. It is a portrait of an early modern world becoming modern.
On today’s show, Jim Ambuske talks with Dr. Craig Koslofsky and Dr. Roberto Zaugg, the two historians who discovered Oettinger’s long forgotten journal buried in the Berlin archives
Koslofsky and Zaugg are the co-editors and translators of A German Barber-Surgeon in the Atlantic Slave Trade: The Seventeenth-Century Journal of Johann Peter Oettinger (University of Virginia Press, 2021).
This is part one of a two-part series about Oettinger’s life and journal. On today’s episode, we explore Oettinger’s European and Atlantic worlds, and his 1693 slave-trading voyage. In two weeks, we’ll talk about the journal as an artifact, one that has a remarkable history in its own right, and how Koslosfsky and Zaugg stumbled across it.
Our friends at UVA Press are offering a 40% discount on this published edition of Oettinger’s journal. If you’d like your own copy, use discount code 10BARBER on the press's website.
About Our Guests:
Craig Koslofsky, Ph.D, is Professor of History and Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Roberto Zaugg, Ph.D., is is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.
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.
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Bienvenido a Conversaciones en la Biblioteca de Washington.
Hoy, Jim Ambuske habla con el profesor José Emilio Yanes de la Universidad de Salamanca en España. Yanes es el autor del libro El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift. El libro cuenta la historia de cómo un burro jugó un papel importante en la relación diplomática entre España y los nuevos Estados Unidos.
Muchas gracias a Allan Winn, Jr. por traducir durante nuestra conversación. Gracias por escuchar. Obtenga más información sobre George Washington y Mount Vernon visitando www.mountvernon.org.
Muchas gracias a Kelly Molds por su ayuda editorial.
About Our Guests:
José Emilio Yanes Garcia is Superior Polytechnic School of Zamora and Associate Professor at the University of Salamanca (Spain). He is the author of El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift (2019).
Allan R. Winn, Jr. is a native of Alexandria, Virginia who now resides in Zomora, Spain. He is the proprietor of Allan School of English. Winn assisted Yanes with translation work in El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington and provided translation for this episode.
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.
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In 1784, King Charles III of Spain sent George Washington a token of his esteem. Knowing that Washington had long sought a Spanish donkey for his Mount Vernon estate, the king permitted a jack to be exported to the new United States. Washington named the donkey Royal Gift in recognition of its royal origin, and the donkey became somewhat of a minor celebrity when he disembarked from his ship in 1785.
As it turns out, Spanish jacks like Royal Gift were highly prized animals in the Atlantic world. And in this case the Spanish, who had supported the United States during the American Revolution, saw an opportunity to use a donkey as a way to shore up diplomatic relations with the new republic and protect their interests in North America.
On today’s show, Professor José Emilio Yanes joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift.
Yanes is a veterinarian and Associate Professor at the University of Salamanca in Spain. As the title of his work suggests, it is a Spanish language book, one that makes use of manuscripts in Spanish archives to flesh out Royal Gift’s story.
We spoke last fall with the help of his friend and collaborator, Allan Winn, Jr., who it so happens is a native of Alexandria, Virginia who has lived in Spain for many years now and runs Allan School of English in Zamora.
If Spanish happens to be your mother tongue, or if you are like me and you are desperately trying to get better at it, please check out the Spanish-language version of this episode, which will appear in your podcast feed.
Before we get started, we ask that you do us a quick favor. If you like the show, please drop us a review through your favorite podcast app. We’d really appreciate. And be sure to check out our new website for the show, which we think will make it easier for you to find your favorite episodes. You can find us at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.
About Our Guests:
José Emilio Yanes Garcia is Superior Polytechnic School of Zamora and Associate Professor at the University of Salamanca (Spain). He is the author of El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington: El periplo de Royal Gift(2019).
Allan R. Winn, Jr. is a native of Alexandria, Virginia who now resides in Zomora, Spain. He is the proprietor of Allan School of English. Winn assisted Yanes with translation work in El Regalo de Carlos III A George Washington and provided translation for this episode.
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.
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One of the most important things we’re able to do at the Center for Digital History is offer internships to college students.
Working with students allows us to move our projects forward while giving them real world opportunities to do the kind of work that historians do, and development skills that will hopefully serve them well later in life.
Now, we’ve talked about our internship program on the show before – you might recall our chat with Jamie Morris of Washington College – and today you’ll get to hear from three excellent students who joined our team last fall, thanks to a partnership with the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College.
Felicia, Moriah, and Christian, all students at Iona, joined us virtually over the course of the fall term to help us with the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington and the reconstruction of the Database of Enslaved People at Mount Vernon.
Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick and served as the site coordinators at the Washington Library for these internships, while Dr. Michael Crowder, the ITPS’s public historian, was the students’ instructor. He’s one of the architects of the institute's internships as well.
So on today’s show, Michael, Jeanette, and Jim chat with our interns about their interest in history and their experiences working with us over the past few months, and then at the end the three of us reflect on the semester, what worked, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
About Our Guests:
Felicia Ferrando is a Junior majoring in History at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.
Moriah Simmons is a Junior majoring in History at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.
Christian Zimmardi is a Senior majoring in Political Science at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.
Michael Crowder is the Public Historian at The Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College. He earned a Ph.D. in the History Department at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. His project, “Human Capital: The Moral and Political Economy of Northeastern Abolitionism, 1763-1833,” examines the relationships between the rapid growth of abolitionism and capitalism in the Era of the American Revolution. He has also written essays about the African colonization movement and American participation in the slave trade, as well as articles about American football for rollingstone.com. In addition to serving as an archival fellow, he teaches American History at Queens College, CUNY.
About Our Hosts:
Jeanette Patrick is the Digital Writer and Researcher in the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. Among her many responsibilities, she serves as Associate Editor of the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. She holds an MA in Public History from James Madison University. She is a former Program Manager at the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
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.
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Take a receipt out of your pocket. What does it say about you? Receipts can tell us a lot about people and the world in which they lived. And George Washington kept receipts.
On today’s show, Dr. Julie Miller joins Jim Ambuske to discuss the hidden lives we can find in Washington’s receipts and similar documents. Dr. Miller is a historian and the Curator of Early American Manuscripts at the Library of Congress, where she oversees a vast array of archival material, including Washington Papers.
She’s also one of the forces behind the Library of Congress’s Crowdsourcing Campaign, By the People, which encourages citizens to transcribe manuscripts in the library’s collections. Last year, the Library asked folks to transcribe two groups of unpublished Washington Papers dating to the Revolutionary War, a collection of receipts and a bundle of British deserter interrogations, with the goal of learning more about people like Mary Smith, Washington’s housekeeper.
Dr. Miller helps us see the stories we can tease out from these sources. They also touch on the Library of Congress’s collaboration with the Georgian Papers Programme and their future exhibit, The Two Georges, which will explore the commonalities shared by George Washington and George III.
She also has recently published a new book, Cry of Murder on Broadway: A Woman’s Ruin and Revenge in Old New York, which is out now from Cornell University Press. If you like true crime, this book’s for you.
About Our Guest:
Julie Miller, Ph.D., is the author of Abandoned: Foundlings in Nineteenth-Century New York City. She is the Curator of Early American Manuscripts at the Library of Congress. She taught in the history department at Hunter College, City University of New York, before moving to Washington, DC.
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.
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We wanted to let you know of some exciting changes we’ll be making to the podcast that will allow you to hear more from groundbreaking historians and scholars in new ways.
Beginning today, Conversations at the Washington Library is moving to an every other week schedule. That means no new episode this week, but we’ll be back on January 21, 2021 with my chat with Julie Miller of the Library of Congress about the hidden lives in George Washington’s papers.
Now, why are we making this change?
As you may know, since the beginning the COVID_19 pandemic, our team at the Washington Library has been producing and hosting live digital book talks with authors around the country and the world. Even when we go back to in-person programming, and hopefully that will be soon, we’ll continue to offer you at least one digital talk a month through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
In short, we’re launching a permanent digital talk series. To accommodate this exciting development, we’re transitioning Conversations at the Washington Library to the new schedule. But never fear; you’ll still get the same great in-depth conversations about the past and the people who explore it, just with a week’s breather in-between.
We’re also shaking things up because we’re developing scripted podcast series that will allow us to tell stories about Washington’s early American world in narrative form. We’ve got some great stuff in the works, and while we can’t talk about our plans just yet, our team is hard at work in the writer’s room finding ways to bring forgotten voices to light.
So, look for a new episode of Conversations at the Washington Library next week, stay tuned for future announcements about our scripted series, and check out our digital talks at www.mountvernon.org/gwdigitaltalks.
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For many people, one of life’s great joys is a lovely dram of whiskey. Whether you’re a fan of Kentucky Bourbon, Single-malt Scotches, Japanese or Tennessee whiskey, every glass tells a story or contains memories that connect drinkers to different places, and different times. For Jim Ambuske, a dram of Cragganmore 12 instantly takes him back to Edinburgh, where he's spent many months hunting American Revolutionaries in the archives. But like most folks, he knows less about the stories behind the whiskies than I would like. That’s where Drew Hannush comes in. On today’s show, you’ll meet Drew, the host of the podcast Whiskey Lore, a show dedicated to exploring whiskey’s history, and debunking whiskey myths, one glass at a time. Drew stopped by the Washington Library just before the holidays to do some research for his newest season of Whiskey Lore, which will feature a series of episodes about George Washington and Whiskey. Now as you might know, Mount Vernon reconstructed Washington’s Gristmill and Distillery several years ago and the team there has been distilling whiskey ever since, something we’ve covered before in previous episodes. And just a reminder that if you’re a Virginia resident, we can now ship our whiskey and brandy directly to your door.
Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick met with Drew during his visit to talk about his own whiskey journey, the stories he’s uncovered, and his fascination with Washington’s distilling efforts. Be on the lookout for Drew’s Washington-centered Whiskey Lore episodes to drop soon.
About Our Guest: Drew Hannush is a writer of the best selling book "Whiskey Lore's Travel Guide to Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon." He also hosts a travel lifestyle podcast called Travel Fuels Life and a whiskey stories podcast built on the brand - Whiskey Lore. Drew has traveled extensively throughout Scotland, Ireland, and the United States touring distilleries, picking up stories, and helping inspire travelers and whiskey lovers through his social media posts, book, and whisk(e)y tasting experiences. He uses his knowledge and authoritative voice to empower others.
About Our Hosts: 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.
Jeanette Patrick is the Center for Digital History's Digital Researcher and Writer. Among her many responsibilities, she serves as Associate Editor of the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. She holds an MA in Public History from James Madison University. She is a former Program Manager at the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
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Forty years ago, Mary V. Thompson began her career at Mount Vernon as a museum attendant and history interpreter. She was quickly promoted to Curatorial Assistant, and within a few short years was named Curatorial Registrar, where she began researching numerous Washington and Mount Vernon related topics such as 18th-century foodways, animals, religion, Native Americans, genealogy, domestic life, & slavery.
Today, she is the Washington Library’s indispensable Research Historian, and as many of our listeners no doubt know, she is the go to person for all things Mount Vernon and Washington.
In celebration of Mary’s 40th anniversary at Mount Vernon, we’re pleased to bring you Jim Ambuske's July 2019 chat with her about her prize-winning book, “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon,” which recently won the James Bradford Best Biography Prize from the Society of Historians for the Early Republic.
Thompson and Ambuske talked over the course of two episodes about her experiences at Mount Vernon, her interest in the enslaved community at Mount Vernon, and of course, her book. So after you’ve finished with Part One here, be sure to check out Part Two as well.
And if you’d like to purchase a copy of Mary’s book, head over to shops.mountvernon.org to grab yours. Congratulations Mary on 40 amazing years at Mount Vernon. Here’s to many more.
About Our Guest:
Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon.
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.
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This is Part Two of Jim Ambuske's July 2019 chat with Washington Library Research Historian Mary V. Thompson. We’re recasting it in celebration of her 40th anniversary at Mount Vernon. If you missed Part One, please do give it a listen.
Happy New Year to you all.
About Our Guest:
Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon.
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.
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In this season of religious renewal, we bring you a story of religious dissent. In 1638, many of King Charles I’s Presbyterian subjects gathered at Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh to sign the National Covenant. By renewing their own covenant with the Almighty, they also pledged to resist encroachments on church government by the king, and the innovations in doctrine he sought to make for the Church of Scotland.
As we’ve discovered in previous episodes, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were a time of religious upheaval and political discord. Reformation and Civil War remade European society, especially in the British Isles, and profoundly shaped colonial American history.
Civil War and religious strife eroded the idea of the divine right of kings, leaving Charles I headless in the end. These revolutions helped to create the eighteenth-century British world that George Washington rebelled against, as well as the kind of monarch George III would become.
Today’s episode builds on recent conversations with Dr. Michelle D. Brock, Dr. Márcia Balisciano, and more as we explore the Covenanters movement in seventeenth-century Scotland with Dr. Karie Schultz. For many of the thousands of Scots Presbyterians who settled in the American colonies in the decades before the American Revolution, including a man like the Reverend John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence, the National Covenant was a seminal moment in their religious history.
Dr. Schultz takes us back to the seventeenth century to help us understand the origins of this crucial contest between king and kirk.
Jim Ambuske caught up with Schultz over Zoom earlier this summer as she was finishing up her graduate studies at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. She is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the British School in Rome and the host of the podcast, Research in Scottish History, where Schultz and her guests break down exciting new work on a range of topics, from Scots in the Caribbean to the material culture of the hit series Outlander. Do check it out.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Karie Schultz completed a PhD on 'Political Thought and Protestant Intellectual Culture in the Scottish Revolution, 1637-51' at Queen's University Belfast. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the British School at Rome where she is studying the intellectual networks between Italian Jesuits and the Scottish and English priests training at their respective colleges in Rome, 1600-1745. She hosts the podcast, Research in Scottish History.
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.
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In 1757, Benjamin Franklin returned to London after an over thirty-year absence. He first ventured to the imperial capital in 1724 to continue his education as a printer; he went back in the late 1750s as a politician, after being named the London agent for the Pennsylvania Assembly. Franklin took up residence at 36 Craven Street in London, today just down the way from Charing Cross Station, and right near Trafalgar Square. For nearly two decades, with a short return to Philadelphia in between, Franklin lived on Craven Street as he tried to advance colonial interests in the mother country.
On today’s episode, Dr. Márcia Balisciano joins Jim Ambuske from London to explore the Craven Street House that Franklin made a home. Dr. Balisciano is the Founding Director of the Benjamin Franklin House in London, the world’s only remaining Franklin home. And as you’ll hear, the historic site not only connects us to Franklin and his life, but to the era of the English Civil War in the 1640s, and to eighteenth-century secrets buried in the basement.
Be sure to stay tuned after the chat to hear our first listener voice message. We’ll feature your comments and questions on the show from time to time. Find out how you can submit one later in the program.
About Our Guest: Dr. Márcia Balisciano is Founding Director of the Benjamin Franklin House in London. She holds a Ph.D. in Economic History from The London School of Economics and Political Science. In addition to her duties at Franklin House, she is also Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX, a multi-national information, analytics, and events company, and serves as Chair of the United Nations Global Compact Network in the UK.
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.
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Consuls are essential to American foreign relations. Although they may not be as flashy or as powerful as an Ambassador like Thomas Jefferson or John Quincy Adams, they’re often the goto people when an American gets in trouble abroad or when a trade deal needs to get done.
Consuls operate in cities and towns throughout the world, helping to advance American interests and maintain good relations with their host countries, all while helping you replace your lost passport.
Much has changed about the consular service since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when a consul could earn fees for his services, such as getting you out of a scrape with the local authorities
But as today’s guests demonstrates, consuls were and are the backbone of American diplomacy.
Dr. Abby Mullen joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her work on American consuls in the early Republic and her podcast, Consolation Prize, a show dedicated to telling the stories of these consuls, and the wider world in which they lived.
Mullen is Term Assistant Professor of History at George Mason University where she is also one of the key members of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media.
About Our Guest:
Abby Mullen holds a PhD in history from Northeastern University (2017). Her dissertation, "Good Neighbourhood with All: Conflict and Cooperation in the First Barbary War, 1801-1805," investigates how the U.S. Navy forged international connections in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War.Mullen is the PI on Tropy, a Mellon Foundation-funded software development project. She is also technical lead on All the Appalachian Trails, a project to create an interactive map of the history of the Appalachian Trail over the last 100 years. Mullen teaches digital history courses at George Mason University
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.
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In the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin and other early Americans likened themselves to a rising people who were creating something new under the sun. It’s fair to say that historians have a similar mindset: we’re constantly striving to uncover new evidence, make new arguments, and offer new interpretations that help us better explain the past. So on today’s show, we’re going to introduce you to just a few among a rising generation of historians who are doing cutting edge work in early American history. Recently, the Washington Library partnered with the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello for a live stream featuring four young historians working on projects ranging from land speculation, capitalism, gender, and law in the late eighteenth century to morale in the Continental Army and soldiering in the American Revolution, to the creation of the archives that shaped how American citizens interrogated the Revolutionary Era. We bring you the audio version of the livestream today, featuring historians Alexi Garrett, Michael Blaakman, Derek O’Leary, and Krysten Blackstone in conversation with Jim Ambuske, Kevin Butterfield, and Andrew O'Shaughnessy. About Our Guests: Alexi Garrett, Ph.D., examines how elite, unmarried white women (legally classified as feme soles) commercially related to the people they enslaved, and how they managed slave-manned enterprises in Virginia. Dr. Garrett completed her dissertation in 2020 under Dr. Alan Taylor in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. She was a 2020 Research Fellow at the ICJS and a 2019-2020 Research Fellow at the Washington Library. She is currently the Institute of Thomas Paine Studies and University of Virginia Press Post-Doctoral Fellow at Iona College. She is from Iowa City and received her B.A. from St. Olaf College. Michael A. Blaakman, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history at Princeton University, where he teaches courses on the American Revolution as well as the history of early American frontiers and borderlands. Educated at the College of William & Mary and Yale University, Blaakman was the Amanda and Greg Gregory Fellow at Mount Vernon in 2015 and is currently the Fritz and Claudine Kundrun Open-Rank Fellow at Monticello. Dr. Blaakman’s project, Speculation Nation, unearths the motives and methods of founding-era elites who sought to profit off the future expansion of their young republic and reveals how and why the revolutionary ideal of an “empire of liberty” became rooted in speculative capitalism. Derek O'Leary, Ph.D., finished his degree in the summer of 2020 at the University of California Berkeley, where he wrote an Atlantic history of the emergence of U.S. historical societies and archives in the nineteenth century. He was a 2019-2020 Research Fellow at the Washington Library. He was drawn to George Washington and Mount Vernon by Jared Sparks (1789-1866), the indefatigable collector and editor of Washington's archive in the antebellum U.S. His work examines Sparks' contribution to the broader culture of commemorating Washington in this period. Krysten Blackstone, a native of Northern Maine, is a final-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a 2017-2018 Research Fellow at the Washington Library. Her work examines the morale of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Her research utilizes soldiers' narratives of the conflict and is primarily concerned with enlisted soldiers. About Our Hosts: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. (Washington Library) Andrew O'Shaughnessy, Ph.D. (ICJS - Monticello) Kevin Butterfield, Ph.D. (Washington Library)
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The Great Dismal Swamp is a remarkable feature of the southern coastal plain. Spanning from Norfolk, Virginia to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the Swamp is now a National Wildlife Refuge home to Bald cypress, black bears, otters, and over 200 species of birds, among many other critters.
But in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was the home to the ambitions of planters and businessmen who sought to transform the swamp into a plantation enterprise of rice, timber, and other commodities. It was also home to the enslaved individuals who labored to make those dreams a reality.
Yet the natural landscape, combined with the circumstances of the white-owned companies who controlled the Swamp, created opportunities for the enslaved to resist their bondage, and even self-emancipate into the Swamp’s rugged interior.
And like the Jamaican Maroons who sought security in the island’s central mountains, some enslaved Virginians found a city of refugee in the Great Dismal Swamp. These acts of resistance were, as today’s guest explains, a form of petit marronage in a region that experienced more continently than change from the colonial era to the eve of the American Civil War.
On today’s show, Dr. Marcus P. Nevius joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1765-1856, published by the University of George Press in 2020.
Nevius is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Rhode Island and a 2020 Washington Library Research Fellow. Ambuske caught up with him over Zoom as he was completing some research on the Great Dismal Swamp in the revolutionary era.
About Our Guest:
Marcus P. Nevius is an assistant professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. His scholarship has received the support of a Mellon Fellowship from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and the support of a research fellowship awarded by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. He has also published several book reviews in the Journal of African American History.
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.
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In 1783, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which confirmed American independence. As part of the treaty negotiations, American and British diplomats had to determine the new nation’s borders. They used maps like John Mitchell’s 1755 work A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America to figure out what separated the United States from what remained of British America in Canada. You can see a digital copy of the Mitchell Map here.
In our own time, the U.S. border with Mexico gets all the attention, but in the eighteenth century it was the northern border with Canada that mattered the most. But even though diplomats drew a line dividing a republican nation from a monarchical one, lines on paper mattered little to people on the ground in places like Detroit and Montreal where Americans, Canadians, and native peoples had an incentive to move goods and people freely across the new border.
They were, as today’s guest calls them, Citizens of Convenience, people who frequently shifted their identity from American citizen to British subject and back depending on local circumstances and their own self-interest.
Dr. Lawrence B. A. Hatter joins Jim Ambuske to discuss the politics of the northern border, taking us on a journey from the diplomatic halls of Paris and London to the trading grounds of Detroit, Ontario, and Quebec in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
Hatter is the author of Citizens of Convenience: The Imperial Origins of American Nationhood on the U.S.-Canadian Border, published by the University of Virginia Press in 2017. He is an Associate Professor of History at Washington State University and a former Research Fellow at the Washington Library.
About Our Guest:
Lawrence B. A. Hatter, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of History at Washington State University. He is the author of Citizens of Convenience: The Imperial Origins of American Nationhood on the U.S.-Canadian Border. Dr. Hatter is currently beginning research on two new book projects about the global context of American Empire: Selling Independence: American Overseas Merchant Communities in the Age of Revolution and Entangling Alliances: America and the World from George Washington’s Farewell Address to the War on Terror.
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.
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With another American presidential election behind us, talk will inevitably turn to the economy and how the president will handle it.
That begs a series of questions as we turn our thoughts back to the eighteenth century: How did early Americans think about the marketplace and the economy? How did they believe that were supposed to function? How were the butcher, the baker, the candle stick maker, and their aristocratic overlords supposed to relate to one another in the marketplace? And how did early settlers map older European ideas about the economy and the public good onto the North American landscape.
On today’s episode, Dr. Emma Hart joins Jim Ambuske to chat about how we might ask and answer these questions. Hart is the author of the new book, Trading Spaces: The Colonial Marketplace and the Foundations of American Capitalism, which was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2019.
She is currently Senior Lecturer in History at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, but she will soon begin her tenure as Director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Hart helps us to understand how early Americans participated in the marketplace and the origins of our own capitalistic society. And we’ll get to hear a preview of what she has in mind for the McNeil Center.
About Our Guest:
Emma Hart, Ph.D. is a historian of early America and the Atlantic world from 1500-1800. She is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of St. Andrews and is the incoming Director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in cities, economic life, and the everyday experiences of the people who lived in Britain's North American colonies and their independent successors. She is the author of two books, Building Charleston: Town and Society in the Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World (2009) and Trading Spaces: The Colonial Marketplace and the Foundations of American Capitalism(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.
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What is a legacy? As the artist Lin-Manual Miranda tells us, it’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.
American presidents, regardless of party, spend a great deal of time during their presidencies and after they leave office thinking about their own legacies, and how people will study and remember their administrations.
Whether the 2020 presidential election results in a second term for President Trump or an inaugural one for a President Biden, both men and the people in their administrations are or will be thinking about what to plant in those gardens.
Today’s show builds on this week’s virtual George Washington Symposium at the Washington Library, which is dedicated to consequential elections in American presidential history.
On the podcast, we explore one aspect of how modern presidents and their administrations preserve records and memories of the past through oral history.
Dr. Evan D. McCormick joins Jim Ambuske today to talk about the Obama Presidency Oral History Project at Columbia University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics or (INCITE). McCormick is an Associate Research Scholar with the project, and Columbia was chosen by the Obama Foundation in 2019 to oversee the oral history initiative.
McCormick is also a historian of the United States and the World, and he is completing a book on Ronald Reagan’s policies toward Latin America.
Ambuske and McCormick dive into the significance of conducting oral histories for preserving and interpreting the legacy of modern presidents, the shape of the Obama Project, and the contrasts between the kinds of sources that historians of early and modern America use to reconstruct the past.
About Our Guest:
Evan D McCormick an associate research scholar at Columbia University's Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics (INCITE) where he works on the Obama Presidency Oral History project. Evan is an historian of the United States and the world, and is completing a book on Ronald Reagan's policies toward Latin America. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Virginia (2015) and an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University (2007). He has held postdoctoral fellowships from the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University and the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2007-2009, he was a policy fellow at the Department of Homeland Security, spanning both the Bush and Obama administrations.
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.
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In 1784, British men went to the polls. It was a pivotal contest in the aftermath of the American Revolution, following a slew of prime ministers who had tried and failed to form governments that satisfied the British electorate, and King George III. British women played a critical role in this election, even though they could not vote. They canvased for votes according to very specific social customs, and accessorized their clothing and bodies to signal support for their respective candidates. They wore muffs, passed out cockades and ribbons, and plied the electorate with beer. And when women slipped outside the bounds of those gendered customs, as the Duchess of Devonshire was alleged to have done, women were accused of electioneering rage. On today’s episode, Dr. Kelly Fleming joins Jim Ambuske to discuss how electioneering rage shaped eighteenth-century British literature. Fleming is a literary scholar and historian who is the Monticello College Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago. She is currently completing a book entitled, Ornaments of Influence: Fashion Accessories and the Work of Politics in Eighteenth-Century British Literature. It’s a study that explores the tension and anxiety in British literature about women’s participation in British politics during the long eighteenth century. Fleming looks at a wide array of fashion accessories like muffs, cockades, and even ostrich feathers, which were procured through the trans-Saharan slave trade and served as a symbol of royal authority. Ambuske and Fleming begin their conversation by learning how literary scholars unpack novels and read them for evidence. They also look at what it means to do a close reading of a novel like Henry Fielding’s 1749 book, Tom Jones, before diving into Anglo-Irish author Maria Edgeworth’s 1801 novel, Belinda, a work inspired in part by Edgeworth’s disdain for women who failed to follow social norms. About Our Guest: Kelly Fleming is a scholar of eighteenth-century British literature and culture. She recently earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. Her research explores relationships between gender, material culture, politics, law, and empire in British literature from the long eighteenth century. Her work has appeared in Eighteenth-Century Fiction and The Burney Journal. She is working on her book project tentatively titled, Ornaments of Influence: Fashion Accessories and the Work of Politics in Eighteenth-Century British Literature. 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.
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Elections that Shaped the American Presidency To learn more and to register, please visit: www.mountvernon.org/gwsymposium
As our nation approaches its next presidential election, the 2020 George Washington Symposium focuses on several pivotal contests throughout American history that shaped and defined the election process and the American Presidency.
Each day at noon during the week of October 26-30, we will feature a LIVE conversation with an eminent scholar to explore elections during Washington’s lifetime and key elections that followed, including those from the Civil War era, the depths of the Great Depression, and the volatile mid-twentieth century.
- Monday: Running for Office before the Revolution: George Washington’s First Elections with David O. Stewart
- Tuesday: America’s First Presidential Elections, from Washington to Jefferson with Jeffrey L. Pasley
- Wednesday: Lincoln’s Two Elections and the American Civil War with Elizabeth R. Varon
- Thursday: The Election of 1932: Washington’s Bicentennial and FDR’s Triumph with Donald Ritchie
- Friday: The Election of 1960 and the Birth of the Modern Campaign with Alan Price
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If you pull any decent history book off your shelf right now, odds are that it’s filled with quotes from letters, diaries, or account books that help the author tell her story and provide the evidence for her interpretation of the past.
It’s almost always the case that the quotation you read in a book is just one snippet of a much longer document. Perhaps, for example, Catharine Greene’s letters to her husband Nathanael offer the reader insight into some aspect of the family business she was running while Nathanael served in the southern theater of the War of Independence.
But what about the rest of the document? What about the quiet moments when someone like Martha Washington asks after a family member, describes the state of their own health, or apologizes for a hurried scrawl, the result of the writer trying to catch the next post?
And as valuable as collections like George Washington’s papers are, how can we write more nuanced and complete histories of the American past by reading letters by early American women?
On today’s show, we welcome Kathryn Gehred, who is tackling that question by exploring the lives of early American women, one letter at a time.
Gehred is a Research Editor at The Washington Papers Project based at the University of Virginia, where she is also on the team at the Center for Digital Editing, which is publishing documentary editions of historical manuscript collections online.
Gehred is also the host of the new podcast, Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant. On each episode, Gehred and her guests break down a letter written by early American women and put it in context to show what is often obscured by the so-called juicier quotes you might find in your favorite book.
Gehred joins Jim Ambuske today to talk about her podcast, how her training as an early American women’s historian, Monticello tour guide, and documentary editor informs her approach to it, and some of the exciting letters she’s discussed so far.
And as a special treat, stick around after the credits role for a preview of Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant featuring Gehred’s conversation with our colleague Samantha Snyder about a letter from Elizabeth Willing Powel to George Washington.
About our Guest:
Kathryn Gehred is a Research Editor at The Washington Papers Project at the University of Virginia. She is also on the staff of the Center for Digital Editing. A historian of early American women, Gehred is the host of the podcast Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant, a women’s history podcast which showcases the kinds of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century women’s letters that don’t always make it into the history books.
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.
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In the eighteenth century, the Myaamia people inhabited what are now parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. More commonly known in English as the Miami, the Myaamia figure prominently in the early history of the United States, especially in the 1790s, when war chief Mihšihkinaahkwa (or Little Turtle) co-led an alliance of Miami and Shawnee warriors that defeated successive American armies in the Ohio valley before meeting defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
In the battle’s wake, through treaty and subterfuge, Americans dispossessed the Myaamia of their lands, removing them first to Kansas in the mid-nineteenth century before final resettlement in Oklahoma not long after. Not only did the Myaamia lose their homelands, their language and culture suffered as well, lapsing into silence as the community fractured and native speakers passed away.
But as George Ironstrack tells us on today’s episode, not all is lost, and through the power of education and a lot of hard work, what was once silenced is now heard again in Myaamia communities from the banks of the Wabash River in Indiana to northeastern Oklahoma.
Ironstrack is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. The Center is a major educational and research institution dedicated to revitalizing Myaamia language and culture, and a leader in using digital technology to explore the indigenous past. Ironstrack spoke to Jim Ambuske about the history of the Myaamia people, and the work that he and his colleagues are doing at the Myaamia Center to awaken a sleeping language.
Be sure to check out the Myaamia Center's many digital resources, including the Miami-Illinois Digital Archive.
About Our Guest:
George Ironstrack is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the Assistant Director of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. He has participated in Myaamia language renewal projects as both a student and a teacher since the mid-1990s. Examples of his work can be found on the Myaamia Community Blog: aacimotaatiiyankwi.org.
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.
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The Washington Library's Center for Digital History often collaborates with students to advance its research and public history projects. That can take many forms. We work regularly with faculty to integrate our digital projects into their course assignments, on other occasions we deliver lectures to students about digital history or some aspect of eighteenth-century history, and we’re also fortunate to work with student interns throughout the year who assist with our projects while they gain practical, real world experience in the historical profession.
On today’s episode, we’re excited to bring you a chat with Jamie Morris. Jamie was our summer intern, and she worked closely Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick on number of the Center’s initiatives, including this very podcast. Jamie is a senior majoring in history and business at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. She came to us via Wash College’s C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, which partners with cultural institutions like the Washington Library to offer students experiential learning opportunities.
In normal circumstances, Jamie would have been on site at the Library for her internship, but as that wasn’t possible due to COVID_19, our digital intern became a virtual one. As you’ll hear, Jamie wants to use her skills to land her dream job at the Disney Archives, so if any of you listeners have an in with a certain mouse, please do let us know. Jeanette joins Jim on the show to today to talk with Jamie about what she learned and how she hopes to one day work at the Happiest Place on Earth.
About Our Guest:
Jamie Morris is a senior at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. She is the recipient of a number of internships through the C. V. Starr Center for the American Experience, including most recently at the Washington Library. She is a double major in history and business at Washington College.
About Our Guest Co-Host:
Jeanette Patrick is the Digital Writer and Researcher in the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. Among her many responsibilities, she serves as Associate Editor of the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. He holds an MA in Public History from James Madison University. She is a former Program Manager at the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
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.
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On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key began composing "The Star-Spangled Banner after witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry. Of all the things he could have done after seeing that flag, why did Key write a song? And how did his new composition fit into a much longer history of music as a form of political persuasion in the Early Republic?
On today’s episode, Dr. Billy Coleman joins us explore the power of music in the early United States, and how Federalists in particular used it as a kind of weapon to advance their vision of a harmonious nation led by elites. He also helps us understand why music as a form of historical evidence is a remarkable way to get inside the heads, and the hearts, of people from ages past. Coleman is the Kinder Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in Political History at the University of Missouri. He is the author of Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788-1865, (UNC Press, 2020).
Coleman and his collaborator, the music producer Running Notch, have also created a soundtrack for the book, featuring modern interpretations of some of the most important political songs of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.nFind the soundtrack here or search for “Harnessing Harmony” on Spotify.
You’ll hear clips from a couple of these tunes over the course of today’s program, but make sure you stick around after the credits roll for an exclusive opportunity to hear the complete versions of "Hail, Columbia" and "Jefferson and Liberty," which appear “ courtesy of Running Notch from the “Book Soundtrack” to Billy Coleman’s Harnessing Harmony: Music, Power, and Politics in the United States, 1788–1865(UNC Press).
About Our Guest:
Billy Coleman, Ph.D. is the Kinder Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in Political History at the University of Missouri. His research articles also appear in the Journal of Southern History and the Journal of the Early Republic. His new project, “Making Music National in a Settler State,” is exploring the transnational origins of national music in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Coleman is currently the North American-based Book Reviews Editor for the peer-reviewed journal, American Nineteenth Century History.
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.
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The Prince of Darkness wrought havoc on the souls of seventeenth-century Christians living throughout the Atlantic world. Whether they called him Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, or by any other name, Lucifer tempted men and women to break their covenant with God in Heaven and do his dark bidding on Earth.
At a time of great religious upheaval, when the Protestant Reformation swept through Europe and across the ocean to England’s American colonies, fears of Satan’s malevolent influence and the search for signs of his deeds were particularly intense in Scotland.
A Reformation driven largely by the Scottish clergy and gentry inspired Scots to see the Devil’s works in their everyday lives, question their salvation, and steel themselves against the possibility of eternal damnation.
And just like in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s, Scots saw witches among them. Between the mid-1560s and early 1730s, Scots accused nearly 4,000 people of being in league with Satan. They executed many of the alleged conspirators.
On today’s show, Dr. Michelle D. Brock helps us understand why Satan held such powerful sway over Reformed Scotland, how Scottish witch hunting compared to the colonial New England experience, and perhaps the ultimate question: In dealing with the supernatural, how do we know what we know.
About Our Guest:
Michelle D. Brock, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of history at Washington & Lee University. She is the author of Satan and the Scots: The Devil in Post-Reformation Scotland, c.1560-1700, (Routledge, 2016). She is co-director, along with Chris R. Langley of Newman University of Mapping the Scottish Reformation, a digital prosopography of the Scottish clergy between 1560 and 1689.
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.
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Conversations at the Washington Library kicks off Season 5 by exploring the life of a radical populist who never met a revolution he didn’t like. Almost unbelievably, Herman Husband participated in some of the most significant events in eighteenth-century America: The Great Awakening; the North Carolina Regulation Movement; The American Revolution; and the Whiskey Rebellion.
Husband’s story illuminates the major religious, political, and economic upheavals that reshaped North America in this period, and we might just see some parallels between his time and our own.
On today’s show, Dr. Bruce Stewart, a professor of history at Appalachian State University, joins Jim Ambuske to unpack Husband’s life. He is the author of the new book, Redemption from Tyranny: Herman Husband’s American Revolution, published in 2020 by the University of Virginia Press.
It’s a compelling story of early America told through the eyes of a man for whom revolutions never went far enough.
About Our Guest:
Bruce Stewart, Ph.D. is Professor of History at Appalachian State University. He earned his M.A. in History from Western Carolina University and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Georgia. His areas of study are United States History and Appalachian History. He is the author of four books, including his latest, Redemption from Tyranny: Herman Husband's American Revolution (UVA Press, 2020).
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.
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This episode originally aired in September 2019.
You may know him as Robert E. Lee’s father, but Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee was so much more. Born into a Virginia dynasty, the man who would become one of George Washington’s protégés came of age with the American Revolution itself. Lee was a graduate of Princeton University, a cavalry commander in the war’s brutal southern theater, and he later served two terms as Virginia’s governor. He was a dashing figure who romanticized the ancient world and aspired to be one of the new nation’s great slave-holding planters. But death and despair undercut the life that Lee imagined for himself. On today’s program, Ryan Cole joins us to discuss Lee’s tragic story. Cole is a journalist and former member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He is the author of the new book, Light-Horse Harry Lee: The Rise and Fall of a Revolutionary Hero.
About our Guest:
Ryan Cole, a former assistant to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and speechwriter at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, holds degrees in history and journalism from Indiana University. He has written extensively about American history and literature for the Wall Street Journal, National Review, the New Criterion, Civil War Times, the American Interest, and the Indianapolis Star. Additionally, he has written for Indiana University and the Lumina Foundation, and he served on the staff of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
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.
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The Syphax Family has deep historic ties to Mount Vernon and other sites of enslavement in Virginia.
In 1821, Charles Syphax, an enslaved man at Arlington House in Northern Virginia, married Maria Carter, the daughter of a woman enslaved at Mount Vernon. Charles was the inherited property of George Washington Parke Custis, Martha Washington’s grandson. And there is very strong evidence that the woman that Charles married, Maria, was Custis’s daughter.
On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the fascinating history of the Syphax Family and its connections to Mount Vernon from Steve Hammond.
Hammond is a Genealogist, Family Historian, and Syphax descendent who has spent decades reconstructing the Syphax family’s history. He recently joined Brenda Parker, Mount Vernon’s African American Interpretation and Special Projects Coordinator, on a live stream to discuss his family’s story. We’re happy to bring her conversation with Hammond to the podcast.
Be sure to check out the documents Hammond and Parker discuss during the program.
About Our Guest:
Steve Hammond is a descendent of the Syphax Family. He retired from the United States Department of Interior after many years of service. A genealogist and family historian, Hammond has spent decades researching, writing, and lecturing about the Syphax Family and their place in Virginia history.
About Our Guest Host:
Brenda Parker is Mount Vernon's African American Interpretation and Special Projects Coordinator. Trained in performative arts, Parker interprets some of the women enslaved at Mount Vernon during George Washington's era, including Caroline Branham.
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It’s easy to think of slave holding as a male profession. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and countless other men are often the names that come to mind when we think about early Americans who held other people in bondage.
But white women, especially in the American South, were equally invested in slavery as owners in human property. A new generation of historians is helping us to understand why and how.
One such scholar is Dr. Stephanie Jones-Rogers of the University California-Berkeley. She is the author of the new book, They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South, which recently won the LA Times Book Prize in History and the Best Book Award from the Society for Historians of the Early Republic.
On today’s episode, we bring you the audio version of Library Executive Director Dr. Kevin Butterfield’s recent live stream interview with Dr. Jones-Rogers. It’s an illuminating look at an underexplored topic that were only just beginning to better understand.
About Our Guest:
Stephanie Jones-Rogers is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley where she specializes in African-American history, the history of American slavery, and women’s and gender history. She is the author of the book They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South (Yale University Press, 2019), which won the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic’s 2020 Best Book Prize andthe Organization of American Historians’ 2020 Merle Curti Prize for the best book in American social history. She is also the first African-American and the third woman to win the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History since the award’s inception in 1980. A former faculty member at the University of Iowa, Jones-Rogers received her Ph.D. in African-American History from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in 2012.
About Our Guest Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters. He is the author of The Making of Tocqueville's America: Law and Association in the Early United States(Chicago, 2015).
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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 & Mary, and co-chair the College’s Neurodiversity Working Group. Her scholarship focuses on women, gender and family in the early modern British Atlantic.
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Season 5 of the podcast drops in a few weeks. In the meantime, we're pleased to offer you Library Executive Director Kevin Butterfield’s recent live stream conversation with Edward J. Larson. Larson is the author of many books, including the subject of today's show, Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership.
We need your help to make Season 5 of Conversations the best one yet. Please take a moment to complete our listener survey that will help shape the future of the show.
You’ll find a link to the survey on the podcast’s homepage at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
By filling it out, you’ll not only help us help you, you’ll also be entered to win a free book.
Thanks so much in advance, and be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
About Our Guest:
Ed Larson holds the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and is University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. Originally from Ohio with a PhD in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and law degree from Harvard, Larson has lectured on all seven continents and taught at Stanford Law School, University of Melbourne, Leiden University, and the University of Georgia, where he chaired the History Department. Prior to become a professor, Larson practiced law in Seattle and served as counsel for the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. He is the author of numerous books, including Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership(2020).
About Our Guest Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters. He is the author of The Making of Tocqueville's America: Law and Association in the Early United States(Chicago, 2015).
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Season 5 of Conversations at the Washington Library is just around the corner. Until then, we're happy to bring you Jim Ambuske's recent live stream chat with Dr. Jessica Lowe of the University of Virginia School of Law.
Long-time fans of the podcast will recognize Dr. Lowe’s name from an episode Ambuske recorded with her in 2019. Their live stream conversation gave them a chance to go much deeper into the horrid crime at the heart of Lowe's book, Murder in the Shenandoah: Making Law Sovereign in Revolution Virginia, and what it means for our own modern struggle for justice and equality. And despite events of the past few months and recent weeks, Dr. Lowe gives us a reason to be hopeful in the end.
About Our Guest:
Jessica Lowe, Ph.D. specializes in 18th- and 19th-century American legal history. She received her J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, and clerked in the District of Connecticut and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Lowe also practiced litigation and appellate law at Jones Day in Washington, D.C., where she worked on a number of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. She is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia. She received her Ph.D. in American history from Princeton University.
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.
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While work continues on the podcast's upcoming Season 5, we’re pleased to offer you another summer interlude.
For today’s show, we bring you the audio version of Jim Ambuske's recent live stream chat with Professors Zara Anishanslin and Arthur Burns about the Georgian Papers Programme.
Now, most of you probably know that some Americans had a little - shall we say – disagreement with King George III two centuries ago. Something about taxation, tea, and tyranny.
But did you know that researchers, librarians, and digital humanists on both sides of the pond are busy digitizing and interpreting the papers of the Georgian Monarchs, their families, and the members of the royal household from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
What can we learn about early America, and especially the American revolution, from these documents?
Stay tuned to find out.
As always, if you’d like to see the images associated with this live stream, consider watching the video version by going to www.mountvernon.org/gwdigitaltalks.
About Our Guests:
Zara Anishanslin is Associate Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware. She is the author of Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World. She was the 2018 Mount Vernon Georgian Papers Programme Fellow, working at the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, the Washington Library, and King’s College London on her new project on the American Revolution, London Patriots.
Arthur Burns is Professor of Modern British History at King’s College London. He is currently academic director of the Georgian Papers Programme. Primarily a historian of later Hanoverian and Victorian Britain, Burns engages with the history of the Church of England over a much longer period, notably through his pioneering involvement in digital humanities. He co-founded the Boydell and Brewer monograph series Studies in Modern British Religious History, which has now published more than 35 volumes on this theme.
About Our Host:
Jim Ambuske leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a focus on Scotland and America in an Age of War and Revolution. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA, Ambuske co-directed the1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project. He is the co-author with Randall Flaherty of "Reading Law in the Early Republic: Legal Education in the Age of Jefferson," in The Founding of Thomas Jefferson's University ed. by John A. Rogasta, Peter S. Onuf, and Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019). Ambuske is currently at work on a book entitled Emigration and Empire: America and Scotland in the Revolutionary Era, as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.
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Week 3 of our summer hiatus is another opportunity to bring you a fascinating look at early America courtesy of some of our recent live stream programming.
On today’s show, we bring you Library Executive Director Kevin Butterfield’s conversation with 2019 George Washington Book Prize winner, Dr. Colin Calloway.
Calloway is 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth University. He won last year’s Book prize for his latest work, The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Peoples, and the Birth of the Nation. It’s the definitive work on the relationship between Washington and indigenous peoples in the eighteenth century, and it illuminates the complicated, culturally diverse, and often contentious world in which they all lived.
About Our Guest:
Colin Calloway is John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American Studies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in England in 1978. After moving to the United States, he taught high school in Springfield, Vermont, served for two years as associate director and editor of the D'Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newberry Library in Chicago, and taught for seven years at the University of Wyoming. He has been associated with Dartmouth since 1990 when he first came as a visiting professor. He became a permanent member of the faculty in 1995.
About Our Guest Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters. He is the author of The Making of Tocqueville's America: Law and Association in the Early United States(Chicago, 2015).
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We're excited to bring you Season 5 of Conversations at the Washington Library in a few short weeks. But in the meantime we’ll keep you entertained as promised.
Today, we bring you the audio version of Executive Director Kevin Butterfield’s recent live stream with Dr. T.H. Breen.
Breen is the William Smith Mason Professor of History emeritus at Northwestern University. He has been a leading scholar of colonial America and the Revolution for the past several decades, and long has been interested in the ordinary, everyday folk who inhabited this world.
Breen’s latest book, The Will of the People: The Revolutionary Birth of America, is the subject of today’s talk. We were fortunate to have Breen as the third and final participant in our Michelle Smith Lecture series.
Just a reminder that if you’d like to see the images that Breen and Butterfield discuss over the course of their conversation, head on over to mountvernon.org/gwdigitaltalks to watch the full video.
About Our Host:
T.H. Breen, William Smith Mason Professor of American History, is an Early American historian interested in the history of political thought, material culture, and cultural anthropology. He is the author of numerous books, including Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence (Oxford, 2004); American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People (Hill & Wang, 2010); George Washington’s Journey: The President Forges a New Nation (Simon and Schuster: January, 2016).
About Our Guest Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters. He is the author of The Making of Tocqueville's America: Law and Association in the Early United States(Chicago, 2015).
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Summer has arrived and with it the end of Season 4 of Conversations at the Washington Library.
But don't despair! While we're busy recording new episodes for Season 5, we'll keep the conversation going by bringing you the audio version of recent and upcoming Washington Library Live Stream Digital Book Talks.
In fact, for today’s episode, we bring you Dr. Kevin Butterfield’s recent chat with Dr. Mary Beth Norton about her new book, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution.
Norton is Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita at Cornell University. For over 40 years, she has been one of the leading scholars of the Revolutionary era, with books on American Loyalists, women and gender, and witchcraft.
As with all live streams, you might hear an audio glitch here and there. If you’d rather watch the video version, complete with the images Norton and Butterfield discuss, check it out at www.mountvernon.org/gwdigitaltalks
Season 5 of Conversations will begin rolling out in mid-August. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this program.
About Our Guest:
Mary Beth Norton is an historian, specializing in America before 1800. She is a recipient of the Ambassador Book Award in American Studies for In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692, Guggenheim Fellowship for Humanities, US & Canada and was a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for History (1997). She has received four honorary degrees and has held fellowships from the Rockefeller, Guggenheim, Mellon, and Starr Foundations, as well as from Princeton University and the Huntington Library. She has been elected a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
She served as Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions in the University of Cambridge in 2005-06. She is Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History emerita at the Department of History at Cornell University. Norton is a former president of the American Historical Association.
About Our Guest Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters. He is the author of The Making of Tocqueville's America: Law and Association in the Early United States(Chicago, 2015).
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During the American Revolution, the Chesapeake Bay was a pirate’s nest. The men who plied the Bay’s waters had shifting loyalties, competing interests, and a keen sense of how to use the law to legitimize their actions.
In fact, they are part of a much richer history of piracy in the Bay.
From the seventeenth through the nineteenth century, pirates were a constant feature of Chesapeake society. They connected the Bay and its communities with the wider Atlantic world, and even to the Indian Ocean.
And in later years, they battled local authorities for control of the Chesapeake’s lucrative oyster trade.
On today's episode, we're pleased to bring you the audio version of Jim Ambuske's live stream conversation with Dr. Jamie L. H. Goodall, Staff Historian for the US Army’s Center of Military History. Goodall is the author of the new book, Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars.
About Our Guest:
Jamie L. H. Goodall, Ph.D. is Staff Historian at the Center of Military History, US Army, in Washington, D.C. She received her B.A. in Archaeology and M.A. in Public History-Museum Studies from Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina) in 2008 and 2010 respectively. She was awarded her PhD from The Ohio State in May 2016. She is a former Assistant Professor of History at Stevenson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Goodall is the author of Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars(The History Press, 2020).
About Our Host:
Jim Ambuske leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a focus on Scotland and America in an Age of War and Revolution. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA, Ambuske co-directed the1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project. He is the co-author with Randall Flaherty of "Reading Law in the Early Republic: Legal Education in the Age of Jefferson," in The Founding of Thomas Jefferson's University ed. by John A. Rogasta, Peter S. Onuf, and Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019). Ambuske is currently at work on a book entitled Emigration and Empire: America and Scotland in the Revolutionary Era, as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.
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This Friday marks the anniversary of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the moment on June 19, 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned they were freed by Emancipation Proclamation and the Confederacy’s defeat in the Civil War. It is also known as Freedom Day or Liberation Day.
To celebrate, Brenda Parker, Mount Vernon Character Interpreter & African American Interpretation & Special Projects Coordinator, will perform Freedom Skies, a special Live Stream event on Juneteenth focused on the experiences of four individuals at Mount Vernon on Manumission Day—January 1, 1801—when Martha Washington freed the late George Washington’s enslaved people.
You can find more information by going to mountvernon.org/livestream
On today's show, Associate Curator Jessie MacLeod returns to Conversations to update us on recent research on slavery at Mount Vernon. MacLeod is the lead curator of Lives Bound Together, an exhibit that debuted in 2016. It tells the story of the enslaved community on the estate during George Washington’s life.
As Juneteenth approaches, we wanted to learn more about the research that inspired this exhibit, how MacLeod and her team put it together, and as importantly, the discoveries that have been made since its installation and what new questions we are pursuing that can help us better understand how the African American community at Mount Vernon navigated slavery and freedom in the nineteenth century.
About Our Guest:
Jessie MacLeod is an Associate Curator at Mount Vernon, where she has worked since 2012. She was the lead curator for the landmark exhibition Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and a contributor to the accompanying publication. She is also responsible for developing special exhibits across the estate, managing Mount Vernon’s collection of historic prints, and researching the Mansion’s 18th-century furnishings.
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.
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In March 1797, newly-inaugurated president John Adams thought he detected a glint of joy in George Washington’s eyes as the aging Virginian stepped off the world stage. Adams told his wife Abigail it was as if Washington was thinking, “I am fairly out and you fairly in! see which of Us will be happiest.” The first president had grown tired of the partisan rancor that plagued his second term and longed to sit under his own vine and fig tree at Mount Vernon in peace.
But Washington’s vision of a tranquil retirement was not to be. In the last few years of his life, European turmoil threatened American domestic security, his own finances were in shambles, and the fate of the enslaved community at Mount Vernon, and indeed enslaved Americans general, began to weigh heavily on Washington’s mind.
Many biographers treat Washington’s post-presidency years as a kind of coda to his life, as space that needs to be filled in order to get to the dramatic story of his death.
But for Jonathon Horn, those final years are fertile ground for understanding the United States in its infancy, what it meant for a republic to have an ex-president, and Washington’s own struggle to be one.
On today’s show, Horn joins Jim Ambuske via Zoom to discuss his new book, Washington’s End: The Final Years and the Forgotten Struggle.
About Our Guest:
Jonathan Horn is an author and former White House presidential speechwriter whose Robert E. Lee biography, The Man Who Would Not Be Washington, was a Washington Post bestseller. In February 2020, Scribner published Jonathan's new book, Washington's End, the forgotten story of the final years of America's Founding Father. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS NewsHour. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times Disunion series, The Daily Beast, CNN.com, Politico Magazine, The Weekly Standard, and other outlets. During his time at the White House, Jonathan served as a speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. A graduate of Yale University, Jonathan now lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, daughters, and dog.
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.
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Note: This episode originally aired on January 30, 2020.
In May 1796, Ona Judge, Martha Washington’s enslaved maidservant, freed herself by walking out of the Washington’s Philadelphia home. She had learned that Martha intended to give her away as a wedding present to Elizabeth Parke Custis, her eldest granddaughter. Judge quietly slipped out of the house one evening, boarded a ship, and fled to New Hampshire. She lived there for the rest of her life. Despite their best efforts, the Washingtons were never able to recapture her.
On today’s episode, Ona Judge tells her own story. Library Research Fellow Sheila Arnold joins Jim Ambuske in character as Ona Judge to give voice to her life. Arnold is a historic character interpreter who performs as many historical figures, including Ona Judge and Madame CJ Walker, an African American entrepreneur and businesswoman who was one of the wealthiest self-made women in early 20th century America.
During the first half of today’s show, Ambuske interviews Arnold as Ona Judge, as she might have been in the last years of her life.
He then talks to Arnold herself about historic character interpretation and the powerful ways that performing as a formerly enslaved person can build bridges between communities.
About Our Guest:
Sheila Arnold currently resides in Hampton, VA. She is a Professional Storyteller, Character Interpreter and Teaching Artist. Through her company, History’s Alive!, Sheila has provided storytelling programs, historic character presentations, Christian monologues, dramatic/creative writing workshops, professional development for educators and inspirational/motivational speeches at schools, churches, libraries, professional organizations and museums, in 41 states since 2003.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
Virginia is a landscape shaped by slavery and the enslaved communities who labored in bondage on plantations like Mount Vernon, Monticello, and the smaller farms that surrounded these large estates.
But in the eighteenth century, Virginia, New York, South Carolina, and other mainland colonies with sizable enslaved populations paled in comparison to the importance, profitably, and human complexity of the Island of Jamaica.
Jamaica was the crown jewel of the British Empire in this period. It was arguably the most important colony in British America, so much so that during the American Revolution, British authorities worried far more about the potential loss of Britain’s Caribbean islands, than they did the rebelling thirteen on the mainland.
And as much as the British ruling class feared French or Spanish threats to Jamaica, they also feared revolts from the enslaved population, who to them was an internal enemy.
Indeed, in April 1760, enslaved men and women in St. Mary’s Parish rose up against their oppressors, the beginning of an event we often referred to as “Tacky’s War” or “Tacky’s Revolt,” taking its name from one of the men who led it.
On today's episode, we're pleased to bring you the audio version of Jim Ambuske's recent live stream conversation with Harvard historian Vincent Brown. Brown is the author of the new book, Tacky’s Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War.
Historians have been writing about Tacky's Revolt almost since the moment it occurred, but Brown’s work compels us to see the rebellion as a war within a series of wars in the Atlantic world. It will help you rethink the map of eighteenth-century slavery.
About our Guest:
Vincent Brown is Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies. He directs the History Design Studio and teaches courses in Atlantic history, African diaspora studies, and the history of slavery in the Americas. Brown is the author of The Reaper's Garden: Death and Power in the World of Atlantic Slavery (Harvard University Press, 2008), producer of Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness, an audiovisual documentary broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens, and is most recently the author of Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War (Belknap Press, 2020).
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.
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In 1812, Pennsylvania state legislators contemplated something that most Americans would now find completely unimaginable: demolishing Independence Hall in Philadelphia, converting the site to a series of building lots, and using the proceeds to fund construction of a new statehouse in Harrisburg.
Fortunately, Philly’s city leaders pushed back against state officials and preserved this historic landmark for future generations, allowing visitors to commune with the ghosts of the Founding Generation who had taken a “leap in the dark” toward independence and later designed the new Constitution.
But saving Independence Hall, and indeed any historic structure, wasn’t just about defending the past; it was also about defining the future.
On today’s episode, Whitney Martinko joins Jim Ambuske to discuss why Americans in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries battled over the preservation of historic sites and how capitalism shaped the choices and opportunities available to them.
Martinko is an Associate Professor of history at Villanova University, and the author of the new book, Historic Real Estate: Market Morality and the Politics of Preservation in the Early United States.
What gets saved and what gets destroyed is a lot more complicated than you might think.
About Our Guest:
Whitney Martinko is an associate professor of History at Villanova University. She is a historian of the early United States with expertise in urban and environmental history, material and visual culture, and histories of capitalism. Her research examines how people have defined the value of historic places and objects—in the past and today. Martinko was raised in Chillicothe, Ohio, and earned degrees in History from Harvard College (BA) and the University of Virginia (MA, PhD). She currently lives in West Philadelphia.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
In November 1800, President John Adams composed a letter to his wife, Abigail, just after he moved into the new White House.
He concluded his letter to his “dearest friend” this way: “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”
As the quote suggests, God was an ever present force in the life of John Adams and his family, and while they hoped that providence would smile on the United States, they lived in a republic committed to religious freedom and increasingly the separation of church and state.
How did religion help the Adams Family to make sense of their American world? And how did that American world change their religious beliefs?
On today's episode, we're pleased to bring you the audio version of Jim Ambuske's recent live stream conversation with Dr. Sara Georgini, Series Editor of the Papers of John Adams at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and author of the new book Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family.
About Our Guest:
Sara Georgini, Ph.D., is the Series Editor for The Papers of John Adams, part of The Adams Papers project at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and author of Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family(Oxford University Press, 2018). Her research focuses on early American thought, culture, and religion. She is co-founder and contributor to The Juntoand the Society for U.S. Intellectual History blogs. Georgini writes about American history, thought, and culture for Smithsonian and CNN.
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.
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On the evening of March 5, 1770, Captain Thomas Preston and a small contingent of British Redcoats under his command fired into a crowd of civilians massing on King Street in Boston, killing several people.
Many of us are familiar with Paul Revere’s famous engraving of what he called “the Bloody Massacre,” what we now know as “the Boston Massacre.”
But Revere’s depiction of the incident obscures much more than it reveals about the thousands of connections between Bostonians and the British Army in the years before the American Revolution.
On today's episode, we're pleased to bring you the audio version of Jim Ambuske's recent live stream conversation with Dr. Serena Zabin, professor of history at Carleton College. Zabin is the author of the new book, The Boston Massacre: A Family History.
About Our Guest:
Serena Zabin is a professor of early America and director of the program in American Studies at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. She received degrees from Bowdoin College, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Professor Zabin’s newest work, The Boston Massacre: A Family History, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in February 2020.
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.
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In December 1799, George Washington died after a short illness. His body and his legacy quickly became fodder for nineteenth century Americans – free and enslaved – who were struggling to make sense of what it meant to be an American as well as the nation’s identity.
Americans across the divide used Washington and his memory to advance various political and economic interests.
Some, like Federalists, yoked their political fortunes and their belief in a strong central government to Washington’s legacy, much to the abhorrence of Jeffersonian Republicans, who championed the yeoman farmer and a smaller federal state.
Enslaved people at Mount Vernon who never knew Washington in life used their fictive attachment to him to sell goods and services to the hundreds of Americans who made a civic pilgrimage to the Virginia plantation each year.
And all the while, Washington’s heirs dealt with a constant stream of visitors, trying to balance their private property interests against the idea that Washington was the “property of the nation.”
On today’s episode, Matthew Costello joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his aptly titled book, Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, and the Memory of the First President.
About Our Guest:
Matthew Costello isVice President of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association. He received his Ph.D. in history from Marquette University. Costello has published articles in The Journal of History and Cultures, Essays in History, The Dome, and White House History. His book, The Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, and the Memory of the First President was published by University Press of Kansas in fall 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.
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In 1757, Martha Dandridge Custis paid the artist John Wollaston the handsome sum of 56 pistoles for portraits of her, her husband Daniel Parke Custis, and their children, John and Martha. A pistole was a Spanish gold coin commonly used in the colony at the time.
The future Mrs. Martha Washington was among the hundreds of Virginians who had their portraits painted over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They used portraiture to depict their wealth and status among the Virginia aristocracy, communicate ideas about gender, and cement their identities as cultured members of the British Empire.
Many of these portraits survive in museums, historical societies, archives, and even private homes. Many of them have been lost to the ravages of time, and mentioned only in passing in letters, diaries, or other pieces of evidence.
Fortunately, you can now see many of these portraits in one place.
On today’s episode, Dr. Janine Yorimoto Boldt joins me to discuss her new digital project, Colonial Virginia Portraits. Inspired by her dissertation on early American visual culture, and built in collaboration with the Omohundro Institute, Colonial Virginia Portraits is a fascinating way to see our early American past.
About Our Guest:
Janine Yorimoto Boldt is the 2018-2020 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the American Philosophical Society. She is lead curator for the 2020 exhibition, Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, and was co-curator of Mapping a Nation: Shaping the Early American Republic. Janine received her PhD in American Studies from William & Mary in 2018. Her current book project investigates the political function and development of portraiture in colonial Virginia.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
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.
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In May 1865, Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Georgia as the Civil War neared its end.
Davis had led the Confederate States of America since 1861. He was taken to Fortress Monroe in Virginia, clapped in irons, and given a Bible to read as he awaited his fate. He had waged war against the United States as the commander in chief of a rebel force, and the Constitution was clear: This was treason. And treason was punishable by death.
On the surface, you might think that the federal prosecution of Davis for treason would have been a slam dunk.
In fact, Davis’s conviction was far from certain.
On today’s episode, Dr. Cynthia Nicoletti joins Jim Ambuske to discuss her recent book, Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis.
Nicoletti is a Professor of History and the Class of 1966 Research Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law.
As you’ll hear, Nicoletti’s book isn’t about whether or not secession was legal or illegal - that question was decided on the battlefield and in a later Supreme Court decision - rather, it’s about the fundamental questions that Davis’s prosecution raised about the rule of law and democracy as the United States began rebuilding itself in the years after the war.
Ensuring that Davis received a fair trial, even if the prosecution lost, would have been a hallmark of the rule of law. But if the prosecution lost, would that validate secession and deny the Union’s permanence? As it turns out, both the prosecution and the defense maneuvered to avoid putting these larger questions before a jury.
The trial never happened. Nicoletti helps us understand why.
About Our Guest:
Cynthia Nicoletti is a legal historian and professor of law at Virginia Law. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the William Nelson Cromwell Prize for the best dissertation in legal history, awarded by the American Society for Legal History in 2011. Her book, Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis, won the 2018 Cromwell Book Prize, given by the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation each year for excellence in scholarship to an early career scholar working in the field of American legal history.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
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 & 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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
Three hundred years ago, timber and turtles were key commodities for English settlers on Barbados and Jamaica.
Barbadians sailed northwest to the island of St. Lucia where they harvested timber while Jamaicans headed to the Cayman Islands to take turtles in astounding numbers.
Why did they seek these resources hundreds of miles away from their home islands? And what does it have to tell us about how settlers adapted to the environment in the early modern Caribbean?
On today’s episode, Dr. Mary Draper joins Jim Ambuske to flesh out how timber and turtles became central to Barbadian and Jamaican society in the colonial era.
Draper is an Assistant Professor of History at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas and an expert on the environmental history of the colonial Caribbean.
About Our Guest:
Mary Draper is Assistant Professor of History at Midwestern State University. She is a scholar of colonial and revolutionary North America and the greater Atlantic world. Particularly interested in the history of the seventeenth-and eighteenth century British Caribbean, she is working on a book that recovers how the region's urban residents--from colonial officials and merchants to turtlers and enslaved pilots--amassed environmental knowledge to develop, defend, and sustain their volatile coastlines. An article based on the project was published in the Fall 2017 edition of Early American Studies. In both her research and teaching, Draper highlights the interconnections that crisscrossed the empires, culture, and ecologies of early North America and the Atlantic world. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University, she earned both her Master of Arts degree and doctorate from the University of Virginia.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
It's mid-March 2020 and chances are you're listening to this episode from the comfort of your home as you practice social distancing. Over the past few weeks many schools and businesses has suspended public operations and transitioned to an online environment in an effort to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, known as Covid-19.
While the Washington Library and Mount Vernon may temporarily be closed to the public as well, that doesn't mean we're not hard at work doing what we can to help students, teachers, and scholars make the most of this uncertain time. We've created a new website full of some of our best resources, and a few from our friends, to help facilitate online learning.
On today's episode, Sadie Troy of Mount Vernon's Education Department joins Jim Ambuske to discuss our new site, which you can find at www.mountvernon.org/onlinelearning. There you will find a number of resources to keep your brain engaged and help you expand your knowledge about George Washington and his early American world as we all make adjustments to our routines in the days ahead.
About Our Guest:
Sadie Troy is the Student Learning Specialist in Mount Vernon's Education Department. Sadie's primary responsibilities include coordinating, supporting, and creating student programming. She serves as the Mount Vernon lead on The Situation Room Experience: Washington's Cabinet.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
Dr. Ron Grim has been a geographer for over 40 years. After receiving his PhD from the University of Maryland, Ron embarked on a career that included stops at the National Archives of the United States, the Library of Congress, and the Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library.
On today’s episode, Ron joins Jim Ambuske to discuss his long career as a geographer working with maps at these prestigious institutions. Geography is the study of humanity’s relationship with the Earth and its landscape, something that maps help to illuminate. As you’ll hear, maps are powerful teaching tools that can help us understand our place in the world, or at least the way we imagine it.
Ron is helping the Washington Library evaluate its recently acquired Richard H. Brown Revolutionary War Map Collection. We’ve been fortunate to benefit from his expertise, just as others have over the last four decades.
And be sure to stick around until the end of today’s show. Ron and Jim discuss a criminal caper involving a nefarious map dealer and how Ron’s detective work led to the recovery of a map by Samuel de Champlain.
About Our Guest:
Ron Grim is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he received his Ph.D. in Historical Geography. He is Curator of Maps Emeritus at the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library. He joined the Leventhal Center in January 2005 after a three-decade career working with maps at the National Archives and the Library of Congress. He has curated a number of major exhibitions, including “Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America” (Library of Congress, 2003) and “We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence” (Leventhal Center, 2015).
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
On the morning of November 1, 1755, a devastating earthquake struck the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The quake leveled buildings, triggered fires, and caused a tsunami that laid waste to the urban landscape. When it was all over, thousands were dead.
The Lisbon earthquake was a disaster of epic proportions, so much so that it became the subject of the first major international disaster relief effort. People from around the Atlantic world contributed funds to Lisbon and its inhabitants, including a £100,000 donation from King George II of Great Britain.
The quake also marked a change in how people around the Atlantic world responded to disasters. Surely, many who awoke that morning to celebrate All Saints Day attributed the devastation to God’s wrath, but in the era of the Enlightenment, many more still looked to reason and science as modes of explanation, and to alleviate the suffering.
On today’s episode, Dr. Cindy Kierner of George Mason University joins us to discuss the origins of our modern attitudes toward disasters. She is the author of the new book, Inventing Disaster: The Culture of Calamity from the Jamestown Colony to the Johnstown Flood.
And as you might have divined from the book’s subtitle, how we now respond to disasters like the coronavirus, California wildfires, or Hurricane Katrina is the product of a long history that dates back to the 17th century.
About Our Guest:
Cindy Kierner received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1986. A specialist in the fields of early America, women and gender, and early southern history, she is the author or editor of eight books and many articles. Kierner is an OAH Distinguished Lecturer and past president of the Southern Association for Women Historians (SAWH), and she has served on several editorial boards. Her research has received support from the American Historical Association, the Virginia Historical Society, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the American Antiquarian Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
In 1784, Revolutionary War veteran Samuel Shaw set sail on the Empress of China destined for the city of Canton, or Guangzhou, in southern China.
Shaw was a Boston native who served under Major General Henry Knox during the War for Independence.
He also became one of the founding members of the Society of the Cincinnati, a hereditary, and at times controversial, organization made up of American and French officers who served in the Continental Army during the war. George Washington served as the society’s president from 1783 to 1799.
Shaw went to China acting on behalf of some American businessmen interested in tea, silk, and other commodities, but he also carried with him the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati with the intent of having the design painted on porcelain.
His trip resulted in a magnificent 302-piece dinner and tea service later purchased by George Washington.
On today’s episode, ceramics expert Ron Fuchs walks us through the remarkable story behind this porcelain collection.
Fuchs is the Curator of Ceramics and the Manger of the Reeves Center at Washington and Lee University, and as you'll hear, ceramics open unexpected windows into global and American history.
About Our Guest:
Ron Fuchs is the Curator of Ceramics and Manager of the Reeves Center at Washington and Lee University. A former Assistant Curator of Ceramics for the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur, Fuchs received his bachelor's degree from the College of William & Mary and his master's degree from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware. He is currently chairman of the board of directors of the American Ceramic Circle.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
Like many folks around the country, you might have spent the last three evenings watching Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Washington documentary series on the History Channel.
Documentaries are a form of public history, which we might define loosely as making historical knowledge available and accessible for the public’s benefit.
At Mount Vernon, we think about how to do this work a great deal. How can we create frameworks for public understanding of the past that balances expertise with accessibility?
On today’s episode, Jeanette Patrick discusses her efforts to make the Washingtons, Mount Vernon, and their respective histories engaging for the public.
Patrick is Mount Vernon’s Digital Researcher and Writer, which is another way of saying “public historian,” and she is responsible for a goodly portion of the historical content you’ll find on our websites.
You’ll hear Patrick describe some of the ways that Mount Vernon decides which public history projects to pursue, and how she became a public historian in the first place.
About Our Guest:
Jeanette Patrick is Mount Vernon's Digital Researcher and Writer. Among her many responsibilities, she serves as Associate Editor of the Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. He holds an MA in Public History from James Madison University. She is a former Program Manager at the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
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.
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When the British defeated the French and their allies in the Seven Years’ War, they acquired vast new territories that expanded British America. Britain’s North America Empire grew to include New Brunswick in Canada, Florida on the southern mainland, and Caribbean Islands like Dominica, among many other places.
How would the British meld these spaces – spaces that were religiously and ethnically diverse, characterized by both free and enslaved labor, and fraught with tension between indigenous peoples and white settlers – into a coherent empire?
Well, first they had to map them.
In the decade before the American Revolution, the British government embarked on a monumental effort to create new, high-resolution maps that would help it forge a new imperial landscape.
On today’s episode, Dr. Max Edelson joins us to explain how a cadre of British military engineers, surveyors, and diplomats produced maps that sought to realize a vision of empire that never came to be.
Dr. Edelson is a historian of British America at the University of Virginia, and the author of the recent book, The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence.
Edelson and host Jim Ambuske discuss a number of maps in this episode, including:
Maps in The New Map of Empire: Mapscholar.org/empire
Herman Moll, A new and exact map of the dominions of the King of Great Britain on ye continent of North America, containing Newfoundland, New Scotland, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pensilvania, Maryland, Virginia and Carolina (1715)
The Catawba Map [Map of the several nations of Indians to the Northwest of South Carolina] [c. 1724]
Samuel Holland, A map of the island of St. John in the Gulf of St. Laurence divided into counties & parishes and the lots as granted by government, (1776).
About Our Guest:
S. Max Edelson studies the history of British America and the Atlantic world. His research examines space, place, and culture in colonial North America and the Caribbean. His first book, Plantation Enterprise in Colonial South Carolina (Harvard, 2006) examines the relationship between planters and environment in South Carolina as the key to understanding this repressive, prosperous society and its distinctive economic culture
His second book, The New Map of Empire: How Britain Imagined America Before Independence(Harvard, 2017), describes how Britain used maps and geographic knowledge to reform its American empire in the eighteenth century.
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.
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The modern biography as we know it dates to the eighteenth century when Scottish author and lawyer James Boswell published The Life of Samuel Johnson. Boswell produced an account of the rascally Englishman, a friend of his for more than twenty years, that became a kind of template that future biographers have followed.
We've all read our fair share of biographies, especially presidential biographies, to know that they follow a similar structure. This is especially true of biographies of the American Revolutionary generation.
So how can we shake up this genre? And perhaps more importantly, how can we shake up biographies of George Washington, a man who seems at times opaque and beyond reproach?
On today’s episode, historian Alexis Coe helps us re-imagine what a biography can be so that we can better understand George Washington and the world around him.
Coe is the author of the new book, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, and if the title is any hint of what’s between the covers, this isn’t your father’s standard Washington biography.
About Our Guest:
Alexis Taines Coe is an historian. She is the author of the narrative history book, Alice+Freda Forever, and is a consultant on the movie adaptation. Her second book, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, was published by Viking (Penguin Random House) on February 4, 2020.
Alexis is a consulting producer on the Doris Kearns Goodwin's three part George Washington series (February 2020) on the History Channel. She is the host of "No Man's Land" from The Wing/Pineapple and co-hosted "Presidents Are People Too!" from Audible. Alexis curated the ACLU'S 100 exhibition and was the assistant curator of the NYPL's centennial exhibition in Bryant Park.
She has appeared on CNN, the History Channel, C-SPAN, and CBS, and lectured at Columbia, West Point, Georgetown, Sarah Lawrence, NYU, the New School, the University of San Francisco, and many others. She has given talks sponsored by Hulu, Chanel, and Madewell.
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.
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In May 1796, Ona Judge, Martha Washington’s enslaved maidservant, freed herself by walking out of the Washington’s Philadelphia home. She had learned that Martha intended to give her away as a wedding present to Elizabeth Parke Custis, her eldest granddaughter. Judge quietly slipped out of the house one evening, boarded a ship, and fled to New Hampshire. She lived there for the rest of her life. Despite their best efforts, the Washingtons were never able to recapture her.
On today’s episode, Ona Judge tells her own story. Library Research Fellow Sheila Arnold joins Jim Ambuske in character as Ona Judge to give voice to her life. Arnold is a historic character interpreter who performs as many historical figures, including Ona Judge and Madame CJ Walker, an African American entrepreneur and businesswoman who was one of the wealthiest self-made women in early 20th century America.
During the first half of today’s show, Ambuske interviews Arnold as Ona Judge, as she might have been in the last years of her life.
He then talks to Arnold herself about historic character interpretation and the powerful ways that performing as a formerly enslaved person can build bridges between communities.
About Our Guest:
Sheila Arnold currently resides in Hampton, VA. She is a Professional Storyteller, Character Interpreter and Teaching Artist. Through her company, History’s Alive!, Sheila has provided storytelling programs, historic character presentations, Christian monologues, dramatic/creative writing workshops, professional development for educators and inspirational/motivational speeches at schools, churches, libraries, professional organizations and museums, in 41 states since 2003.
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.
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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.
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When George Washington died in December 1799, it changed Martha Washington’s legal status. Just as she did when she was widowed for the first time in 1757, Martha once again became an independent person in the eyes of the law. She was no longer in the shadow of her husband’s legal identity.
So what did this mean for Martha and other unmarried or widowed elite white women who ran businesses powered by slavery in early Virginia? How did they negotiate contracts, oversee enslaved labor, and manage their estates, all while navigating society’s expectations for women of their status?
On today’s episode, Alexi Garrett joins us to discuss three such women – Martha Washington, Catharine Flood McCall, and Annie Henry Christian – who by choice or by fate oversaw major business operations in the early republic.
About Our Guest:
Alexi Garrett is a Ph.D. candidate in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. Her dissertation examines how feme sole businesswomen managed their slave-manned enterprises in revolutionary and early national Virginia.
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.
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This episode originally aired in June 2019.
Once the United States achieved its independence, how did white Americans expect to educate the new republic's youth? How did questions about education become a flash point in the battle between Federalists and Republicans over the meaning of the American Revolution and the nation's soul?
On today's episode, Dr. Mark Boonshoft of Norwich University joins Jim Ambuske to discuss how ideas about education were part of a larger argument about who should rule, and who should rule at home as Americans struggled to form a more perfect union.
About our Guest:
Mark Boonshoft received his BA in history from SUNY-Buffalo and his MA and PhD in history from the Ohio State University. Before coming to Norwich, he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the New York Public Library, where he worked on the Polonsky Foundation-funded Early American Manuscripts Project. A social and political historian of early America, Boonshoft has published articles, reviews, and essays in the Journal of the Early Republic, New York History, the Journal of American History, and the edited volume The American Revolution Reborn. He is currently revising his dissertation into a book, tentatively titled Monarchical Education and the Making of the American Republic. In addition to his scholarly work, Boonshoft is a contributor at The Junto: A Group Blog on Early American History and the affiliated podcast, The Juntocast. At Norwich, Boonshoft teaches the American history survey to 1877, as well as classes on colonial North American history, the American Revolution, and the early republic period.
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.
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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 & Mary where she is also the director of theOmohundro 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 & 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.
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The podcast team is off for the holidays. We'll be back in the new year with new thought-provoking interviews with the likes of Jeanette Patrick, Karin Wulf, and Max Edelson. In the meantime, be sure to check out our full back catalog featuring conversations with historians, teachers, prize-winning authors, game designers, and much more. From all of us at the Washington Library, we wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
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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.
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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.
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Dr. Nadine Zimmerli recently joined The University of Virginia Press as its editor of History and Social Sciences books. A former editor at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture, Zimmerli is a historian of 20th century Europe by training. She is also a native of Germany, having grown up in East Germany in the years surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In this episode, Dr. Zimmerli shares with Jim Ambuske what it was like to grow up in East Germany before reunification in 1990 and how her family's own history inspired her professional career as a historian and editor. You'll also hear how she knew from a young age that she wanted to be an editor, her sense of the big questions that have shaped and reshaped our understanding of the early American past., and the opportunities she sees at the UVA Press.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Nadine Zimmerli is the Editor of History and Social Sciences at The University of Virginia Press. She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and began her editorial career at the University of Wisconsin Press as a project assistant for the George L. Mosse Series in Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History. Previously, she was Associate Editor of Books at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture, where she edited award-winning books such as Susanah Shaw Romney’s New Netherland Connections: Intimate Networks and Atlantic Ties in Seventeenth-Century America, and Robert G. Parkinson’s The Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution.
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.
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We’re off this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll be back next week with conversations featuring some of the leading lights in early American history. But we didn’t want to leave you holding the short end of the wishbone. So we put together a short history lesson for you about George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789.
Be sure to read the full proclamation and Professor T. K. Bryon's Digital Encyclopedia entry on the history behind it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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.
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If you know anything about Rachel Jackson, chances are you know her best as Andrew Jackson’s wife. You might also know that Rachel died in late 1828, just before Andrew became president.
During Andrew’s presidential campaigns in 1824 and 1828, his political enemies attacked Rachel as an adulterer. Legally speaking, she was. In the early 1790s, Rachel and Andrew learned that her first husband, Lewis Robards, had never finalized their divorce. The Jacksons’ marriage was seemingly illegitimate. After a court granted Robards a divorce in 1794 on the basis of Rachel’s alleged adultery, Rachel and Andrew married again just to be safe.
But when these private events became public years later, Andrew’s opponents used them against him.
Rachel died from a heart attack in 1828. Andrew attributed her death in part to the public slanders against her.
What you may not know is that Rachel dwelled deeply on God Almighty. While she labored in his Kingdom on Earth, she dreamed of the Almighty and his Kingdom of Heaven. Rachel was an evangelical Christian. And her fear of God’s judgement shaped her life and her relationship with Andrew.
On today’s episode, Dr. Melissa Gismondi offers us a portrait of a devote woman tormented by the changing world around here.
Gismondi, an expert on Rachel Jackson and the early republic, is a Senior Producer on the popular radio program Backstory.
About our Guest:
Melissa Gismondi, Ph.D., is a senior producer for Backstory, a program of Virginia Humanities. She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia. An award-winning writer and multimedia journalist, Gismondi's work has appeared in The Walrus and The New York Times. In 2019, she was selected by acclaimed author Charlotte Gray and the Writers’ Trust of Canada to be part of their inaugural Rising Star program.
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.
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In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson criticized George III for "Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us" in the years before the American Revolution. To hear Jefferson tell it, quartered troops had long been a problem in early America. In this episode, Dr. John McCurdy of Eastern Michigan University reveals how the history of accommodating troops in North America is more complicated than you might think. Far from being an objectionable practice that motivated Americans to revolt against the British, colonists accepted that quartering soldiers was a necessary and even welcome event under certain conditions. McCurdy, who is the author of the new book, Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution, will reshape what you know about the relationship between soldiers, civilians, and space in the era of the American Revolution.
About our Guest:
John McCurdy, Ph.D. specializes in colonial and Revolutionary America, gender and LGBTQ history, and the Atlantic world. His research examines the connections between social and political history in eighteenth-century North America. He is the author of Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States, which examines how ideas about marital status in the colonial era gave rise to American citizenship. His most recent book, Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution, explores how debates over military power shaped notions of place in Revolutionary America.
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.
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How has technology changed the way that historians and educators tell stories about the past? What does it mean to do "digital history" and how can one get started?
On today's episode, Dr. Loren Moulds of the University of Virginia Law Library sits down with Jim Ambuske to explore how technology is enhancing our ability to interpret the past. A historian of 20th century America, Moulds's work on backyard barbecues and federal housing policy shapes the way he thinks about the role technology can play to recover hidden voices from obscure sources. You'll hear about the Law Library's latest projects, including those that deal with early America, and others that reveal some of the darkest moments of the 20th century.
About our Guest:
Loren Moulds leads the University of Virginia Law Library's efforts to develop online research tools and to promote, create and preserve its digital collections. Moulds received his bachelor's in English and American studies from Kalamazoo College in 2004 and earned a Ph.D. in History at the University of Virginia. He served as the director of the Project for Technology in History Education at the University of Virginia's Corcoran Department of History as well as the technology coordinator for UVA's Digital Classroom Initiative.
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.
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Historians spend a lot of time thinking about audience. Whether speaking at academic meetings, talking with the general public, or teaching students, we consider how we can best communicate our ideas to different groups.
So how do we write the history of Early America for a much younger crowd? In a world full of hungry caterpillars and pigeons eager to drive city buses, how do we communicate the complexity of the past to children?
Author David Bruce Smith sits down with Jim Ambuske to discuss his new book, Abigail & John, a portrait of the famous Adams couple from Massachusetts. The inaugural volume in "The Grateful American Book Series," Abigail and John features illustrations by Clarice Smith, David's mother, to tell the story of one of the most important partnerships in American history.
About our Guest:
David Bruce Smith is the author of 12 books, and founder of the Grateful American™ Foundation, which is restoring enthusiasm about American history–for kids and adults–through videos, podcasts, and interactive activities.
The Grateful American™ Book Prize promotes excellence in adolescent historical fiction and non-fiction that is focused on the United States since the country’s founding.
In 2019 he launched The Grateful American Book Series; a series of children’s books about historical couples that were–in actuality–partnerships.
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.
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Maps do more than visualize landscapes, identify political borders, or chart rivers and oceans. They show us the many and varied ways that we make sense of the world around us. How then, did Early Americans make sense of their world through maps?
Mapping a Nation: Shaping the Early American Republic offers one answer. It is an exhibit currently on display at the American Philosophical Society (APS) in Philadelphia. Using maps, the tools to make them, and other objects, the exhibition shows "how maps were used to create and extend the physical, political, and ideological boundaries of the new nation while creating and reinforcing structural inequalities in the Early Republic."
On this episode, lead curator Dr. Erin Holmes and co-curator Dr. Janine Yorimoto Boldt sit down with Jim Ambuske to discuss how they brought Mapping a Nation to life. You'll also get a sneak peak at Dr. Boldt's next exhibition, Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, which will open at APS in Spring 2020.
About Our Guests:
Erin Holmes is the Kinder Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Missouri. She is a former Washington Library Fellow. She is also a former Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow at the American Philosophical Society where was lead curator for Mapping a Nation: Shaping the Early American Republic. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of South Carolina in 2017 and B.A. in History from the College of William and Mary. Her research compares the evolution of plantation slavery and colonial identity through the built environment in Virginia, South Carolina, and Barbados during the long 18th century.
Janine Yorimoto Boldt is the 2018-2020 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the American Philosophical Society. She is lead curator for the 2020 exhibition, Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, and was co-curator of Mapping a Nation: Shaping the Early American Republic. Janine received her PhD in American Studies from William & Mary in 2018. Her current book project investigates the political function and development of portraiture in colonial Virginia.
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.
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The word “impeachment” is in the air these days. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a website to find information about what the Constitution’s framers thought about impeachment or any other Constitutional issue.
Well, The Constitutional Sources Project is the place for you.
The project, called ConSource for short, is a Washington, D.C.-based initiative to digitize and transcribe the documents that shaped the Federal Constitution, and increase our historical literacy.
On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Julie Silverbrook, ConSource’s executive director. Julie is an attorney and she is leading the charge to help us all better understand our constitutional past.
If you'd like to support this podcast as well as new research into George Washington and his world, please consider becoming a Mount Vernon Member.
About Our Guest:
Julie Silverbrook is Executive Director of The Constitutional Sources Project, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization devoted to increasing understanding, facilitating research, and encouraging discussion of the US Constitution by connecting individuals with the documentary history of its creation, ratification, and amendment. Silverbrook holds a J.D. from the William & Mary Law School, where she received the National Association of Women Lawyers Award and the Thurgood Marshall Award and served as a Senior Articles Editor on the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Imagine you lived in the year 1793. The United States has recently suffered its worst military defeat in its history at the hands of the Miami-Shawnee Confederacy. The French Revolution has turned horrifically violent and France is now at war with most of Europe. And both the British and the French are pressuring the United States to choose a side. Now imagine that you are one of the American, European, or indigenous leaders whose voices will shape how the U.S. responds to these events. Well, now you can be. On today’s show, Game designer Trey Alsup and Mount Vernon Student Learning Specialist Sadie Troy give you a sneak peak at The Situation Room Experience: Washington's Cabinet. It's a new Live Action Role Playing Game for students, and it's a remarkable way to teach young people about the early history of the United States. The game will debut in the coming months at the Washington Library.
About Our Guests:
Trey Alsup is the founder of Wishcraft Simulations, Inc., a company devoted to writing and designing cinematic educational simulations. Its first project was the Situation Room Experience, now open at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA and the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, TX. Wishcraft Simulations works with clients to craft custom solutions to each institution's unique set of needs and goals. Upcoming projects include the Pacific Aviation Museum in Hawaii and Mount Vernon in Virginia. Alsup has worked as a Writer/Producer and Editor on projects for Disney Channel, ABC Family, A&E, History and TLC. He received his BA in Film-Cinema-Video Studies at Vassar College and MFA in Cinema-Television from University of Southern California.
Sadie Troy is the Student Learning Specialist in Mount Vernon's Education Department. Sadie's primary responsibilities include coordinating, supporting, and creating student programming. She serves as the Mount Vernon lead on The Situation Room Experience: Washington's Cabinet.
About Our Host:
Jim Ambuske leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a focus on Scotland and America in an Age of War and Revolution. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project. Ambuske is currently at work on a book entitled Emigration and Empire: America and Scotland in the Revolutionary Era, as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.
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In this episode of Conversations at the Washington Library, Samantha Snyder speaks to Jim Ambuske about the life of Elizabeth Willing Powel. Powel was a prominent Philadelphian who became close to the Washington family. Although her loyalties were unclear in the early years of the American War for Independence, she eventually embraced the Revolution. Powel was at the center of Philadelphia politics, but her influence reached beyond the city to the banks of the Potomac and places further afield. In an era in which women could not vote or hold elected office, Powel was a power broker and king maker in Early American society.
About Our Guest:
Samantha Snyder is the Reference Librarian at the Washington Library. She is responsible for developing the library's general collections and electronic resources, as well as managing all reference inquiries. She is currently at work on a biography of the life of Elizabeth Willing Powel.
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.
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You may know him as Robert E. Lee’s father, but Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee was so much more. Born into a Virginia dynasty, the man who would become one of George Washington’s protégés came of age with the American Revolution itself. Lee was a graduate of Princeton University, a cavalry commander in the war’s brutal southern theater, and he later served two terms as Virginia’s governor. He was a dashing figure who romanticized the ancient world and aspired to be one of the new nation’s great slave-holding planters. But death and despair undercut the life that Lee imagined for himself. On today’s program, Ryan Cole joins us to discuss Lee’s tragic story. Cole is a journalist and former member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He is the author of the new book, Light-Horse Harry Lee: The Rise and Fall of a Revolutionary Hero.
About our Guest:
Ryan Cole, a former assistant to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and speechwriter at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, holds degrees in history and journalism from Indiana University. He has written extensively about American history and literature for the Wall Street Journal, National Review, the New Criterion, Civil War Times, the American Interest, and the Indianapolis Star. Additionally, he has written for Indiana University and the Lumina Foundation, and he served on the staff of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
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.
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On July 4, 1791, fifteen years after Americans declared independence, two men walked into a Virginia field. Only one walked out alive. John Crane, the son of an elite Virginia family, killed a man named Abraham Vanhorn after the two exchanged some heated words.
Crane was arrested in the name of the law, but two decades earlier he would have been detained in the name of the king.
Why does this change matter? And what does it have to tell us about how Virginians and other Americans remade their British identity into an American one in the years after independence?
Today's episode features Dr. Jessica Lowe of the University of Virginia School of Law. In her new book, Murder in the Shenandoah: Making Law Sovereign in Revolutionary Virginia, Professor Lowe unpacks the case of Commonwealth v. Craneand what it meant to create a republic of laws and not kings.
This episode concludes our four-part mini-series on the history of early American law. Check out previous episodes at www.mountvernon.org/podcast. You can support this podcast as well as new research into George Washington and his world by becoming a Mount Vernon member.
About Our Guest:
Jessica Lowe, Ph.D. specializes in 18th- and 19th-century American legal history. She received her J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, and clerked in the District of Connecticut and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Lowe also practiced litigation and appellate law at Jones Day in Washington, D.C., where she worked on a number of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. She is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia. She received her Ph.D. in American history from Princeton University.
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.
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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
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We all know Alexander Hamilton for his service during the Revolutionary War, his tenure as the first Secretary of the Treasury, and his death at the hands of Aaron Burr. But have you met Alexander Hamilton, Attorney at Law? In Part 2 of our four-part exploration of early American law, Dr. Kate Elizabeth Brown of Western Kentucky University introduces us to a man who was as ferocious in the court room as he was battling Thomas Jefferson over the National Bank. And as Dr. Brown argues in her book, Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law, you can't separate the one Hamilton from the other. Hamilton's law practice in the 1780s shaped his approach to federal power in the 1790s. His time representing American Loyalists and other clients in New York state courts informed his thinking about the law, the Constitution, and the young republic's place in the world. It may also surprise you to learn that Hamilton was as concerned with individual rights as he was creating a more powerful national government.
Dr. Brown was in town to lecture as part of Mount Vernon's Teacher's Institute and she stopped by after class to talk about Hamilton and the law. If you'd like more information about our teacher programs, please click the link above.
Be sure to check out Part 1 of this mini-series on early American law featuring Dr. Nicola Phillips and her research into Thomas Erskine, and tune in next week for Part 3 when we talk to Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about George Washington's Constitution.
About our Guest:
Dr. Kate Elizabeth Brown is an assistant professor of history at Western Kentucky University specializing in American legal and constitutional history and the early republic. In addition to her book, Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law, she has published articles in the Law and History Review and the Federal History Journal. She has also received numerous fellowships and research grants including a James C. Rees Fellowship from the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, a Larry J. Hackman Research Residency Grant at the New York State Archives, a Cromwell Senior Research Grant from the American Society of Legal History and a fellowship at the Gilder-Lehrman Institute for American History.
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.
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In what ways did the United States remain bound to Great Britain in the decades after American Independence? As it turns out, the law and legal ideas served as a connection between Americans and their former British brethren. In today's episode we talk to Dr. Nicola Phillips of Royal Hollway, University of London, about the life and career of Thomas Erskine. The Scottish-born Erskine was a member of an elite family whose ranks included Henry, Lord Advocate of Scotland, and David, 11th Earl of Buchan and correspondent of George Washington. Thomas, who practiced law in England, championed ideas on freedom of the press and trial by jury that resonated with Americans as they remade their laws to suit the new republic. This episode is part one of a four-part miniseries on the history of early American law featuring Drs. Nicola Phillips, Kate Brown, Lindsay Chervinsky, and Jessica Lowe.
About Our Guest: Nicola Phillips, Ph.D., is Lecturer in History at Royal Hollway, University of London where she also co-directs The Bedford Centre for the History of Women and Gender. She is an expert in Gender History c. 1660-1830 and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Her first book examined the legal, cultural, social and economic position of Women in Business, 1700-1850 (Boydell Press, 2006). Her second book, The Profligate Son; Or, a True Story of Family Conflict, Fashionable Vice and Financial Ruin in Regency England (OUP, Oxford & Basic Books, New York 2013) was listed as one of the top ten books of the year by The Washington Post. Nicola is a former Library of Congress Georgian Papers Programme Fellow.
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.
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How did a George Washington letter find a home Scotland? In this episode of Conversations at the Washington Library, Jim Ambuske talks with Rachel Hosker, deputy head of special collections and archives manager at the University Edinburgh Library about a document that connects Washington to Adam Ferguson, one of the major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Recorded in Edinburgh at the library's Centre for Research Collections, Ambuske and Hosker also look over Washington's Political Legacies, a book published in New York in the months just after Washington's death. They also discuss Hosker's early fascination with manuscripts and rare books and the university library's amazing collections. Haste ye back!
About Our Guest:
Rachel Hosker is Deputy Head of Special Collections and Archives Manager at the University of Edinburgh. Whilst making the collections available to staff, students and the wider community, she has also been known to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival talking about her work. She has worked for Universities, Businesses, government and in consultancy and served on national and international archival advisory groups.
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.
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In this episode, Jim Ambuske chats with LTC Matthew Kutilek, USMC, a 2001 graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Kutilek is a United States Marine Special Operations Officer with 18+ years of active duty service with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is this year's featured speaker at Mount Vernon's Purple Heart Commemoration Day on August 10th. In this podcast, Kutilek discusses his passion for history, service in the Marine Corps, and the 2010 combat wound that changed his life.
About Our Guest:
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilekis an active duty Special Operations Officer in the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, LTC Kutilek suffered life-threatening injuries during a March 2010 combat operation in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. LTC Kutilek received the Purple Heart for his service and works to bring awareness to veterans's issues through competitive cycling and motivational speaking.
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.
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In this episode, Jim Ambuske sits down with first year Ph.D. student Jordan Pellerito of the University of Missouri who is interning this summer at the Washington Library. Pellerito tells us about her Master’s degree work on the Marquis de Lafayette and how she is spending her summer working with the Library’s collection of Rare Books while researching early U.S. Chambers of Commerce.
About our Guest:
Jordan Pellerito is a first year Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri. Pellerito recently completed her M.A. American History at Missouri and currently holds an internship at the Washington Library.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
In this episode, Jim Ambuske sits down with first year Ph.D. student Jordan Pellerito of the University of Missouri who is interning this summer at the Washington Library. Pellerito tells us about her Master’s degree work on the Marquis de Lafayette and how she is spending her summer working with the Library’s collection of Rare Books while researching early U.S. Chambers of Commerce.
In this episode, Dr. Jim Ambuske continues his conversation with the Washington Library's Research Historian Mary V. Thompson to discuss her new book, "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. Listen to Part 1 here.
About Our Guest:
Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
In this episode Dr Jim Ambuske sits down with the Washington Librarys Research Historian Mary V Thompson to discuss her new book The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret George Washington Slavery and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon.
About Our Guest:
Mary V. Thompson is a long-time (38 year) member of the staff at Mount Vernon, where she is now the Research Historian. She is the author of In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington, A Short Biography of Martha Washington, and "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon.
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.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mountvernon/message
Once the United States achieved its independence, how did white Americans expect to educate the new republic's youth? How did questions about education become a flash point in the battle between Federalists and Republicans over the meaning of the American Revolution and the nation's soul?
On today's episode, Dr. Mark Boonshoft of Norwich University joins Jim Ambuske to discuss how ideas about education were part of a larger argument about who should rule, and who should rule at home as Americans struggled to form a more perfect union.
About Our Guest:
Mark Boonshoft is an Assistant Professor of History at Norwich University in Northfield, VT. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 2015, and then spent two years as a post-doctoral research fellow at the New York Public Library working on the Early American Manuscripts Project. His scholarship has appeared in the Journal of the Early Republic, New York History,and The American Revolution Reborn, and he is currently working on a manuscript, tentatively titled, Monarchical Education and the Making of the American Republic, 1730-1812. He is also a recipient of the Amanda and Greg Gregory Fellowship.
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.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin Butterfield sits down with Dr. Jim Ambuske the Washington Library's new Digital Historian and future podcast host.
About Our Guest:
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.
About Our Host:
Kevin C. Butterfield is the new Executive Director of the Washington Library. He comes to Mount Vernon from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage and Constitutional Studies Program, holding an appointment as the Wick Cary Professor and Associate Professor of Classics and Letters.
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In this episode Dr Douglas Bradburn sits down with Captain Glenn Jamison Captain Daryle D Cardone and Command Master Chief Maurice Coffey of the USS George Washington on location at the aircraft carrier.
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In this episode Dr Kevin Butterfield sits down with Kings College Georgian Papers Fellow Dr. James Fisher to discuss his latest findings on the topic titled George Washington and the Transatlantic Circulation and Reception of Agricultural Literature and Knowledge.
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In this episode Associate Curator Jessie MacLeod sits down with Library research fellow Sara Collini to discuss her latest findings on the topic titled Birthing a Nation Enslaved Women and Midwifery in Early America 1750-1820. For more information check out our website www.mountvernonorg.org/podcast
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In this episode, Dr Joe Stoltz sits down with Tom Clavin to discuss his new book entitled Valley Forge. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast
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In this bonus-sized episode Dr Douglas Bradburn sits down with bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson to discuss volume one of his new Revolution Trilogy entitled The British are Coming The War for America Lexington to Princeton 1775-1777. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with world renowned author and 2016 George Washington Prize winner Nathaniel Philbrick to discuss his latest book, In the Hurricanes Eye The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast
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In this episode, Dr Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Carla McClafferty author of the book, Buried Lives The Enslaved People of George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode Dr Kevin C. Butterfield, sits down with Library research fellow and world-renowned chef Justin Cherry to discuss his research topic, "The Impact of George Washingtons Mount Vernon in 18th Century Foodways." For more information, check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Sean P. Harvey, Library research fellow and associate professor of history at Seton Hall University, to discuss his research topic tilted, Albert Gallatin, the Early Republic, and the Atlantic World. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Nick Bunker, author and 2015 George Washington Prize winner, to discuss his new book, Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with research fellow Dr. James Hrdlicka to discuss his latest findings on the origins and development of American democratic constitutionalism. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Woody Holton to discuss the 10th anniversary of his Bancroft Prize winning book, Abigail Adams. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Eric Lomazoff, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, to discuss his new book, Reconstructing the National Bank Controversy: Politics and Law in the Early American Republic. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Anthony King sits down with Dr. Joe Stoltz, Co-Director of the George Washington Leadership Institute at Mount Vernon, and Dr. Dana Stefanelli, Assistant Editor for the Papers of George Washington Project for to answer submitted listener questions about George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and the founding era. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Catherine Kerrison, a Professor of history at Villanova University, to discuss her book, Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, Access Services Librarian Samantha Snyder sits down with Library research fellow Dr. Joyce Lindorff to discuss her research on Nelly Parke Custis as well as the newly restored harpsichord that has been recently brought back to Mount Vernon in honor of our "Year of Music" celebration. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Patrick Spero, Librarian and Director of the American Philosophical Society Library, to discuss his latest book, Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Anthony King sits down with Samantha Snyder, Access Services Librarian at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, to discuss the research operations at the Library as well how people can visit for their own research purposes. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Anthony King sits down with Dr. Joe Stoltz, Co-Director of the George Washington Leadership Institute at Mount Vernon, to discuss leadership-based programs on-site. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Dean Norton, the Director of Horticulture, to discuss the gardens and planting operations at Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Joe Bondi, the Senior Vice President of Development at George Washington's Mount Vernon. The two discuss the challenges and processes behind fundraising for the various projects that keep Mount Vernon running. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator here at George Washington's Mount Vernon. The two discuss the behind-the-scenes details that went into creating the acclaimed exhibition, Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Alissa Oginsky, Manager of Teacher Programs and 2016 Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year award winner. The two discuss the residential programs for teachers at the estate as well as the various forms of outreach and resources the education department produces for those outside of the region. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder, Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law School, to discuss her latest research regarding Eliza Harriot Barons O'Connor who played a pivotal role during the Constitutional Convention. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with author Richard Brookhiser to discuss his newest book, John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Access Services Librarian Samantha Snyder sits down with Julie Almacy, Manager of the Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows program, to discuss the impact of this life changing experience for students as well as the process for how to apply for future fellowship classes. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Anthony King, Library Projects Assistant at George Washington's Mount Vernon and co-producer/sound engineer of the Conversations at the Washington Library Podcast. The two reflect on the previous year recording the podcast since they took administrative and creative control over the series. From all of us here at Mount Vernon, have a happy Thanksgiving! For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Access Services Librarian Samantha Snyder sits down with author and Library research fellow George Goodwin to discuss his latest findings regarding Benjamin Franklin, espionage, and the propaganda dealings in Europe in the American Revolution. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Access Services Librarian Samantha Snyder sits down with Adam Erby, Associate Curator at Mount Vernon, to discuss the his favorite items in the collection as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the process in interpreting the mansion. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, we take a spook-tacular tour of Mount Vernon's history, featuring stories and voices from across the ages. Happy Halloween from all of us here at Mount Vernon! For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Washington Library research fellow Dr. Daniel Livesay to discuss his recent book, Children of Uncertain Fortune: Mixed-Race Jamaicans in Britain and the Atlantic Family, 1733-1833, as well as his new research topic about the treatment of elderly slaves in the Chesapeake region. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Washington Library research fellow Mark Tabbert to discuss his latest research regarding George Washington and his membership in/relationship with Freemasonry. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the opening of the Washington Library, current Executive Director Dr. Kevin C. Butterfield sits down with Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the former Founding Director of the Library and now President and C.E.O. of George Washington's Mount Vernon. The two discuss the highlights of the Library's history, the important events and acquisitions, as well as the future of the facility. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Steve Bashore, the Director of Historic Trades at George Washington's Mount Vernon. The two discuss the history and operations at the Distillery & Gristmill, including the popular line of whiskey products produced on-site. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Access Services Librarian Samantha Snyder sits down with Ph.D. candidate at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Washington Library research fellow Krysten Blackstone to discuss her fellowship experience. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Assistant Professor of History at the William Woods University and former Washington Library research fellow Dr. Craig Bruce Smith to discuss his new book, American Honor: The Creation of the Nation's Ideals during the Revolutionary Era. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Associate Professor of American History at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Library research fellow Robert Paulett to discuss his research regarding maps and the Proclamation of 1763. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, Mount Vernon's Vice President of Education Allison Wickens sits down with Valerie Shull, a 23-year veteran teacher of the Douglas School District in Box Elder, South Dakota and current Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings educator for the Rapid City Area Schools in Rapid City, South Dakota. In their conversation, they discuss Shull's time at Mount Vernon as a teacher fellow as well as her main research project, connecting the Lakota Values with George Washington. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Associate Professor of History at the University of Northwestern St. Paul and former Washington Library research fellow Dr. Jonathan Den Hartog to discuss his findings on John Jay. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Dr. Dana Stefanelli to discuss his role as one of the editors for the Papers of George Washington Project. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Sam Murphy, Manager of Historic Trades at George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Jeremy Ray, Manager of History Interpretation at George Washington's Mount Vernon. For more information check our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Mount Vernon character interpreter Brenda Parker to discuss the challenges of portraying and articulating the past in a modern setting. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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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.
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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.
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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 new book, Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the President and C.E.O. of George Washington's Mount Vernon, sits down with author Russell Shorto to discuss his monumental new book, Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Mount Vernon's President and C.E.O. Douglas Bradburn sits down with scholar Kevin J. Hayes to discuss his new book, George Washington: A Life in Books. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Washington Library research fellow Dr. Mark Edward Lender to discuss the Conway Cabal and the challenge to General Washington's leadership position. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Washington Library research fellow Iris de Rode to discuss the relationship between George Washington and François Jean de Chastellux. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Washington Library research fellow Dr. Elisa Vargas to discuss the early diplomatic relationship between Spain and the United States, focusing on the work of Diego María de Gardoqui, Spain’s First Diplomatic Envoy to the United States. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Mount Vernon President and C.E.O. Doug Bradburn sits down with the Senior Vice President of Visitor Engagement Rob Shenk to discuss the challenges and opportunities of public history in the age of New Media, focusing on Mount Vernon's newly renovated Revolutionary War Theater. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Matt Briney, the Vice President of New Media at George Washington's Mount Vernon, and Joseph Cortina, the founding partner of Cortina Productions, to discuss the new interactive experience, Be Washington: It's Your Turn To Lead. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Washington Library research fellow Dr. Lawrence B.A. Hatter to discuss his topic, Negotiating Independence: American Overseas Merchant Communities in the Age of Revolution. For more information check out our website www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Washington Library research fellow Dr. Charlene Boyer Lewis to discuss her topic, The Traitor’s Wife: Peggy Arnold and Revolutionary America. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Douglas Bradburn, the President and C.E.O. of George Washington's Mount Vernon, sits down with Dr. Jon Kukla to discuss his book, Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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In this episode, Dr. Joseph Stoltz sits down with Dr. Larrie Ferreiro to discuss his book, Brothers At Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It. For more information check out our website at www.mountvernon.org/podcast.
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Dr. Edward Gray is Professor of History at Florida State University where he teaches a range of courses in U.S. history, Native American history, and the history of the Pacific in the age of Captain James Cook. He was named a Top Young Historian by History News Network and was a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Japan in 2014. In this episode he discusses his book "Tom Paine's Iron Bridge: Building a United States."
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Dr. Alan Taylor is the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair and Professor of History at the University of Virginia. He has written numerous books on colonial North America, the American Revolution, and the early Republic. Dr. Taylor has twice been awarded the Pulitzer Prize in History, most recently for "The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832," which was also a finalist for the National Book Award and the George Washington Prize. In this episode he discusses his book "American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804."
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Louisa Thomas is a graduate of Harvard University and former fellow at the New America Foundation think tank. She is also a former contributor to the sports and pop culture blog Grantland and contributing editor at Newsweek. In this episode Ms. Thomas discusses her second book "Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams." Ms. Thomas spoke at the second of three Michelle Smith Lectures on April 20, 2017.
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Dr. Michael Klarman is the Kirkland and Ellis Professor at Harvard Law School and received his Ph.D. in legal history from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar. Dr. Klarman is the author of numerous books on constitutional law and history. In this episode he discusses his book The Framers’ Coup: Building a United States, which was one of seven finalists for the 2017 George Washington Prize. Dr. Klarman spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk on April 11, 2017.
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George Goodwin is Honorary Author in Residence at Benjamin Franklin House in London, the world's only remaining Franklin home. He is also a Fellow at the Royal Historical Society, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and the Royal Society of Arts. In this episode he discusses his book "Benjamin Franklin in London: The British Life of America's Founding Father." Mr. Goodwin spoke at the 2017 Michelle Smith Lecture series on March 30, 2017.
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Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Black American Studies at the University of Delaware where her teaching focuses on slavery, racial injustice, and gender equality. In 2011 she was named the Inaugural Director of the Program in African American History at the Library, and her book, A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City, was the first to chronicle the lives of African American women in the urban north during the early republic. In this episode she discusses her newest book Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge.
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Mr. John Steele Gordon is an independent author and historian who specializes in business and financial history. He has written numerous books on America's financial history, including "The Scarlet Woman of Wall Street: A History of Wall Street in the 1860s" and "Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of our National Debt." In this episode he discusses his latest work "Washington's Monument: And the Fascinating History of the Obelisk." Mr. Gordon spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at Mount Vernon on March 1, 2017.
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Dr. Zara Anishanslin is Assistant Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware who specializes in Early American and Atlantic world history with a focus on eighteenth century material culture. She was the Patrick Henry Postdoctoral Fellow in the history department at Johns Hopkins University and a Mellon Fellow at CUNY's Graduate Center. In this episode she discusses her first book "Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World."
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John Avlon is is Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of the Daily Beast and is a CNN political analyst. His book "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America" was praised by President Bill Clinton as providing a "clear and comprehensive review of the forces on the outer edges of the political spectrum that shape and distort our political debate." Mr. Avlon discussed his newest book "Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations" at a Ford Evening Book Talk on February 1, 2017.
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Dr. Kathleen DuVal is the Bowman and Gordon Gray Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on early America, particularly cross-cultural relations on North American borderlands. She explores how Native American, European, and African men and women interacted in the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries. She discusses her latest book, "Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution," which won the Book of the Year Award from the Journal of the American Revolution and was a finalist for the 2016 George Washington Book Prize.
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Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her first historical fiction novel, "Fever 1793," received multiple awards and is used in curriculums in classrooms around the nation. "Chains," the first book of her trilogy set during the Revolutionary War, was a National Book Award finalist, received the Scot O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and received the ALA Best Book for Young Adults award. She discusses the challenges of teaching history and slavery in a meaningful way through fiction. Laurie spoke at Mount Vernon's Educators' Evening on December 7, 2016.
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Dr. Lydia Brandt is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of South Carolina, where she teaches the history of American art and architecture as well as methods of historic preservation. She was a member of the inaugural class of fellows at the Washington Library; the work she did during that time led to the publication of her first book, "First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington's Mount Vernon in the American Imagination," in 2016. She discusses how replicas and imitations of Washington's estate have risen in popularity throughout history and how the home became and American Icon. Dr. Brandt spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk on December 7, 2016.
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Dr. David Hildebrand is a specialist in early American music, teaches American music history at the Peabody Conservatory, and is an author for the Johns Hopkins University Press. He regularly performs at museums, universities, and historical societies in duet with his wife, Ginger. He discusses how he came to study early American music and the political power of song during the Revolutionary period. His CD, "Music for the First President," is available for purchase from the Shops at Mount Vernon at shops.mountvernon.org. Dr. Hildebrand was a member of the 2016-17 class of fellows at the Washington Library.
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Dr. Frank Cogliano is Professor of American History and Dean International for North America at the University of Edinburgh and is also a member of the advisory board for the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. His latest book is "Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy." He discusses his role as a Jefferson scholar, Jefferson's reputation as a Founder, and the relationship between Jefferson, Washington, and Hamilton. Dr. Cogliano spoke at the 2016 George Washington Symposium at Mount Vernon.
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Dr. Susan Dunn is the Massachusetts Professor of Humanities at Williams College and is the author of numerous history books exploring topics ranging from the French and American Revolutions to World War II. In this episode she discusses her early books on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the importance of the Bill of Rights in the 20th Century, and how public education contributions to the creation of good citizens. Dr. Dunn spoke at the 2016 George Washington Symposium at Mount Vernon on November 4, 2016.
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Mr. Richard Brookhiser is an American journalist, biographer, and historian, and is a senior editor at National Review. He has also written numerous books on the Founding period of American history. Mr. Brookhiser was the 2016 Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of American History at the Washington Library. He discusses his work on the study of George Washington.
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The George Washington Leadership Lecture was held on October 3, 2016 and features a conversation with FBI Director James Comey, who will discuss leadership lessons learned throughout his personal pathway to becoming the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as his particular style of leading the nation's premiere federal law enforcement agency. The Lecture is held in partnership with the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and was made possible by a generous gift by Maribeth Borthwick, USC class of '73 and Vice Regent for California of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
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Dr. Lorri Glover is Professor and the John Francis Bannon S.J. Endowed Chair at St. Louis University and was a member of the 2016-17 class of research fellows at the Washington Library. She discusses her book "The Fate of the Revolution: Virginians Debate the Constitution," Dr. Glover spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on October 20, 2016.
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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.
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Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder is the Founders Professor of Law at Boston College Law School, where she teaches in the areas of property, trusts and estates, and American legal and constitutional history. She discusses her book "Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention," which was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize. Dr. Bilder spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at Mount Vernon on September 15, 2016.
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Dr. Bruce Ragsdale has served as director of the Federal Judicial History Office at the Federal Judicial Center and as an associate historian at the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also a fellow at the Washington Library during the 2014-15 academic year and was the recipient of the James C. Rees Entrepreneurship Fellowship. Dr. Ragsdale discusses his work studying George Washington’s agricultural entrepreneurship, including Washington’s interest in the continual improvement of his farms at Mount Vernon.
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Dr. Edward Larson is a University Professor of history and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. He is also a Senior Fellow of the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education and a visiting professor at Stanford Law. In 1998 he received the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book "Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion." Dr. Larson spoke at the Supreme Court Lecture Series at the Washington Library on April 28, 2016.
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Michael Blakeman is a Ph.D. candidate at Yale and was the Amanda and Greg Gregory Fellow at the Washington Library for the 2014-2015 academic year. During this Lunch and Fellowship Program, recorded on August 19, 2015, Michael discusses his doctoral dissertation, "Speculation Nation: Land and Mania in the Age of the American Revolution." Over the course of the discussion you’ll hear Michael explain how the market for land speculation grew in the 1780s and 90s, why speculators purchased such vast quantities of land, and how land speculators used the American Revolution to boost their sales.
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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.
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Dr. Stephen Brumwell is the author of numerous books and articles about early American History. He discusses his book "George Washington: Gentleman Warrior," which explores Washington's role as commander of the Continental Army. Highlights how Washington’s place in Virginia society influenced his ability to command, how important Lawrence Washington was to his brother George, and Washington’s place in history as a military commander.
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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.
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Dr. Philip Levy is a Professor of History at the University of South Florida and was a member of the 2015-16 class of fellows at the Washington Library. In 2008 he won international attention for co-leading the team that found the remains of George Washington’s childhood home at Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia — the saga of which he recounted in his 2013 book, Where the Cherry Tree Grew: The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington’s Boyhood Home. His latest book, George Washington Written Upon the Land, explores the many retellings of Washington’s much-fabled childhood and covers themes ranging from biography to archaeology and environmental history to rabbinic thought.
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Alissa Oginsky is a 6th grade U.S. history teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools and is the 2016 Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year. She discusses her challenges in her field including working with primary sources and integrating technology into social studies instruction. Kevin Casey is a 9th grade U.S. history teacher at Pittman High School in New Jersey and was a 2016 Lifeguard Teacher Fellow at Mount Vernon. His fellowship project focuses on exploring George Washington's presidency through his mansion in Philadelphia.
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Dr. Joshua Canale is an instructor of history at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, New York and was a member of the Washington Library's 2015-16 class of academic fellows. He discusses his dissertation topic "American Dictators: Committees for Public Safety during the American Revolution."
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Nick Bunker is the author of "Making Haste From Babylon, a History of the Mayflower Pilgrims." A former investment banker and journalist for the Financial Times, he served for many years on the board of the Freud Museum, London. In this episode he discusses his book "An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America," for which he won the 2015 George Washington Book Prize. Mr. Bunker spoke at the Michelle Smith Lecture Series at the Washington Library on March 16, 2016.
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C.L. Bragg is the author of "Distinction in Every Service: Brigadier General Marcellus A. Stovall, C.S.A." and coauthor of the critically acclaimed "Never for Want of Powder: The Confederate Powder Works in Augusta, Georgia," also published by the University of South Carolina Press. Bragg's interest in William Moultrie was sparked while researching his family's South Carolina heritage and his personal connection to the Revolutionary War. Bragg spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on March 4, 2014.
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Lindsay Chervinsky is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of California, Davis whose research explores how key government institutions evolved beyond the boundaries of the United States Constitution in the Early Republic. Her work examines how George Washington drew on American perceptions of the British cabinet, executive precedent established in the state governments, and his own military leadership experience to shape the first presidential cabinet. She was a research fellow at the Washington Library during the 2015-16 academic year.
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Fergus M. Bordewich has been an independent historian and writer since the early 1970s. As a journalist he traveled extensively in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa writing on a variety of topics. He also served for brief periods as an editor and writer for the Tehran Journal in Iran in 1972-1973, a press officer for the United Nations in 1980-1982, and an advisor to the New China News Agency in Beijing in 1982-1983. In this episode he discusses his book "The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government." He spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on June 9, 2016.
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Erik Goldstein is Curator of Mechanical Arts & Numismatics at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. After receiving a BA in Fine Arts/Illustration from Parsons School of Design, he joined Harmer Rooke Numismatists, also in New York City, before spending the next 12 years as a professional numismatist and consultant. He has lectured on topics of military history and instructs a three-year syllabus on the coins, medals and paper money of Colonial America as part of the American Numismatics Association’s Summer Seminar held every July. Dr. Goldstein spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on March 10, 2016.
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Dr. Colin Calloway is John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth. He served for two years as associate director and editor of the D'Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newbury Library in Chicago. He also spent seven years teaching at the University of Wyoming. In this episode he discusses his book "The Victory with No Name: The Native American Defeat of the First American Army." Dr. Calloway spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on December 1, 2015.
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Dr. Adrienne M. Harrison is currently a Fellow and Consulting Historian with Battlefield Leadership, a consulting and training company specializing in providing customized experiential leadership training based in history. A graduate of West Point, she subsequently earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Early American History from Rutgers University. Her work has been published in Oxford Bibliographies. She discusses her book "A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington." Dr. Harrison spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Library on May 3, 2016
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Chris Juergens is a Ph.D. candidate at Florida State University whose research explores the German auxiliaries of the Holy Roman Empire which served dual masters during the American War of Independence. He is particularly interested in military professionalism and innovation in the Age of Revolution. Chris was a member of the Washington Library's 2015-16 class of research fellows.
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Ricardo Herrera is an Associate Professor of Military History at the School of Advanced Military Studies, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His teaching interests specifically include 18th and 19th Century American military history. He discusses his book "For Liberty and the Republic: The American Citizen as Soldier, 1775-1861. Mr. Herrera spoke at the George Washington Symposium on November 7, 2015. He also serves on the faculty of the George Washington Leadership Institute and assists with its excursion programs.
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Francois Furstenberg is an Associate Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include the relationship between slavery and nationalism in the post-revolutionary period, the meaning of consent and their relationship to slavery in the 19th Century, and U.S. history from an international perspective. He is the author of "In the Name of the Father: Washington's Legacy, Slavery, and the Making of a Nation" and "When the United States Spoke French: Five Refugees Who Shaped a Nation." Dr. Furstenberg spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on September 18, 2014.
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Author David Preston discusses his book Braddock’s Defeat: the Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution, with Washington Library Founding Director Douglas Bradburn.
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Paul Brandus is an author, independent member of the White House press corps, and founder of the Twitter page @WestWingReport. He is also a Washington columnist on economics and finance. He is a frequent speaker around the country before business groups and has also lectured at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. In this episode he discusses his book "Under This Roof: A History of the White House and Presidency." Mr. Brandus spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on November 12, 2015.
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Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed is an award-winning author and the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School. Dr. Peter S. Onus is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia. They discuss in this episode their latest joint book, "'Most Blessed of the Patriarchs': Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination." Gordon-Reed and Onus spoke at the Washington Library's Michelle Smith Lecture Series on May 5, 2016.
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Flora Fraser is professional writer and author of numerous historical biographies. As a young woman she was employed as a researcher by her grandmother and mother. She co-founded the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography and served as a trustee of the London National Portrait Gallery for ten years. In this episode she discusses her latest book "The Washingtons: George and Martha: Join'd by Friendship, Crown'd by Love." Flora spoke at the Gay Hart Gaines Lecture Series on November 4th, 2015.
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Dr. John Fea is Professor of American History and Chair of the History Department at Messiah College and was a fellow at the Washington Library during the 2015-16 academic year. He is the author or editor of four books, one of which - Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? - was a finalist for the George Washington book prize. Fea also blogs daily about his work at www.thewayofimprovement.com. In this episode he discusses the research he conducted while at the Library concerning religion during the colonial and Revolutionary eras.
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Dr. Trenton Cole Jones is an assistant professor of history at Purdue University and was the Amanda and Greg Gregory Family fellow at the Library during the 2013-14 academic year. In this episode he discusses his dissertation and forthcoming book, tentatively titled "Deprived of their Liberty: Enemy Prisoners and the Culture of War in Revolutionary America."
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Dr. Laura Auricchio is the Dean of Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students and of the School of Languages, and is an Associate Professor of Art History in the Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. In this episode she discusses her book "The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered." Dr. Auricchio spoke at the Michelle Smith Lecture Series on May 12, 2015.
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