History News Network

George Washington

Originally published 02/25/2015
Mount Vernon uses lasers to scan mansion down to the nail

Architects and preservationists are at the estate building a computerized database of every piece of the mansion.

Originally published 02/16/2015
George Washington, Slave Catcher

Our first president relentlessly pursued the fugitive Ona Judge.

Originally published 12/15/2014
Dec. 14, 1799: The excruciating final hours of President George Washington

It was a house call no physician would relish.

Originally published 11/09/2014
Even George Washington couldn't get along with the Senate

Tension between the chief executive and the upper body of Congress is baked into our national DNA.

Originally published 09/23/2014
Why populism and parties terrified George Washington

James Madison called it “perhaps the greatest error” of George Washington’s “political life.” That he committed so few makes Washington’s speech of November 19, 1794, memorable in itself.

Originally published 03/27/2014
Mount Vernon Executive Director interviewed

The Grateful American™ Series Heads to Mount Vernon to Interview Executive Director Doug Bradburn.

Originally published 10/27/2013
Channelling George Washington: What if John F. Kennedy Had Lived?

Had JFK lived, could he have beaten second-termitis?

Originally published 10/20/2013
George Washington's Flexible Constitutionalism

The next time someone complains Barack Obama is acting unconstitutionally, remember, that's how George Washington gave the office of president its powers.

Originally published 09/28/2013
High Marks for the Mount Vernon Library

A new research library has just opened at Mount Vernon.

Originally published 07/12/2013
GW finally getting a library

America's first president foresaw the need for a place for his papers and books; it will finally open this fall at Mount Vernon.

Originally published 05/05/2013
George Washington: The Forgotten Emancipator

George Washington at Yorktown, by Auguste Couder. P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } This article is adapted from Thomas Fleming’s new book, A Disease In the Public Mind – A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War.

Originally published 03/28/2013
Making whiskey at Mount Vernon

In the fall of 1799, George Washington wrote to his nephew: “Two hundred gallons of Whiskey will be ready this day for your call, and the sooner it is taken the better, as the demand for this article (in these parts) is brisk.”The whiskey Washington spoke of was produced in his own distillery, at Mount Vernon, and the popularity of the spirit (in these parts) remains. Mount Vernon historians-turned-distillers have been busy making Washington’s unaged rye whiskey, following his recipe and manual methods, since early this month and will put 1,100 bottles up for sale in April.The team, led by former Maker’s Mark master distiller Dave Pickerell, has perfected the craft since they began distilling at the old mill twice a year beginning in 2009. (A $2.1 million grant from the distilled spirits industry helped fund the project.) And the demand for their product has grown: The waiting list is more than 4,000 for this year’s batch....

Originally published 01/18/2013
The History of Inauguration Day

HNN Hot Topics: Presidential Inaugurations “So Help Me, God”: The History of the Presidential InaugurationOn Monday, January 21, 2013, President Barack Obama will be sworn in for his second presidential term. The inauguration has been a key event at the start of each presidency since George Washington first took office. Since then, certain features have remained fairly constant, such as the oath and the inaugural address. Other aspects, such as the date, have changed. Inauguration Day was originally March 4 until the ratification of the 20th Amendment, which switched the date to January 20, except in years such as this one when that date falls on a Sunday. In these cases, the president is sworn in with a private ceremony on Sunday and then takes a public oath on the next day. The event has changed with the times in some ways and held to tradition in others, not to mention the mishaps that have occurred along the way.