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George Washington

  • Originally published 09/19/2016

    George Washington's family tree: A biracial history lesson

    Two centuries later, the National Park Service and the nonprofit that runs Washington's Mount Vernon estate now have exhibits showing that the first family's family tree has been biracial from its earliest branches.

  • Originally published 09/22/2014

    Why populism and parties terrified George Washington

    Alan Pell Crawford

    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 10/20/2013

    George Washington's Flexible Constitutionalism

    Harlow Giles Unger

    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 07/11/2013

    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

    Thomas Fleming

    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

    Bradley Craig

    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.