Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library

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.

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.

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.

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.

 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.

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. 

 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

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

Rick Atkinson, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner, discusses volume one of his Revolution Trilogy, which covers the years 1775 through 1777. He reflects on his journey as a writer, the influence of the Washington Post, and the challenges of creating a compelling narrative. Atkinson explores the causes and motivations of the American Revolution, the character of Charles Lee, and the challenges faced by the British in supplying their forces. He also emphasizes the value of history in teaching leadership qualities and patriotism.

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