Author: Jennifer Stertzer
Martha Set to Take the Stage at Washington Papers Project

Near the end of her life, Martha Washington described her most painful experience—aside from the death of her iconic husband—as being the day Thomas Jefferson came calling at Mount Vernon, ostensibly to pay his respects. Martha’s expression of distaste for the newly elected third president was both political and personal, and it hints at posterity’s loss when she burned nearly all of her correspondence with her husband upon his passing. Yet a substantial body of Martha’s general correspondence survives and is soon to be published in two annotated volumes.
Asserting the “Chief Magistrate’s” Prerogatives: Washington, Hamilton, and the Development of the President’s Discretionary Powers
By Kate Brown January 19, 2015 Kate is a Research Assistant for the Revolutionary War series, a Mount Vernon fellow, and a Ph.D. candidate in the history department at the University of Virginia. Her dissertation is called “Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law.” When George Washington swore the oath […]
‘Meet the Papers of George Washington’ Video
November 25, 2014 Documentary editing involves George Washington’s vast repository of rich documents, a deep understanding of history, and a keen determination to persevere through even the worst handwriting. But what are the challenges involved? What kinds of discoveries can be made? What is involved in the editing process? This introductory video will allow […]