Category: Washington’s Quill Blog
George Washington on Love and Marriage
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TOPICS: Eighteenth-Century Life, Featured Document(s), George Washington, GW’s Views, Washington or Custis Family by Christine S. Patrick History classes have given Americans some familiarity with Washington the Revolutionary War general and Washington the first president of the United States, but most people have little knowledge about the more personal aspects […]
George Washington Forgeries at Mount Vernon
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Among the special collections owned by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon are nearly 500 documents written by George Washington. And not surprisingly, there are also some known forgeries, one of which is attributed to Robert Spring, and another of which is likely the work of Joseph Cosey.
George’s Farm Animals in the Classroom
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We recently produced a series of short, educational videos called “George’s Farm Animals,” which directly feature GW’s documents. Even though the videos focused in turn on his cattle, sheep, hogs, and mules, the documents concerning these animals also show his daily life at Mount Vernon, the importance of agriculture in the United States, his network of foreign connections, and even a glimpse of his elusive personal side. We hoped that educators would find them useful in classrooms, and that kids would enjoy learning about George and his monumental achievements from the perspective of his daily home life.
Indian Corn: Growing Pains
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Over the centuries, corn has evolved into an important agricultural commodity in the United States. From food production to making ethanol, corn plays a featured role in multiple aspects of today’s world. For Washington, however, corn, specifically Indian corn, became emblematic of the wasteful practices of early American farmers.
George Washington and Bees
Mary Wigge
TOPICS: Animals and Agriculture, Food, Guest Contributor, Health and Medicine, Mount Vernon, Slavery by Mary Thompson, Mount Vernon Research Historian April 2, 2015 There are only two brief mentions in George Washington’s papers indicating that bees were raised by him at Mount Vernon. On July 28, 1787, 300 nails were […]
George Washington’s Advice to his Grandson
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While Washington Custis’s letters to his grandfather during his first months away at school have not survived, George Washington’s letters to his grandson provide insight into his role as father figure to the young man. Both the president and the grandson lost their fathers at an early age: George Washington at eleven, and George Washington Parke Custis at only six months. By writing these letters of advice the father of our country was imparting wisdom similar to what he might have received from his own parent.
Responses to George Washington’s Farewell Address
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By Neal Millikan February 23, 2015 Neal is an Assistant Editor for The Papers of George Washington. She is currently editing volumes for the Presidential Series. On 19 September 1796 Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser in Philadelphia published the document that became known as George Washington’s Farewell Address. The work that […]
Mapping a Spanish Donkey’s Long Journey
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By Mary Wigge January 29, 2015 Mary is a Research Editor with the Financial Papers Project. It’s not every day that you sit at your office desk, contemplating the journey of a Spanish donkey, even if it did belong to George Washington. But last week found me hunkered down looking […]
Asserting the “Chief Magistrate’s” Prerogatives: Washington, Hamilton, and the Development of the President’s Discretionary Powers
Jennifer Stertzer
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 […]
Transcription: Looking Back 200 Years
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By Prajeeth Koyada January 10, 2015 Prajeeth is a first year chemistry major at the University of Virginia. He currently transcribes documents for the Financial Papers Project. Transcribing documents for the Papers of George Washington has been both an enlightening and mystifying experience. For every “Caleb Gibbs” I uncover, a multitude […]