Secrets of Washington's Archives

Published in 1679, The Compleat Surveyor was a textbook for those training in the field of surveying, including a young George Washington. But don’t be fooled by its simple description: its early influence on Washington would last throughout his life. In this first episode, we will explore Washington's education and passion for maps with our Curator of Special Collections, Dana Stefanelli.

The State of the Union address may be an annual tradition now, but when Washington prepared to give his address in 1790, the expectations weighed heavily upon him. To prepare for this momentous occasion, Washington turned, pen in hand, back to the Constitution itself. In this episode of The Secrets of Washington's Archives, Dr. Douglas Bradburn, President & CEO of George Washington's Mount Vernon, explores Washington's own copy of the Constitution contained within a volume of the first Acts of Congress. Within this extraordinary text, we see Washington's own handwritten notes on what it meant to be president.

What did George Washington write in his personal copy of the Constitution? Who left behind messages inside some of Washington’s books? How did Washington learn to become a professional soldier?

Mount Vernon introduces its latest podcast and video series, The Secrets of Washington's Archives. Come explore the books, manuscripts, and maps found inside the George Washington Presidential Library’s special collections and hear stories about George Washington, the American Revolution, and the Presidency.

The series will release June 5, 2023 for Mount Vernon members and June 19 for audiences everywhere. Learn more at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Music by SoulProdMusic at Pixabay.

Come take a journey through Revolutionary America through the eyes of a French aristocrat and natural historian. While many remember George Washington’s famous friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette, fewer are aware of his close relationship with the Marquis de Chastellux, a French soldier and popular philosophe. In this episode, Dr. Iris de Rode joins us to discuss Chastellux’s famous travel diaries and his deep and abiding friendship with George Washington.

Farming was Washington’s greatest passion, and he devoted himself to the study of new and emerging agricultural practices. Associate Curator Jessie Macleod discusses how enslaved men and women at Mount Vernon put some of these innovative ideas into practice.

Watch the video companion: https://www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com