George Washington Was Tall and Brave

On this week’s episode of The Audit, Dave, Josh and their guest Jared Yates Sexton, explore PragerU's treatment of the founding fathers. From George Washington's wealth and questionable actions to PragerU’s obsession with the founding fathers' heights, they unpack the mythologies and oversimplifications that the American Right invests in these historical figures. Jared Yates Sexton is author of The Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis and co-host of the Muckrake Podcast. He challenges the traditional narratives we've been told about Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison, including their involvement with slavery and underlying concern with maintaining the power of the wealthy elite.

The episode opens with an excerpt from the documentary Dreams With Sharp Teeth, directed by Erik Nelson.

PragerU videos we discussed this week:

• What Made George Washington Great?
• George Washington: A General without an Army
• John Adams: American Founder and Second President
• The Genius of Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison: The Great Pragmatist

If you’d like to support this show, head over to www.levernews.com/audit/ and leave a tip for Dave and Josh. To get access to Lever Premium Podcasts, and all the other benefits of a paid subscription, click here.

A transcript of this episode is available here.