Conversations at the Washington Library

Dr. Edward Larson is a University Professor of history and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. He is also a Senior Fellow of the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education and a visiting professor at Stanford Law. In 1998 he received the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book "Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion." Dr. Larson spoke at the Supreme Court Lecture Series at the Washington Library on April 28, 2016.

Michael Blakeman is a Ph.D. candidate at Yale and was the Amanda and Greg Gregory Fellow at the Washington Library for the 2014-2015 academic year. During this Lunch and Fellowship Program, recorded on August 19, 2015, Michael discusses his doctoral dissertation, "Speculation Nation: Land and Mania in the Age of the American Revolution." Over the course of the discussion you’ll hear Michael explain how the market for land speculation grew in the 1780s and 90s, why speculators purchased such vast quantities of land, and how land speculators used the American Revolution to boost their sales.

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a combat historian, author, and public speaker who has written ten books recounting America’s wars. He is an expert on elite and special operations units and irregular warfare and expert on the Office of Strategic Services, America’s special operations forces during WWII and forerunner of the CIA. He discusses his latest book "Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment who Changed the Course of the Revolution." Mr. O'Donnell spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk on July 5, 2016.

Dr. Stephen Brumwell is the author of numerous books and articles about early American History. He discusses his book "George Washington: Gentleman Warrior," which explores Washington's role as commander of the Continental Army. Highlights how Washington’s place in Virginia society influenced his ability to command, how important Lawrence Washington was to his brother George, and Washington’s place in history as a military commander.

Dr. T.H. Breen received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1968 and is currently the Director of the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies and History Department Chair at Northwestern University. He discusses his book "George Washington’s Journey: The President Forges a New Nation." Dr. Breen spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on January 20, 2016. 

Dr. Philip Levy is a Professor of History at the University of South Florida and was a member of the 2015-16 class of fellows at the Washington Library. In 2008 he won international attention for co-leading the team that found the remains of George Washington’s childhood home at Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia — the saga of which he recounted in his 2013 book, Where the Cherry Tree Grew: The Story of Ferry Farm, George Washington’s Boyhood Home. His latest book, George Washington Written Upon the Land, explores the many retellings of Washington’s much-fabled childhood and covers themes ranging from biography to archaeology and environmental history to rabbinic thought.

Alissa Oginsky is a 6th grade U.S. history teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools and is the 2016 Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year. She discusses her challenges in her field including working with primary sources and integrating technology into social studies instruction. Kevin Casey is a 9th grade U.S. history teacher at Pittman High School in New Jersey and was a 2016 Lifeguard Teacher Fellow at Mount Vernon. His fellowship project focuses on exploring George Washington's presidency through his mansion in Philadelphia. 

Dr. Joshua Canale is an instructor of history at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, New York and was a member of the Washington Library's 2015-16 class of academic fellows. He discusses his dissertation topic "American Dictators: Committees for Public Safety during the American Revolution."

Nick Bunker is the author of "Making Haste From Babylon, a History of the Mayflower Pilgrims." A former investment banker and journalist for the Financial Times, he served for many years on the board of the Freud Museum, London. In this episode he discusses his book "An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America," for which he won the 2015 George Washington Book Prize. Mr. Bunker spoke at the Michelle Smith Lecture Series at the Washington Library on March 16, 2016. 

C.L. Bragg is the author of "Distinction in Every Service: Brigadier General Marcellus A. Stovall, C.S.A." and coauthor of the critically acclaimed "Never for Want of Powder: The Confederate Powder Works in Augusta, Georgia," also published by the University of South Carolina Press. Bragg's interest in William Moultrie was sparked while researching his family's South Carolina heritage and his personal connection to the Revolutionary War. Bragg spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on March 4, 2014. 

Lindsay Chervinsky is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of California, Davis whose research explores how key government institutions evolved beyond the boundaries of the United States Constitution in the Early Republic. Her work examines how George Washington drew on American perceptions of the British cabinet, executive precedent established in the state governments, and his own military leadership experience to shape the first presidential cabinet. She was a research fellow at the Washington Library during the 2015-16 academic year. 

Fergus M. Bordewich has been an independent historian and writer since the early 1970s. As a journalist he traveled extensively in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa writing on a variety of topics. He also served for brief periods as an editor and writer for the Tehran Journal in Iran in 1972-1973, a press officer for the United Nations in 1980-1982, and an advisor to the New China News Agency in Beijing in 1982-1983. In this episode he discusses his book "The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government." He spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on June 9, 2016.

Erik Goldstein is Curator of Mechanical Arts & Numismatics at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. After receiving a BA in Fine Arts/Illustration from Parsons School of Design, he joined Harmer Rooke Numismatists, also in New York City, before spending the next 12 years as a professional numismatist and consultant. He has lectured on topics of military history and instructs a three-year syllabus on the coins, medals and paper money of Colonial America as part of the American Numismatics Association’s Summer Seminar held every July. Dr. Goldstein spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on March 10, 2016.

Dr. Colin Calloway is John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth. He served for two years as associate director and editor of the D'Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newbury Library in Chicago. He also spent seven years teaching at the University of Wyoming. In this episode he discusses his book "The Victory with No Name: The Native American Defeat of the First American Army." Dr. Calloway spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on December 1, 2015.

Dr. Adrienne M. Harrison is currently a Fellow and Consulting Historian with Battlefield Leadership, a consulting and training company specializing in providing customized experiential leadership training based in history. A graduate of West Point, she subsequently earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Early American History from Rutgers University. Her work has been published in Oxford Bibliographies. She discusses her book "A Powerful Mind: The Self-Education of George Washington." Dr. Harrison spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Library on May 3, 2016