George Washington Lansdowne Portrait by Gilbert Stuart | BRIdge From The Past

In his every action, President George Washington recognized the significance of the precedents he set. His efforts to implement constitutional provisions in order to steer the United States through an early foreign policy challenge resulted in Jay’s Treaty—a pact vilified in its own time, but ultimately vital in keeping the United States out of a war with Britain.

What unique contributions did the various Founders make to liberty and constitutional self-governance? BRI’s new “American Founders” Scholar Talk Series seeks to answer this and other questions. In this episode, Jeffry Morrison, Professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and Director of Academics at the James Madison Foundation, joins BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams. The two talk about the virtues embodied by Washington, the role of his traditions on his political principles, and his support of the creation of a constitutional republic. How did George Washington’s values and contributions set a precedent of self-governance for all presidents to follow?

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with historian and author Stephen F. Knott to talk about the fascinating excerpts from George Washington’s Diaries in our new digital history textbook, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Knott and Williams examine the text of Washington’s Diaries from 1753-1754 in which the young Virginian engaged in a key colonial diplomatic mission to the French Empire. They also explore the context of the larger imperial struggle involving the French, British, colonists, and Native Americans in North America during the mid-eighteenth century.