Tag Archives: Martha Washington

2.20 – A Proper Sense of Their Duty

April 21, 201902 - John AdamsAbigail Adams, Alien and Sedition Acts, Benjamin Stoddert, Charles Lee, Fries's Rebellion, Indiana Territory, James Callender, James McHenry, John Adams, John Marshall, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, Northwest Territory, Samuel Chase, Samuel Dexter, Timothy Pickering, Washington DC, William Henry Harrisonpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1799-1800

With the new members of the Adams Cabinet coming on board, the President travels south to inspect the work on the new Federal Capital as the US government begins its move from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Adams makes a decision on the fates of those convicted of crimes for their participation in Fries’s Rebellion while federal prosecutions under the Sedition Act continue and Democratic-Republicans gear up for the upcoming presidential election. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Samuel Dexter”, courtesy of Wikipedia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.36 – Washington Q&A

August 12, 201801 - George WashingtonAlexander Hamilton, Election of 1796, George Clinton, George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, Maria Reynolds, Martha Washington, Patrick Henry, Reynolds Affair, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Pinckneypresidencies

I asked for your questions, and you sent in some great ones! As a part of the transition into a new presidency, we send George Washington off by addressing some lingering issues about his life and tenure including whether he thought of the Federalists as a political party, whether Hamilton would have become president if not for his affair with Maria Reynolds, did Washington really want to be called “His Excellency,” and what was up with the president tallying how many women he saw during his Southern tour. The answers to these questions and more can be found in this special episode of Presidencies! Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: Statue of George Washington at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, courtesy of Matthew G Bisanz and Wikipedia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.35 – Washington Post-Presidency

June 24, 201801 - George WashingtonAlexander Hamilton, Bushrod Washington, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, George Washington, Gouverneur Morris, Henry Knox, James Madison, John Adams, Jonathan Trumbull Jr, Marquis de Lafayette, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, Napoleon Bonaparte, slavery, Thomas Jefferson, Tobias Learpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1796-1799

Washington envisioned a relaxing retirement at Mount Vernon with his family after leaving the presidency in March 1797, but it was not to be. Between personal issues and a return to public service, the last couple of years of Washington’s life prior to his sudden demise would be filled with business and breaches of trust and friendship. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Life of George Washington: The Christian” lithograph by Claude Regnier, original painting by Junius Brutus Stearns [c. 1853], courtesy of Library of Congress

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.34 – The Final(ish) Curtain Call

June 10, 201801 - George WashingtonAaron Burr, Abigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Anthony Wayne, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, France, George Washington, Henry Knox, James Madison, James McHenry, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, John Adams, John Marshall, Jonathan Trumbull Jr, Martha Washington, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Patrick Henry, Pierre Auguste Adet, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Mifflin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Pinckney, Timothy Pickering, Tobias Lear, William Branch Gilespresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1794-1797

After President Washington releases his Farewell Address, informing the nation that he would not seek another term, the 1796 election is carried out though, both domestically and abroad, there is much confusion about how exactly the United States would decide upon its next president. Meanwhile, the French plot to interfere with the election, the public attacks on Washington continue, and a military leader meets his untimely end. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “”Evacuation day” and Washington’s triumphal entry in New York City, Nov. 25th, 1783,” Edmund Restein and Ludwig Restein, c. 1879, courtesy of the Library of Congress

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.31 – Runaway

April 29, 201801 - George WashingtonGeorge Washington, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, Oliver Wolcott Jr, slavery, Tobias Learpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1773-1848

On May 21st, 1796, Ona/Oney Judge slips out of the President’s House in Philadelphia, PA in a bid to obtain her freedom from enslavement. The story of her being born into slavery at Mount Vernon, her being brought to work in the Washingtons’ household, and the Washingtons’ attempts at bringing Ona back into captivity is a narrative that brings much insight into the institution of slavery in the United States in the mid-1790s as well as a more complete view of George Washington’s legacy. Source information can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: Newspaper advertisement of the escape of Oney Judge with a reward for her return, 24 May 1796, Philadelphia Gazette, courtesy of Wikipedia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.22 – My, What Big Treaties You Have

December 24, 201701 - George WashingtonAaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Anthony Wayne, Edmund Randolph, France, George Washington, Gouverneur Morris, Great Britain, Henry Knox, James Monroe, James Wilkinson, Jean-Antoine Fauchet, John Jay, Legion of the United States, Martha Washington, Northwest Indian War, Oliver Ellsworth, Thomas Mifflin, Thomas Pinckney, Whiskey Rebellion, William Bradford, William Henry Harrisonpresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1793-1794

Developments on both sides of the Atlantic keep the administration busy in 1794. Prominent envoys are sent to both Britain and France in order to avert the US being drawn into conflict with a foreign power. General Wayne and his troops march into action in the Northwest Territory. Even Washington is getting into the action as he heads into the field to face the rebels in western Pennsylvania. Though only five years old, the new government under the Constitution is tested like never before. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured image: John Jay, copy based on an original by Gilbert Stuart, courtesy of Wikipedia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.215 – Martha Washington

December 13, 201701 - George WashingtonGeorge Washington, Martha Washington, Virginiapresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1731-1802

In this special episode, we take a closer look at Martha Washington, the woman who would serve as the nation’s first First Lady before the term was even crafted for the role. To help us better understand her life and her role in American history, I am joined in this episode by Presidential and First Ladies historian Feather Schwartz Foster who shares her knowledge and insights about Martha’s strengths and shortcomings, the Washingtons’ marriage, how Martha approached her public and household duties after her husband took the oath of office in 1789, and what impact Martha had on crafting the role of the First Lady.

Audio editing by Andrew Pfannkuche, and special thanks to Toyin, Kato, Barbara, Mark, and Alex for providing the intro quotes.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Betty Landry, and is being released on what would have been her 68th birthday.

The music between sections are selections from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto 1st Movement (Allegro), performed by Markus Krumpöck and the Merkur Orchester Wiener Neustadt conducted by Willibald Zwittkovits.

Sources used in this episode as well as links to Feather’s website and social media can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.14 – The Second Inaugural

August 6, 201701 - George WashingtonAbraham Venable, Alexander Hamilton, Election of 1792, Fisher Ames, Frederick Muhlenberg, Gazette of the United States, George Beckwith, George Hammond, George Washington, Great Britain, James Madison, James Monroe, James Reynolds, John Beckley, John Fenno, Maria Reynolds, Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, National Gazette, Oliver Wolcott Jr, Philip Freneau, Thomas Jefferson, Washington DC, William Branch Gilespresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1791-1793

The lead up to Washington’s second inaugural ended up being much more dramatic than anyone could have imagined as personal conflicts threatened the construction of the Federal City, Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds threatened to be made public knowledge, and Representative William Branch Giles filed resolutions against Hamilton accusing him of official misconduct and calling for his dismissal. In the middle of all this, a reluctant president turns to his family for support as he prepares himself for what already appears will be a more turbulent four years ahead than his first term had been. Source information can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.12 – Slavery in America

July 10, 201701 - George WashingtonAmerican Revolution, Benjamin Rush, Connecticut, Constitutional Convention, Daniel Custis, David Humphreys, Delaware, George Mason, George Washington, Georgia, Harriet Jacobs, James Otis, John Adams, Martha Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Native Americans, North Carolina, Ona Judge, Pennsylvania, Sally Hemings, slavery, South Carolina, Thomas Jefferson, Tobias Lear, Vermont, Virginiapresidencies

Content Note: Though not going into graphic detail, I did want to let everyone know upfront that this episode, in discussing slavery, does touch upon the violence associated with slavery including that perpetrated against female enslaved people.

Year(s) Discussed: 1490s-1792

European settlers in the Western Hemisphere began practicing slavery in the lands that they found on the other side of the Atlantic in the late 15th century. In this episode, we examine the institution of slavery in what would become the United States as it developed up to the end of Washington’s first term in office. From its beginnings to its codification, we also look at some of the living conditions of enslaved peoples and early efforts to end the practice of slavery. The episode finishes off with bringing the focus back to Washington and how he approached slavery as he participated in the Constitutional Convention and then took office as president. Source information for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1.08 – Banking and Drinking

May 14, 201701 - George WashingtonAbigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, District of Columbia, Edmund Randolph, First Bank of the United States, First Congress, Fisher Ames, George Clinton, George Washington, James Madison, Martha Washington, New York City, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Theodore Sedgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Vermont, Whiskey Excise Tax, William Maclaypresidencies

Year(s) Discussed: 1789-1791

The government is on the move! As the federal government transitions to its new temporary capitol while Washington selects a site for the permanent capitol along the Potomac, it is also forced to deal with the most controversial proposal put forward to date: the creation of a National Bank. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s proposal of an excise tax on whiskey sails through and a new state is added to the Union. Source information can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Presidencies of the United States

A journey through presidential history from the beginning to the present day

Tag Archives: Martha Washington

2.20 – A Proper Sense of Their Duty

1.36 – Washington Q&A

1.35 – Washington Post-Presidency

1.34 – The Final(ish) Curtain Call

1.31 – Runaway

1.22 – My, What Big Treaties You Have

1.215 – Martha Washington

1.14 – The Second Inaugural

1.12 – Slavery in America

1.08 – Banking and Drinking