Biography

#1331 Young Washington with Peter Stark

#1331 Young Washington with Peter Stark

"The French ... thought it was an assassination, a war crime, that Washington was a murderer."

— Peter Stark

We speak with Peter Stark, author of Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America’s Founding Father.

We discuss George Washington’s formative years and character traits, his travels into the Ohio country, and his relationship with lieutenant governor Robert Dinwiddie. We talk about how Washington’s involvement in the Battle of Jumonville Glen touched off the French and Indian War.

#1259 The Final Years (Part One)

#1259 The Final Years (Part One)

"The last years of his life were increasingly characterized by debt and disillusionment."

— Clay

We return to Jefferson 101 with part one of the final three shows of the Jefferson biography series to discuss Jefferson’s years in retirement at Monticello.

#1119 An Infinite Capacity

#1119 An Infinite Capacity

In 1950, Julian P. Boyd, Professor of history at Princeton University, published his first volume of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Boyd, like many others, felt that Jefferson had an unbelievable range and depth. This week Julian Boyd's ideas are presented to President Jefferson for his comment.