Of the republic from 1789. George Washingtons Mount Vernon hosted this event. Ms. Dunn i am the chief of staff at george Washingtons Mount Vernon. You are in for a wonderful presentation. I would like to take a moment to thank Ford Motor Company for supporting george Washingtons Mount Vernon and continuing to fun this opportunity. I would also like to recognize some special guests. We have our George Washington leadership fellows here, 16 fivents spending weeks immersed into a leadership program. They are here through the generosity of david rubenstein, who helped us conceive of the idea to have this group of students here. I would like you to stand so that we can recognize you. [applause] ms. Dunn this is our second class of fellows. They just arrived this week and have very busy schedules, but they are wonderful to speak with. It is now my honor to be able to injures tonights introduce tonight speaker, fergus bordewich. He has been a independent historian and writer since the 1970s.
We have our George Washington leadership fellows here with us. You are 16 students here who are spending five weeks on the stage in a Leadership Program inspired by George Washingtons life and egacy. They are here through the generosity of david m rubenstein, who made a wonderful guest and helped us conceive of the idea to have this group of people here. I would like you all to stand so we can all recognize you. [applause] megan this is our second class of fellows. They have just arrived this week and have very busy schedules, but they are wonderful to speak ith. If you get a moment, i think you would enjoy it. I am honored to introduce onight speaker, fergus bordewich, and he holds degrees from columbia university. He is a frequent speaker and is also worked as a journalist, which allows him to travel the globe, writing on politics, economics, history, and ore. His articles have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the new york times, the wall street journal, and t
Of the republic from 1789 until 1791. George Washingtons Mount Vernon posted this and 20 minute event. This is new york in 1789. We are standing in front of federal hall looking towards these river of new york. And the city even then, although the buildings were four or five stories high has some of the bustle and teaming qualities that its had for the last 200 years. Federal hall, even though the appearance i will show you look very classical, it is here. This is another image of new york and it may be somebody in this audience i would bet a who knows this house is standing at the manhattan end of the hall and tom. Holland tunnel. It is not there anymore. This is where Vice President john adams rented for the two sessions when the congress met in new york. This is to convey some sense of how rural and be collect manhattan was in 1789. The city ended about where New York City Hall is today. If you went beyond city hall you are going out of town. And this stood this building stood appro
He reads passages from his book and discusses the leading men the earlysed republic. Mount vernongtons hosted this hour and 20 minute event. In 1789. S new york we are standing approximately in front of federal hall looking toward the east river of new york. Even though the buildings are high,our or five stories they have some of the bustle it has had for the last 200 years. Federal hall, even though the image i will show you in a minute looks very austere and classical, it is here. This is another image of new york. It may be somebody in this audience, i would bet a buck probably not, knows that this house standing at the manhattan into the holland tunnel it is not there anymore. This was the house Vice President john adams rented for the two sessions the First Congress met in new york. Why am i showing it to you . To convey some sense of how rural manhattan was in 1789. The city ended about where New York City Hall is today. If you went beyond city hall, you were going out of town. ,
Of the action is taking place. It is on wall street. The coffeehouse, the scene that. Showed first, is behind us we are looking in the direction of the hudson river. Congress, despite the significance, the First Congress has generally been treated as an convention. R the the government the constitution outlines, thats what it was, and outline, spurring fullgrown from the document. It did not. It took two years of creative and sometimes twofisted down and dirty politics to accomplish the job. That job was creating the institutions of government, henry, whoat patrick may have been referred to once or twice later on, referred to as the crazy machine of government. That is what these men are doing in federal hall. In the First Congress gathered in new york, march and april of 1789, two months . It took more than one month to get a quorum. Everyone who showed up on time, in looting James Madison, was in a blind panic that not enough people would show up to make a congress. In their letters