they are being here this evening. he is the author of "realistic visionary: a portrait of george washington." please join me in welcoming professor peter henriques. [applause] peter: i do not think i can top that, thank you very much. there is a touch of sadness coming to this presentation because we have been going through the different stages of washington's life, i have enjoyed the opportunity to speak to you at this particular chapter. as trish says, i hope to be back in the fall with a different lecture. you know, it's been a great life that we'd seen washington live that even heroes grow old and even heroes go somewhat downhill like all of us. we know how quickly time goes by. the older you get, the faster time seems to go by. i look at the audience and see almost all of us are exactly the same age, between 50 and death. [laughter] of course, one sign of old age is forgetfulness. did i take my pills or did i just think i took my pills? where are my glasses? that reminds me of a story. in elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house and after eating, the wise went to the kitchen leading the gentleman at the table and they were talking saying, last time i wife and i went out to a new restaurant, it was really great and i would highly recommend it. the other guy says, what is the name? it is, uh, what's the name of that flower? do you mean rose? yes, that's the one. rose, what was the name of that restaurant we went to? [laughter] well, as we get ready to give our last talk on washington's life, i want to make a brief acknowledgment to my professor at the university of virginia, who is the editor of the washington papers in the retirement series and was one of my professors there and he shared some of his insights which i am drawing on in part tonight. one of my major themes in examining the later stages of washington's life has been to note the constant tension between two conflicting impulses within this man. on the one hand, there is washington's desire for autonomy and independence as a squire of mount vernon. on the other hand, there is the desire to be the center of power and influence in these two things are in tension and conflict. he wants to be, to quote -- i was excited about seeing "hamilton." hamilton wants washington to be in the room where it happens. washington wants to be in the room where it happens. he wants to be a player. but you cannot be a player in the room where it happens and completely retire. it is a tension. one might logically expect that this tension would finally no longer be operational in his final retirement, following an exhausting eight years as president. washington is ready to relax, smell the roses, and enjoying retirement. such an expectation would be mistaken. however strongly washington insisted, is on the wish was to live and die and honest man on his own farm, his actions belie that assertion. washington was not quite ready to watch the world has him die without giving it a nudge. i would like to explore this tension, focusing on washington as a private famous citizen, and on his involvement in public affairs which will end with his death. having published his farewell address with its message of independence abroad and unity at home, washington prepared to return to mt. vernon in the spring of 1797. in those days, the president was inaugurated in march print to give you an idea, this is a big deal. washington rented a space on a ship. this is some of what he took to mount vernon. 97 boxes, 14 trunks, 13 packages, three hampers, 24 plow plates, a heater, birdcage, pillars, fruit trees, venetian blinds, among other things. that must've been quite a gathering. he kept his sense of humor. as he noted to his secretary, on the one side, i am called upon to remember the parent, on the other side, to remember the dog. i should not find much if both were forgotten. his return to virginia, he states his views clearly and more than once. and that is -- i'm sorry -- i thought i had a quote there but i guess not. his quote is this way. i am once more seated under my -- seeded. and i hope to spend the rest of my days in peaceful retirement, making political pursuits yield to the more rational and the sense of cultivating the earth. his goal was to view things in the common light of philosophy, i.e. do not get involved in what is going on. as joe ellis notes, this image gives you the idea of bucolic splendor, afternoon naps in the shade, relaxed routines, applied with the undulating contours of rolling hills but nothing could have been more alien for his temperament than that image. washington's personality was such that he would not go gentle into that good night. perhaps not surprisingly, he found most of the things at mount vernon out of repair. he wrote, i have been gone for eight years, i am messing this up on the quotes -- i apologize. eight years absence from home, deranged my private affairs, so spoiled my buildings, throwing my domestic concerns and such disorder and that at no. in my life as i have ever been as busy as i have been since i retired -- maybe some of you can identify with that quote. retirement doesn't end the way you expected. he was very frustrated with trying to find workmen to do what he wanted to do. he sounds of another like a conservative businessman in this quote. workmen in those countries are necessary plagues. in this, we are in treaties as well as money must be obtained to -- the baffle all calculations and the accomplishment of any plan or repairs they are engaged in any require more attention and looking after then can be well-conceived. he says i am a further rising of the sun and work to the setting of the in trying to keep these guys at their job -- remember washington's farm -- he has five farms -- total over a thousand acres. -- 8000 acres. it is five times as large as the mount vernon you see now, to give you an idea of what he is dealing with. you can imagine how full his days would be. he is a most running a hotel because everyone, friends, curious, visitors want to stop -- he is the greatest man of the age and many want to see him. there is an interesting note he wrote in 1797 in his diary, saying if nobody pops in for dinner it will be the first time in 20 years and arthur and i will dine alone. that gives you a little idea of that kind of different schedule that he might have as opposed to the rest of us and he is working on -- remember, over 50,000 acres of land at west. -- out west. he's trying to collect rent and he is dealing with the potomac in our company trying to find that waterway to connect the east to the list. he has got lots in the capital city that is going to be named for him and he is deeply involved in that building and investing in the city. he has a manager and he writes constantly trying to -- anderson is a very interesting guy. he is honest and committed but not particularly well-organized in washington and very sensitive -- washington is always writing, we need to do this -- by the way, it is interesting percent at the distillery that is now back in operation in mount vernon washington ran the largest distillery in the united states at the time of his death. he worked hard to collect money due to him. and tries to avoid loaning money to family and friends which are always writing saying i need this or that washington is so tough and someone is a mighty might be surprised he is a rather -- when you actually read the letters he answered usually not suing the debtors and letting them postpone it and usually give him money to the family even though he is not very confident it is going to be used particularly well. one shadow balance over washington in his serenity or supposed serenity is wanted to with his slave workers now numbering over 300. they were more numerous than he could effectively employ but he was philosophically opposed to selling them in breaking up families and he privately and if something with a needs more work he explores different way is to see if he can for his family and lease them out as workers -- never happens because washington frankly is not willing to give up his own financial independence in an effort to do that his fountain never purchase another slave is now going to be tested because his famous chef hercules and this is a supposed portrait of hercules -- i don't know whether it is or not -- hercules was a real colorful individual. he escaped actually from mount vernon and went to philadelphia. washington trying to get the clever man pack -- never did -- and say, i need a chef and he was thinking he was going to have to purchase one, found a different husband couldn't do it send it in and up -- did not actually by another slave. hercules vanishes from the historical record. nobody ever knows what happened to him except in this picture he lived on and he is often discussed. martha's favorite servant was a girl by the name of bony judge who escaped in the last year of his life he is still trying to get her back. his nephew said, a able to easily and if you can get her -- he was unsuccessful. then shortly before his fatal illness he learned that his own personal body servant, christopher shields, a man who replaced billy lee who is now injured, was planning to run away. washington had spent a great deal of money -- christopher was bitten by a rabid dog. washington sent to pennsylvania to a supposed expert dr. to fix him and now he is about his favorite servant is planning to run away and when will the busy my thing, you can you trust now? washington is kind of a blow, you think these of the people -- these people are taking care of, he is not as insensitive to their needs as you wish they might be. now another glimpse of washington can be seen in his relationship with george washington -- now the washingtons never had any children of their own as most of you know but they raised two different sets of children. first, martha is surviving children, betsy, who died of intimacy -- epilepsy. in her son jackson who dies at the yorktown campaign that not until after he is married as for children of his own in rapid fashion -- by the way, his wife then marry somebody else and has 16 more children just as a passage for a nice way to spend a life. this picture and -- many of you have been to mount vernon, you know, you see the -- that is martha's grandchildren -- martha's step grandchildren -- george washington parke, who we are focusing on now. washington a probably is greatest regret was a lack of a good education and he often talks about his defective education, he wants so much for first jackie and then now george washington constituted a beneficiary a veteran education he wished he had had the list unable to have and he is so frustrated as some of you might be with grandchildren or children -- they don't take a vantage of the opportunities you are more than happy to give them. washington seems to have inherited some of the laziness that is very prominent in his father. this is a picture of him as a young boy. the other three are all his sisters. she spoils him rotten -- a couple of interesting letters and frankly washington doesn't like it but he would rather have a spoiled grandson than an unhappy wife and seems to go along with that kind of analogy. there is an interesting little tidbit into the relationship between washington and his wife when after george washington custer drops out of princeton, washington feels the best place to send in for the best education was in massachusetts to harvard with that as far away from virginia and he writes to washington's stepfather and says martha would submit to this. this is 18th-century virginia, remember. wives do submit but even said it would be a heart rending stroke on her to have him-- washington says let him stay in the area, go to saint john's in annapolis instead. that did not work out well. you read washington's letters, he is basically -- will you hit the books, for gods sake? this is your chance to develop. but it is not an exact quote, by the way -- because we are on c-span -- did not say that -- there are so many false quotes about washington and i do not want to add to those that are out there. here's an fortunate that she has not motivated, he is uninterested, and he doesn't remember the things he events for any length of time at all. he is really goes through a time of depression at one point washington rights to stuart, he appears to me to be a moped and stupid, says nothing, is always in some court excluded from company, playing on his -- no -- that is not right -- anyway, by the way, just as an aside, george washington parke does corrupt to be a playwright of minor note, a speaker, you writes a huge reminiscence of washington that is very iffy legible and often off base and perhaps most interesting to you his daughter mary's robert e. lee and that is why the custer mansion is at arlington. after dropping out of st. john's, washington then used his influence to win young custer a provision in the military and this is a picture of him as a coronet. washington was able to do this particularly easily because in this is something maybe even many of you never my guess is probably not all of you by any means, believe it or not, washington, in the end of his life, is once again called activated in a general commander-in-chief of all the new american army as the country prepares for possible war with france. this is not a particularly well-known aspect of his life and frankly it is not the brightest chapter in his remarkable and illustrious career. let's examine briefly this chapter of washington back on the public stage again. when i was going through the papers of washington's retirement, three things struck me. one was especially with this point i am looking at about involvement, it is surprising how quickly he wants to be involved after he retires. he still subscribes to 10 newspapers for example. that is not a perfect way to cut off all connection with the outside world and within a month he is writing to his former aide, secretary of the treasury john mchenry, wrote and suggesting if you don't mind, would you communicate occasionally such matters as are interesting in the government. mchenry is only too happy, so is timothy pickering and washington is in the loop from the very early stage. the second thing that surprises me not that i didn't know the force of it is that george washington -- we think of is the father of our country, nonpartisan, above parties, had, in fact, during this period, became partisan. i understand why this happened as we look at washington story, remember we are hearing one side of a complicated story. obviously if you hear the donald trump image of the obama presidency, that is different if you listen to msnbc interpretation and this is the case -- if i give you jefferson's perspective of what is happening, it is very different than washington and some of this will have a modern ring to you, i think. what happens is, from washington's, remember, when he signed jay's treaty, which we touched on last time, the war ended. he is severely criticized for this, and then thomas jefferson writes a letter that becomes public in which jefferson accuses washington of having his republican sense shorn by the harlot england, in other words, he has given up his own republican values. then washington's former ambassador to france, james munro, we will touch on this more in october -- when jefferson's help in blessing writes a skilled book attacking washington's foreign policy. washington usually doesn't make comments on writing, in this, he scribbles -- another non-quote -- but he is really upset at what he says as adams puts it, uncharacteristically angry, sarcastic, and the contemptuous tone of his comments regarding munroe's charges, reveals how great and personal and emotional state washington had in the conduct of american foreign policy. washington responds viscerally and really sees his opponents not simply as wrong but really as treasonous in their attitude, dangerous in their views. from washington's perspective, it looks like the french government is controlling the administration or trying to control the administration of the united states. the republican party, to quote him, has become the french party. it is the person over the country, and threatens over stability and our independence. couple of letters, and there are many along this line. a party exists in the united states who opposes the government in all its measures. those offering conspiracy are devoid of honor. again, the more the views of those who are upon us the measures of our government are developed, the less surprised i am at the attempt and the means -- cowardly and assassin-like which are used to subvert it. washington told one correspondent he is convinced that the republicans want to sever their own government as i am now writing you this letter. finally i was struck how rather savagely washington treated his successor to the presidency, john adams. i want to look at this just in a little bit more detail with you. but when the french learned of jay's treaty, they were, as you can guess, extremely angry. they immediately began seizing american ships, confiscating cargo. when adams succeeded as president, there was a real possibility of war although jefferson and republicans were sympathetic to france, see this as an absolute disaster. adams feels that french actions and as we can stop this we are going to go to war with -- so he takes a page our of washington's book -- remember, washington, when there was danger of congress or relations with england, he sends john jacob, he sends a three-man envoy over in an effort to see if we can find a way out of this very serious dilemma. the stage is set for what is called the xyz affair in the history books. john marshall and elbridge gerry -- by the way, we get the more gerrymandering from this individual -- were met with a series of humiliating conditions before negotiations could even begin -- not only would adams have to apologize for things he said but france is going to be given a huge loan and there is going to be a lot of personal bribery involved for their right to meet with him in the american reaction was no way. adams when they told him about it said that unfortunately the piece commission has been unsuccessful. now the republicans feel, why is it unsuccessful? because adams made unreasonable demands -- really, in this case -- you want to know what happened? and then he releases statements and when the american people read just how wrong they had been treated by france, the country went wild with anger, real significant shift in the attitude as you might guess. the famous quote, millions for defense but not one cent for tribute, that was expressed in this crisis -- a burst of patriotism swept through congress. they passed an act for a new army of up to 10,000 men. they also, by the way, passed rather draconian laws known as the alien and sedition, dealing with feelings in the country, giving the president power to remove them, sedition for treasonous actions, newspaper articles that were bad you could be put in prison. they test the enemy wherein we must deal with -- this is not a new issue. comes up time and time again. but who would up? who would command? who else but the man who saved the country from great britain? before even receiving washington's agreement to serve, president adams nominated him to be in the senate -- by the way unanimously confirmed -- every time i look at washington, it is unanimous. unanimously commander-in-chief. unanimously president of the constitutional convention. unanimously president of the united states, unanimously reelected, unanimously appointed as the attorney general and commander-in-chief of all the armies raised or to be raised into service in the united states. what a record. would he accept? now there is no question he is livid at france. one of the visitors as washington have seen, i will pour out the last drop of languages yet in my fees to defend us against these french violations. guess who made that comment wrote -- the guest who made that comment wrote, i have never heard and speak with so much candor and it is clear if you look at the correspondence before he is appointed, he is exploring the option with alexander hamilton as to whether he should take in one he should expect to do if he is going to do or now the first of course washington every time -- always starts, i don't want to leave mount vernon. please don't ask me, i don't want it appeared he told hamilton, i would go with as much reluctance from my peaceful abode as i should go to the tombs of my ancestors. he worried about, could he succeed? is he to load? -- is he too old? what it be viewed as a restless? he says as much as we would like to one cannot simply strike years off of age? wouldn't it be sweet if we could? one point of importance for washington. does he have the power to pick his immediate subordinates and have the people around him that he wants to have? at the apps of the top of his wish list is alexander hamilton. washington -- by the way -- it is official, today, that hamilton stays on the $10 bill. [applause] andrew jackson bit the dust, but hamilton is going to be there. there would have been a rebellion if that had not been the case. hisants hamilton to be second in command. and since washington says i am not going to take the field unless france invades for all practical purposes and want and -- purposes, hamilton will be in charge of this army. this insistence is going to cause him trouble on two different fronts. him trouble cause with one of his dearest friends, henry knox. fact that he would be ranked under hamilton. hamilton was a colonel in the war. knoxwas an insult that could not take. how could you do to me kind of breakup letter to washington and he refuses to serve. from washington's perspective, he is not apologetic. he later put it this one, a good quote on how washington does things -- with respect to i can say with truth there is not a man in the , united states with whom i have been inhabited greater intimacy, no one love more sincerely but esteem, love, and friendship can have no influence on my mind when i concede the subjugation of our government and independence are the objects aimed at by the enemies of our peace when possibly over all is at stake. washington is always going to do what he things is right for the -- is going to do what he thinks it is right for the country and let the critics be damned. adams had both a deep distrust and a visceral dislike of alexander hamilton. he once called him that bastard brat of a scottish peddler. abigail adams is more scathing. he has lascivious in his eyes, that man. the idea that adams is going to pick him, rubs adams the wrong way, and he feels as commander-in-chief, he has a right to appoint the order in which he wishes. however however, it is equally , -- however, it is equally clear from washington's perspective that he accepted the position only with a clear if not explicitly-stated that very clearly-stated view that he would have the right to pick these people which he felt was absolutely essential. he said hamilton's services should be secured at almost any price. he gives a long letter of recommendation, really to adams, , why hamilton? quick in perceptions. his judgment is intuitively great. qualities essential to military character, his loss will be irreparable. we must have him and we must have him as a number two. but really, he really puts the screws on adams. adams needs washington. and washington will not do it unless he goes along with hamilton. adams makes a fairly interesting point. he said if i can make washington president of the united states , i would be glad to do so. but, i never said i would hold ,he office and be responsible while he executes it. that is where the tension comes from. he indicates, and this goes on for several months, he is going to rank hamilton third. and washington rights a letter to one other cabinet members the , president ought to ponder well before he attends to change the arrangement. it seems to me a rather thinly veiled threat to resign up his wishes were ignored. eventually adams caved in on this point. he signed them all on the same day. said if there is just you, washington can decide how to rank them, so he does give him. i wonder how washington would have responded if somebody had treated him in a similar way when he was actually president? --l, the whole class i wore the whole quasi-war this is, as , i say, not his brightest chapter. washington spent six weeks in philadelphia. you've got an officer of the army into a list of other people applying, washington, by the way is a tough judge. drunk --is notes, fat, washington does not want, neither does the federal leaders want any of the officers in the service to be other than federalists. which, of course if you're not a , federalist, you can see how you might be a little uncomfortable on the other side of the coin. he explained by why the secretary mchenry when he sent -- said this -- one could as soon scrub a black man white as to change the principle of a professed democrat, such persons, he wrote, will leave nothing tempted to overturn the government of this country. the jefferson republicans call themselves republicans, republican democrats, the opponents called in the opposition party or democrats -- eventually, of course, jefferson's republican party becomes the modern democratic party, but it is a kind of tricky exchange with different usage of the terms. we contacted if you want in the q&a. the point is, i think washington really doubted patriotism of his opponent. it really comes to this, as bill abbott put it the judicious , nonpartisan and moderate george washington acting and talking like the most partisan of the reactionary federalists. well neither of french invasion , nor the american army materialize, and washington returns to mount vernon -- by the way, having spent a long time trying to get a brand-new uniform. his stepdaughter was nearing his -- stepdaughter was marrying his nephew on washington's birthday in february of 1799. he want to the uniform to come but in those days, things don't always work out. they could not get the gold embroidery and it failed. i don't think he ever saw that i i don't think he ever saw that, but i am not 100% positive. but he doesn't leave politics, he is writing letters to patrick henry who is now prohibited the federalist power. richard henry lee, a really, runs for the legislator and we need good federalists in virginia is under the control of the jeffersonian republicans. would he himself consider running again? there is a fascinating letter in july of 1799 from the governor of connecticut and many other federalists, saying to washington, you must, one more time, go into the breach to save us, as he put it, from a french president. only washington could do it. washington's letter back is an interesting one. and he says why he does not see it that way. and the reason is, the politics are changing dramatically. during the rise of political parties and the rise of popular participation. in this new era of democratic politics, washington says, personal influence and distinctions of character no longer matter, and he went on to make an interesting comment. he said if members of the , jeffersonian republican party set up a broomstick as their candidate, call today to son of liberty, or a democrat, or any other epitaph, it is no longer but -- and ween, issue of men but it is of , parties in washington doesn't want to be involved. would anything change his mind about this decision? it is interesting he does not rule out any further involvement when he writes to lawrence about his plans. and he has plans for mount vernon but he qualifies it by saying, this is what i am going to do if i should not be called again into the public service of my country. he has not closed the door because the situation in france is still up in the air, let alone the political situation. there would be more pressure to heat the federalist party call. a good friend of washington wrote washington the best letter in 1789 my washington must accept the president. he writes another better at the end of 1799 why washington must run in 1800. interestingly, washington never read it. he died two days before it came to mount vernon. you know, people -- would he have run again? my own assessment, that is all it is, i do not think so. i certainly hope not. it would have been the wrong way to end this remarkable administration, and i don't the he would have. but we didn't run the film through, so we could not decide. and on the other side john adams said if washington had left, he would have run again, so that is where i leave it and i think he is mistaken but we never can be sure. he is not going to have to make a decision because of a sudden death in december of 1799. and before we examine that death, i want to touch briefly on his attitude toward death as well as the question of life after death. washington is particularly reticent on religious questions and he is not always consistent. views are subject to different interpretations. everybody wants washington to believe what they believe. and they are a subject of considerable controversy, some of which i have been involved in. with that qualifier, here is a summary of my take on them, and we, of course, discuss the more in the q&a if you wish. there are several points to be made about washington's attitude toward death. first, for whatever combination of reasons, he was not afraid of dying. thomas jefferson wrote that washington was incapable of fear. his legendary courage as commander-in-chief of the continental army might have inspiredis aid, but it his men. his actions at princeton with this training has taken, he was as close to enemy lines as a picture is to a battle when the firing burst out at princeton. at places like brandywine his , response to falling shells at yorktown, someone said he is cool like a bishop at prayer or -- at prayer, demonstrating a man seemingly immune from normal fear in the presence of death. to his his response baptism by fire is telling. how many would respond the same way? i heard the bullets whistle, believe me, there is something charming in the sound. not many men are wired that way. washington was long a number with what we call aerobic death. heroic death. death is a worthy death. as he put it to sally fairfax, when a british officer died, this was his view, and a fairly young officer dead -- who is there that is not envy rather than regret a death that gives birth to honor and glorious mery? let me explain briefly why i chose the title i did for tonight's talk, which some of you may be a little puzzled, not gently into the good night. it is drawn as many of you may know from dylan thomas's famous that do not go gently into good night. i chose that because i wanted to emphasize how i is and future looking -- future-looking washington was right up until time of his death. when you look at his papers, all of a sudden there is a 20 pages of instructions to james anderson setting out what to do with every farm and every field , and every meadow, would, and pasture for the next three years, he writes it days -- in the early days before his own death. washington was not done living when he died. and, by the way, his mind was extremely sharp. don't buy it that he is getting senile as president. you read his papers. if that is senility, i am looking forward to it, i tell you that. [laughter] but whether he would agree with the major stanza of dylan thomas's poem, that is another question. this is the first stanza. do not go gentle into that good night. old age should burn and rave at close of day. rage, rage, against the dying of the light. now, publicly, washington would never rage against the dying of the light. as far as one can tell from all extent records, washington always confronted the prospect of his own death with remarkable equanimity and composure. as president, you might or might not know you must died twice, once from a malignant carbuncle on his thigh and the following , year from a very severe case of pneumonia. in both cases, washington's recorded responses were stoic in the extreme. his position recalled sician recalled washington's reaction in a book when he wrote washington said, do not flatter me, i am not afraid to die and i can't therefore hear the worst. where there tonight or 20 years hence, makes no difference, i know i am in the hands of a good providence. when his soul, surviving brother , washington had three brothers and a sister -- he was firstborn outlived them all. first, writes, i was the now the last of my father's children by the second marriage. when i shall be called upon to follow them, it is known only to the giver of life when the summit comes i shall endeavor to obey it in good grace. that obviously is not raging against the dying of the light but i do in reading through his , attitudes toward death, i see myself there is a subconscious touch of rage in his attitude. he calls death the grim change. -- the grim came --k the grim ing. rim king. washington is not yet 30 years old -- very near what he called his last gas, feared that the grim king would master my utmost deference and cause him to sink in spite of a noble struggle. death was the enemy. you look for trends he uses to describe death, there are a load of words, a stroke, a severe stroke. and when people die, you almost always refer to them as poor lawrence, for colonel harrison, referring to his own death. he used these terms. he wrote about his approaching decay, the hour of my dissolution, of going to the shades of darkness, to sleep with my father to the shades , below, to the tomb of my ancestors, to the dreary mansions of my father's. death was that country from whence no traveler returns. this image is not a bright one. it is certainly not a christian one. element ofe is an raging against the dying of the light. washington, without any question, belief in life after death. although it is not clear exactly what is involved in that. depending on what passages you read when patsy dies, she is sheg to a happier place, h is in the hand of a good providence. and number of times he writes about happiness hereafter, but the happiness hereafter is almost always connected as far as i can tell with being virtuous in this world as opposed to the more saved by the sacrifice of jesus approach -- it is more works then faith in washington's interpretation. but i was struck perhaps the most striking aspect of washington's views of life after death centers on what he did not say. not once in all of his authentic correspondence, did he explicitly indicate his believe in the reunion of loved ones in heaven. the greatest comfort of religion in general of christianity in particular is this washington urges people to get consolation from religion but he never wrote the specific kind of action that might give comfort to them or to himself when his favorite of her -- when his favorite brother jack died, he writes, i have made an eternal farewell to my beloved brother. when he saw his mother on her deathbed, he wrote, never expecting to see her more. they are not moderated by in this world or other such phrases. how is washington going to face when death actually comes to seek him? there is a wonderful snippet in the play "the lion in winter." and it goes this way -- what does it matter -- this is an interesting question -- what does it matter how a man dies? -- how a man falls, however men dies? the answer is one that washington would have agreed with completely. it matters a great deal when falling is the only thing left to do. it is very important to washington to have lived his life with honor, and it is very ends his lifet he with honor. as an italian poet expressed, a good death does honor to an entire life. last act.would be the in washington is always using the theater analogy -- he wants to exit the stage in the proper manner, and he is fully expected, as he demonstrated so many times before. he would make a final summons with good grace. imagine, just how difficult that final challenge would be. one of the surprises i found when i did research on this for a book on the subject, was just 'sw painful george washington last day on earth was. this gives a varied different image, peacefully, if you read mason, he closes his arms over his chest. barry piso, calm, going to sleep. peaceful, calm, going to sleep. in actual fact, the truth is quite different. it is very quick and unexpected. washington was in excellent health on december 12. this is the last drawing of washington taken early in 1799. and he went out to check on his farms. he remained outside for approximately five hours, even though as he recorded in his journal, the weather was very disagreeable, constant fall of rain, snow with a high wind. getting wet and chilled, washington decided not to change close -- not to change clothes before dinner. already beginning to show signs of a cough and a cold and sore throat the following morning, despite bad weather, he still went outside to mark trees he pointed to have cut down. by the evening of the 13th, he was still very horse, still in good spirits, reading sections of the newspaper -- incidentally dumping on jefferson's lieutenants, munro, in madison. by the early hours of saturday morning on the 14th, the disease had progressed so rapidly that washington, feverish, awoke, very uncomfortable, he would be dead before the day ended. why? certainly, it is impossible to know for sure. but the most convincing evidence in my mind is that he died of what is called acute epiglottis. thatpiglottis is that part goes down into your throat and your windpipe. serious thingmely -- it is an extremely serious thing now you can treat it with , penicillin but in those days, a very serious thing if you are unfortunate enough to get it. because it could impact your airway and compromise breathing. this is the really frightening epiglottis.acute the first thing an infant learns to do is to breathe in the second is to swallow. and to have these two absolutely basic functions dramatically impaired his very frightening to anyone no matter how brave, or courageous he or she may be. unlike any other mortal, washington had to face the terror of air hunger. of gasping for each breath. and his constant restlessness and changing positions throughout the day was part of this in this effort to meet this most basic of needs. essentially, he painfully -- he slowly and painfully, essentially set the case to death over a long period of time. he is not able to speak hardly at all that aggravates a situation that much more. now, there is not one thing that was done to washington for washington that was done -- that was not done in love in the past medical practice of the day by dr. james craig, but virtually everything they did made the bad situation worse. let me illustrate -- washington was blood four different times. over 80 ounces of blood removed. he had blisters apply to his body. h he was given the various purgatives. causing both vomiting and diarrhea. how much discomfort these actions would have caused to a man who had great difficulty swallowing and struggling for each and every breath is easier to imagine then to describe. the way one of faces death is revealing of one's character. we do not have time to go into it. i do in my book in depth -- but washington's courage, his concern for others, his sense of duty, his modesty shine through in markable fashion. going tove me, he is need every one of his resources to try to deal with this ordeal. he knew it, as he said to dr. craig, i go hard, but i am not afraid to go. as the microbial storm raged unabated throughout his body, it became increasingly clear that this was one storm that even the heroic george washington could not weather. although i imagine his bodily strength prolonged the act of dying. as the end approach, washington wanted to emphasize that he was not through to be buried at least until two days after he died. lear, who was so choked up with emotion, was unable to respond. washington pressed him, do you understand me? lear said he did in washington uttered his last recorded words, 'tis well. the losing struggle for oxygen and the corresponding buildup of carbon dioxide ultimately overwhelmed the great general. dr. craig was by the fireplace lost in grief with the pain he could do nothing to say the man he so loved, and felt, i am sure as many of you have experienced in your life, the truth of the words of the prophet -- love eows not its own deathd -- depth until the hour of separation. has washed and lapsed into unconsciousness, closed his -- as washington lapsed into unconsciousness, he closed his eyes they and that had been , taking his poles fell to his side, his countenance changed, and he then expired without a struggle or a sigh. the great mind so steady in its operation, so sure at its conclusions, had failed. here was no more than an empty vessel, drained of the subsistence of a nation. when a revolutionary war veteran to as a, referred melancholy intelligence of washington's demise, he dropped and exclaimed, i rejoice that i have been a soldier under washington. we can rejoice that we are citizens of a great country that he founded. and let us forever be grateful that the father of our great nation left us a lasting example of love for a united country, the desire to expand freedom, respect for others, the importance of courage and duty, and the desire to live and die for the type of honor in character that winds -- that wins respect and admiration or all of those left behind. thank you very much. [applause] c-span is taping tonight's talk and q&a. pg language. use they have someone to hand a microphone over to you. thell remember to repeat question if you speak into the microphone. that would be fine. i will work a one last time because some of you are new. perfectly fine to ask any question, not necessarily on tonight's topic, but if you are interested on something on washington, you can do that. i will do the best i can to answer. there are no foolish questions. i mayare some questions not be able to respond as well as. within that background, that as give one more minute for those people who wish to leave and we will stay another 10 minutes or so depending on the q&a session. has any one seeing andrew hamilton on broadway? just curious. ok, i think it is quiet enough to start. someone have a microphone, yes. the deaths of the slaves from rabies took more than anticipated. was not aware that folks could recover from rabies because it was him was 100% fatal. do you know anything about that disease process? >> the question is whether the survival of christopher shield bitten by a rabid dog. was if the dog was a rabid or not? washington thought he was. $25ave christopher shield to cover his expenses. the guy got married in the meantime. inhington has a little note his expense accountable, christopher gave me back $12 after the trip. whether it was rabid or not, i don't know. there is no question he recovered and washington later wrote he is not afraid of being bitten by a mad dog again. others come other questions? yes. wait, there is a question with a microphone. >> what can you tell us about his wills? did he leave instructions? about question is what washington and wills? well after hete a was made commander-in-chief of the continental army. will hebably was the had throughout the remainder of his life until the summer of 1799. he decided to write his own will . it is a long, detailed 29 page, handwritten will. he apologizes. up mountto divide vernon, and it is a fascinating will. w hisil -- will is almost his farewell address. he is free know the slaves and it should be religiously carried out. when he was dying, he called speak. and was able to it was painful, but not complete hoarseness. he told mother to get the two wills from his office. burn one of them. that is what she did. if you speak and i will repeat. [indiscernible] >> it is always hard to do. what would washington think of ae current moves for revolutionary movement on the right and left? anhington is a big of elitist and his philosophy. believer inng republican government. government of the people and for the people. he is not a great champion of just by the people. little bit, he would be nervous -- he is always worried, get too far if you out on the sides. he is essentially a moderate person. the rightamilton on and jefferson on the left in washington in the middle. champion that legitimate government comes from the people and follows the will of the people, and therefore, that is the case. when he wants to change the articles of the confederation, that he feels is leading to a crisis, he says in a democratic form of government, the people have to feel before they react. have they felt enough in order to act? i don't know how many of you are quick to say we could totally change it. that is another topic. be worried. would worried. yes. >> you touched on it a little bit, but maybe we can go further when you expressed the view that he did not -- that you did not think washington would run again. let's suppose he survives -- the threat of a jefferson presidency, do you think he would have done anything else by not running to prevent that from happening? think the only effective think he could have done was to run. the reason i take, i hope he wouldn't, he wanted to show that he was in disposable. it was important to him to give up power and step back. you can argue he did that, and ,herefore, now in an emergency just like he did when france might invade us, you can make the case. it would have been nice if we could run the film through and go back. thatnot going to go on day, that may not work out. we cannot do that. that is informed speculation. i find it so hard to try and figure out what happened. the idea of what might have happened, i will leave that to somebody else. yes. [indiscernible] is, how did bad terms with france affect his relationship with lafayette? there is a wonderful correspondence between them. to lead france into a moderate revolution and ended up ultimately trying to escape, was captured, thrown in prison for many, many years. greate comes out, the french foreign minister, locking it writes to washington and says, i want to come to america help smoothnd to things out. interestingly, washington rights lafayette, don't come. because if you come, you will be involved in the. you cannot come without being used by people and to missing things up. ing things up. at the end, washington says barry q negative things about lafayette. says the end, washington very few negative things about lafayette. whys another example lafayette does not come. -- 1824.ome in 1924 there is a question there. >> even though adams views washington's cabinet during his administration, as time went on, adams mistrusted his cabinet, washington's cabinet during his administration. he began to use abigail as his most trusted advisor. was washington aware of that? has his closest adviser, and if so, how did he feel about it? adams question is how did feel about abigail adams' as role -- abigail adams's role in that? i don't know of many would have known it at the time. adams is increasingly angry at, he willly mchenry, and ultimately fire washington's cabin. what happens in this story, and adam said this is what he was most proud of -- the french -- this ishat if when the polling is coming to power, and said, if america nvoy, thisher oe one will be treated properly. the excitement of the day for the federal list is, we are fighting against france. we rally. if there is no threat from france, quiet down. nvoy and as a en peace treaty is worked out. he loses to jefferson. he was always proud of that. but he was very, very angry at what he felt was the underhanded treatment of his own cabinet members. other any more questions? questions?e any more do -- did he ultimately [indiscernible] >> the question was what did he do with the land in ohio? he sold a lot of it during his presidency, gave up a lot, gave family.mbers of his but he envisions mount vernon being broken up and does not expect mount vernon to be the secular shrine that it is. in terms of washington's desire for secular immortality, this is not absolute. i think it is accurate, but i am not positive. there is a plan that washington wants to have his body put in the center of the capital after he dies as a unifying force because right after he dies, his wife agreed there was a move to do that. said, that is ok with me as long as i am next to him, indicating this was talked about before. washington really envisioned himself in his death still has a and right in the center of the capital, would be his call. it is not there. the secular shrine is mount vernon. know, what a person we have been studying and reading. someone used the analogy, think of a great star that is burned out, but the light still shines in the flex. sometimes i think of washington, he is gone, but the light of his example, his insights, his gift to us -- we would not have been one country. we would have broken up into many different countries. it is not politically correct to talk on what they call the great man theory of history. it is more mass movement. i am convinced with the nelson of the world, an individual man can make a dramatic history. has one single individual made a more profound lasting, and i would take beneficial impact than our own george washington. thanks so much. [applause] americane watching history tv. 48 hours of programming on american history every weekend on c-span3. forow us on twitter information on our schedule and to keep up with the latest history news. this weekend on lectures and history, georgetown professor maurice jackson teaches a class on the philosophy of the vb to , a civil.e.b. du bois rights activist. here is a preview. challenged booker t. washington, to except things as they are, to go slow and participate in industrial education. the best way to establish a difference was a poet by dudley randall at the height of the black power movement. it seems to me, it shows a might be lot of cheek to study chemistry and greek. when mr. trolley needs a hand to e the cotton on this land. i don't agree. another place for a hand or a cook. and some cultivating and land. what is he saying there? it is a struggle between industrial education and advanced education. -- veb to boys and booker t w.e.b. du bois and booker t disgusted. >> watch the entire program on american history tv. only on c-span3. next on american history tv, stanford university history professor ana minian talks about mexican migration to the united states in the 20th century. she focuses on the roles of both the u.s. and mexican governments and immigration policy. interviewedtory tv professor ana minian at this year's annual meeting of american historians in providence, rhode island. this is about 12 minutes. what was the program? ana: it was this guestworker program.

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