George Washington Wired

You are sitting comfortably on the wide Piazza at Mount Vernon, watching the sun set on the Potomac River. A soft breeze washes over you as you chat leisurely with the teacher on your right. An interesting woman who has the most creative way of teaching about Martha Washington that you have ever heard- you have already exchanged email addresses and look forward to sharing ideas in the future. As you take a sip of the cool white wine and appreciate the evening, Cokie Roberts, sitting in the chair on your left, shares a fascinating tidbit of information about Martha that she is planning to include in her next book. A waiter glides up to offer you another mini-crab cake- yum! As the conversation continues around you, you think back to the busy week you are having at the George Washington Teachers’ Institute. You are a little tired from waking up early to watch the sun rise above the Wharf, but the workshops and lectures kept you engaged throughout the day. Who knew that the author of that book about the Revolutionary War that you just read would be one of your lecturers? You even bought another copy of the book just to have him sign it. Living on the grounds of Mount Vernon makes you feel like one of the thousands of visitors that the Washingtons would hospitably welcome. While you miss your family, it will be very hard to leave this lovely experience behind.

Sound dreamy? Apply for the George Washington Teachers Institute this summer on our website.

Image by L. Toshio Kishiyama.

The history of the slaves that lived and worked at Mount Vernon is an integral part of the story that we tell. George Washington spent 40 years transforming a small farmhouse into the iconic mansion that stands today, as well as expanding his land to include five farms, a gristmill, distillery, and blacksmith shop. While Washington played a very active role in overseeing his farms and managing renovations on his home, he was no DIY-er. At Washington’s death in 1799, there were 316 slaves living and working at Mount Vernon, and it was these men, women, and children who made Mount Vernon a beautiful, prosperous plantation. To ensure that these individuals are not ignored in the classroom, we provide a range of lesson plans about slave life at Mount Vernon on our website. The elementary lesson “A Day at Mount Vernon” uses a story to show the connections between the Washington family and their slaves, the middle school lesson, “Washington & Slavery: 1799 Census” examines the slave census that Washington compiled shortly before his death, and the high school lesson, “George Washington Stood Here on the Issue of Slavery” examines the contradictions of being both a slave owner and a freedom fighter. Please leave a comment about ways that you teach about colonial slavery in your classroom!

Using George Washington’s personal journals and the Mount Vernon Ladies Association guest books, Mount Vernon’s historians are able to track the thousands of famous visitors that have visited Mount Vernon since the years when Washington himself would receive them at the door. Founding Fathers, such as Jefferson, Madison, and Patrick Henry, artists such as Jean Antoine Houdon and Charles Willson Peale, and even American lexicographer Noah Webster were amongst the hundreds of guests that the Washingtons would graciously welcome each year. In fact, much of what we know about Mount Vernon in the 1700’s is gleaned from the journals and letters of visitors who described everything from the music and food to the slaves and farms.

The American pilgrimage to Mount Vernon did not end at Washington’s death in 1799, however. Famous visitors have included the Roosevelts, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Brigham Young, Prince Charles, Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, and Michelle Obama and her daughters. The Kennedys hosted a state dinner at Mount Vernon honoring the President of Pakistan in 1961. Countless celebrities from Barry Manilow to Harrison Ford have walked the same paths as Washington, all perhaps hoping to soak in a little bit of his greatness (admittedly, that’s just a guess). It’s clear that the hospitality of the Washingtons extends to Mount Vernon today, and the desire to see the home that Washington loved so dearly is still as strong as it was in the 18th century.

As Mount Vernon educators, we spend a lot of time coming up with creative, novel ways to teach about George Washington and his life at Mount Vernon. We do everything from writing elaborate content to dancing around in costume, giving extremely well-researched tours to plowing fields with oxen, providing detailed lesson plans to cooking hoe-cakes over an open fire. So it can sometimes be discouraging when you come across a simply worded and adorably pictured piece in the New York Times that sums up George Washington’s life. Sigh… so cute. The piece by Maura Kalman can be linked to here. Enjoy!