Timepieces that have appeared on the wrists—or in the pockets—of the commander in chief throughout the centuries tell us a lot about their sartorial style and character. George Washington Jean-Antoine Lépine Pocket Watch (Courtesy of National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors) In November 1778, Gouverneur Morris asked George Washington if he could get him…
Presidential Watches: 6 Timepieces Worn by American Presidents
How to Be a Better Conversationalist, According to 5 American Presidents
When an American president speaks, it is heard around the world. Their words of wisdom are just as applicable to our everyday conversations. Be Open-Minded When he said, “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better,” Abraham Lincoln understood that one’s instinctive dislike of someone might have been formed in ignorance….
John Robson: What Would George Washington Say About the Current State of Affairs?
Commentary What would George Washington say? I can ask, even about modern politics, this July 4 because America’s first president was a man of such studious self-control that his answer, though furiously indignant, would be printable. As a Canadian I should also ask what Sir John A. Macdonald would say about our southern neighbour pondering…
The Battle of Monmouth: A Most Consequential Revolutionary War Battle
In spite of the victory in New York at Saratoga in October of 1777, several losses around the same time in Pennsylvania resulted in the capture of the capital city of Philadelphia, which forced the Second Continental Congress to flee to York. The rather demoralized Continental Army would spend the winter at Valley Forge. Miserably…
The Education and Experiences That Shaped America’s First Founding Father
The midwife who ushered George into the world thought he had the largest bones of any baby she had ever seen. It was February 1732. George took after his father in size and strength and was the first of six children born to Mary and Augustine Washington Sr. The growing Washington family lived a simple…
Book Review: ‘The Lost Diary of George Washington: The Revolutionary War Years’
George Washington kept a diary throughout his life except for a break during the bulk of the war years. When he resumed his diary in May of 1781, his first entry expressed his regret that he had not kept to this daily discipline during the most crucial years in the nation’s fight for independence. Inspired…
The Founders and the Constitution, Part 9: George Washington
Commentary Historian Forrest McDonald itemized some of George Washington’s constitutional contributions in American National Biography Online: “His role in working out the details of the Constitution was minimal, but Washington was important to the success of the convention withal. His very attendance, together with Benjamin Franklin’s, ensured the convention respectability and public trust … His…
George Washington’s Dilemma: To Be Cato or Caesar
In August 1755, George Washington had been made commander in chief of Virginia’s colonial forces. A year later, however, the 25-year-old commander became incensed at being passed over for a royal commission. He was also bitter over the manner in which his fellow Virginians, those who had “behaved like men and died like soldiers,” had…
Conrad Black: A Tale of Two Countries: The Trajectory of Conservatism in Canada and US
The following is a speech delivered by Conrad Black at the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference 2023 in Ottawa on March 24, 2023. I have been asked to give a summary of the development and current condition of conservatism in the United States and Canada. Please allow me to begin with a bit of…
History Off the Beaten Path: A Natural Wonder With Distinguished Ties
On my way up to see Pennsylvania family and friends from my home in western North Carolina, I spotted a small road sign in Rockbridge County, Virginia on Interstate 81 that piqued my interest. I pulled down a simple road and into a parking lot that indicated it was the entranceway to the official state…
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