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NEWT GINGRICH: How does one
become a national symbol?
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A man so important, a nation
names its capital for him.
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CALLISTA GINGRICH:
And builds one of the tallest
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monuments on Earth
to commemorate his life.
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We put his face on a mountain
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and our money.
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NEWT: We call him
the father of our country.
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But do we remember why
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George Washington deserves
this singular honor?
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CALLISTA: He was a farmer.
An architect. A surveyor.
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He commanded
the Continental Army
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against the military power
of Great Britain.
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He lost more battles
than he won,
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but still won America's war
for independence.
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NEWT: He presided over
the Constitutional Convention
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which gave us our republican
form of government.
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He was a citizen politician
and our first president.
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Earlier generations of Americans
grew up
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with a portrait of Washington
in their schoolrooms.
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George Washington defined
our understanding of America.
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CALLISTA: Today, Washington
remains ubiquitous.
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He's part of our
national landscape.
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But in many ways,
George Washington
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has become the most elusive
and enigmatic
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of our founding fathers.
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JOE ELLIS: Well, that's
the problem with Washington.
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He is everywhere.
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He's sort of
in everybody's wallet,
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but not in their hearts,
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because he's so iconic.
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And the ivy has grown
over his statue in such a way
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that it's a real challenge
to try to figure out
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who is that man
behind the monument.
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NEWT: For generations
of Americans,
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George Washington was essential
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to understanding the creation
of the United States of America.
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Commander-in-chief
of the Continental Army,
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first president,
and father of our country.
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CALLISTA:
Washington was committed
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to creating a republic based
on liberty and self-government--
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the very principles
that make us American.
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ALLEN GUELZO: Americans today
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need to remember
George Washington,
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they need to remember him
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because he really does have
an ongoing legacy for us.
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We live today very much
in the America
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that George Washington
helped to make.
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VICTOR DAVIS HANSON:
And he surely did something
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that 10 years later
Napoleon never did;
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and that is be given power
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and then voluntarily
give up that power.
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DOUGLAS BRINKLEY: He was
comfortable in his own skin.
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He was never trying to be
something that he wasn't.
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And so there was an authenticity
factor to Washington.
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What you saw was what you got.
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If he didn't have
the blazing intellect
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of some of the political figures
of that era,
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he trumped them in spades
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by the respect that he generated
among the masses
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because he was a doer,
not just a thinker.
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*
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[gunfire]
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CALLISTA:
They pledged their lives,
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their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.
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If they lost, most would be
jailed or hanged.
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NEWT: They were taking on
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the greatest fighting force
in history,
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with an amateur army
and no navy.
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And at the center
of this whirlwind of history
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was a seemingly providential
collection of great minds
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unafraid of revolution
in the pursuit of liberty,
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including Hamilton, Franklin,
Adams, Jefferson, Madison,
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and Washington.
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*
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ELLIS: If you asked
all the prominent founders--
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and let's just go down a list
for a second.
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Franklin is probably the wisest,
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Madison is probably
the most politically acute,
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Jefferson is most
intellectually sophisticated,
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Adams is the best read,
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Hamilton is probably
the smartest,
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but they all said
the same thing--
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Washington is the greatest
of us all.
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HANSON: Washington
was the indispensable American
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because we can just
ask ourselves,
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had Hamilton or Jefferson
or Adams or Franklin,
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could any of them have done
what Washington did
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and could Washington have done
what they did?
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It's very hard to see anybody
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like Jefferson or Adams
or Madison getting on a horse
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and leading an army and imbuing
them with revolutionary spirit.
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And so Washington could do what
the other founders could not.
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NEWT: Washington's famous
reserve and self control
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made him appear aloof
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and masked a complex man
of deep passions
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and a sometimes
explosive temper.
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While the other founders
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enjoyed showing off
their intellectual gifts,
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Washington preferred to reveal
as little as possible.
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ELLIS: Washington was
the master of the silence.
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He kept his mouth shut
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while more insecure men
were blathering on.
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Plus, if you look at his diary,
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you'd think, well,
there's something
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that's going to tell you
about the inner man,
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but it's all about the weather;
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it has nothing to do with
the interior storms inside him.
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BRINKLEY:
He's unusual for a great man
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in that he wasn't an egotist.
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There was not a sense
of what we call today
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of narcissism in him.
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There is ample evidence
of Washington's humility,
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his general kindness,
his basic decency,
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his ability to be fair
to a soldier.
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And so, hence,
he was a great leader.
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A quiet word
from George Washington
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echoed very loudly;
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he simply led by example.
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WALTER ISAACSON: Washington
had a commanding presence.
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He was sort of intimidating.
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He was made of marble
even back then.
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And people around him
sort of joked
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about whether or not
you'd touch him on the back.
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But he was the one who commanded
the respect like a general.
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ELLIS: He is elusive
even in his own time,
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and he's a legend
in his own time.
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So that for all those reasons,
as a historian or a biographer
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trying to go back
and recover the man,
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he presents
the greatest difficulty
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of anybody I've ever tried
to write about.
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*
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CALLISTA: 1776 was a year that
had started with great promise.
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Thomas Paine's enormously
popular pamphlet Common Sense
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is a radical call to arms.
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WILLIAM FORSTCHEN: Thomas Paine
was a washed-up businessman,
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failed marriage back home.
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I think at one point
he was a corset maker.
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And then he hits his moment.
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He writes the very famous
pamphlet Common Sense,
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which declares this is no longer
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about defending our rights
as Englishmen,
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this is about creating
a new nation.
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The common sense approach now
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must be we must fight
for independence.
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CALLISTA: Patriots
throughout the 13 colonies
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had had enough
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with King George III's
taxes and abuses.
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A year earlier,
after years of humiliation
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at the hands of the British,
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fighting had broken out
at Lexington and Concord.
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Now was the time, many felt,
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to embrace a commitment
to independence, or "the cause."
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ELLIS: If you read
Washington's battle orders,
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and this begins in New York and
continues throughout the war,
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the word that
is the reverential word
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is the Cause, capital C-a-u-s-e,
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that we all believe
in the Cause.
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[bell tolling]
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NEWT: And so in June of 1775
the Second Continental Congress
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requests Washington's presence
in Philadelphia.
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Washington will be appointed
general and commander
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of the Continental Army.
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EDWARD LARSON:
He was always very meticulous
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about how he dressed.
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So, famously, when he went
to the Continental Congress,
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he wore his Virginia
military uniform
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because he was already showing
his willingness
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to stand up and fight
and to lead the Army.
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H.W. BRANDS: Washington was
an ambitious man,
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he was ambitious for himself
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and he was ambitious
for his country.
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BRINKLEY:
When Washington takes command,
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it is no sure thing
that there's going to be victory
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in the American Revolution.
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JOHN HANCOCK: Mr. Washington.
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It is resolved
that a general be appointed
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to command all
the continental forces,
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raised, or to be raised,
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for the defense
of American liberty.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON:
Mr. President,
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I must declare
with the utmost sincerity,
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I do not think myself equal to
the command I am honored with.
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However, as the Congress
desires it,
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I will enter upon
the momentous duty
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and exert every power I possess
in their service
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and for support
of the glorious cause.
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*
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EDWARD LENGEL: Washington
thought it was very likely
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that he would lose,
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and yet he was willing
to put himself
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entirely at the service
of this cause
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even if he lost his life,
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even if he lost his estate,
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and even if,
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and this terrified Washington
more than anything else,
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even if he went down in history
as a failure,
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he still thought
it was worth it.
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*
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*
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NEWT: Washington arrives
outside of Boston
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to find a group of eager
but woefully untrained soldiers.
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ELLIS: The Continental Army
is a bunch of amateurs.
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They are not the yeoman farmers.
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They are the derelicts,
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they are the third sons
with no inheritance,
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00:11:01,328 --> 00:11:03,330
they're recent Irish immigrants,
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there are also a lot
of African Americans,
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about 10% of the Army
is African American.
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00:11:08,168 --> 00:11:14,407
But he has an army
that is really incapable
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00:11:14,474 --> 00:11:18,278
of matching the British
on the field of battle.
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*
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MAN: The next one who leaves...
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NEWT: Washington's goal
is to transform these men
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into a professional army.
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00:11:26,820 --> 00:11:29,122
He knows the British
have superior troops,
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00:11:29,189 --> 00:11:30,924
having fought
alongside them during
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00:11:30,991 --> 00:11:32,893
the French and Indian War.
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00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:34,928
CALLISTA: General Washington
will need to draw
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00:11:34,995 --> 00:11:36,363
on that knowledge
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and other skills he gained
as a young man, or face defeat.
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ELLIS: Washington congealed
as a young man
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00:11:42,836 --> 00:11:47,340
in the frontier of Virginia,
west of the Alleghenies.
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00:11:47,407 --> 00:11:53,914
If Jefferson and Adams went
to William and Mary and Harvard,
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00:11:53,981 --> 00:11:55,949
Washington went to war.
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00:11:56,016 --> 00:12:00,420
And war was his crucible,
war is what shaped his values
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00:12:00,487 --> 00:12:05,358
and the personality
that he eventually exhibited.
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*
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CALLISTA: George Washington
was born in 1732
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00:12:17,370 --> 00:12:19,506
in Westmoreland County,
Virginia.
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00:12:19,572 --> 00:12:21,474
Though the family
was prosperous,
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00:12:21,541 --> 00:12:23,510
they were not considered
in the top tier
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00:12:23,576 --> 00:12:27,047
of Virginia's
wealthiest families.
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00:12:27,114 --> 00:12:28,181
ELLIS: As a young man,
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00:12:28,248 --> 00:12:29,549
Washington is not
to the manor born.
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00:12:29,616 --> 00:12:33,120
He doesn't have a huge
inheritance from his father,
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00:12:33,186 --> 00:12:35,155
very little indeed.
241
00:12:35,222 --> 00:12:36,256
CALLISTA: As a teenager,
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00:12:36,323 --> 00:12:38,425
Washington undertakes
unusual efforts
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00:12:38,491 --> 00:12:41,594
toward improving all aspects
of his character.
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00:12:41,661 --> 00:12:43,363
He studies life lessons
245
00:12:43,430 --> 00:12:46,433
from Rules of Civility
and Decent Behavior,
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00:12:46,499 --> 00:12:49,502
a popular book
on self improvement.
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00:12:49,569 --> 00:12:53,974
GUELZO: What he's describing
is really genteel behavior.
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00:12:54,041 --> 00:12:57,978
What were the ideals of
gentility in the 18th century?
249
00:12:58,045 --> 00:13:00,848
He lays those out and
he's going to conform to them,
250
00:13:00,914 --> 00:13:06,186
and speaking with reserve,
holding yourself properly,
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00:13:06,253 --> 00:13:11,458
even learning how to walk
into a room in the proper way.
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00:13:13,593 --> 00:13:16,296
Washington himself was
very conscious of the fact
253
00:13:16,363 --> 00:13:20,200
that he had never had
any college education.
254
00:13:20,267 --> 00:13:22,635
Unlike Jefferson or Adams,
255
00:13:22,702 --> 00:13:29,142
he had had no refined approach
to letters and the humanities.
256
00:13:29,209 --> 00:13:30,477
CALLISTA: Though very much
the outdoorsman
257
00:13:30,543 --> 00:13:34,081
who loves swimming, hiking,
hunting and fencing,
258
00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:37,584
Washington is determined
to elevate his social standing.
259
00:13:37,650 --> 00:13:42,022
He is convinced, it seems,
that important events await him.
260
00:13:42,089 --> 00:13:45,993
LARSON: One has to remember
that Washington was huge,
261
00:13:46,059 --> 00:13:50,397
that Washington was
6-foot-2, 6-foot-3,
262
00:13:50,463 --> 00:13:51,664
built like an oak tree
263
00:13:51,731 --> 00:13:55,435
in a time when people
tended to be shorter.
264
00:13:55,502 --> 00:13:57,570
And so when he walked
in the room,
265
00:13:57,637 --> 00:14:02,409
he physically dominated
that room.
266
00:14:02,475 --> 00:14:05,212
NEWT: At 17, Washington
secures a profitable job
267
00:14:05,278 --> 00:14:06,513
as a surveyor in Virginia,
268
00:14:06,579 --> 00:14:08,982
including the western frontier.
269
00:14:09,049 --> 00:14:12,052
He gains a unique knowledge
of the American landscape--
270
00:14:12,119 --> 00:14:16,589
knowledge that will serve him
later in battling the British.
271
00:14:16,656 --> 00:14:17,824
BRINKLEY: He knew the land,
272
00:14:17,891 --> 00:14:21,428
he knew where the caves were,
the creeks.
273
00:14:23,163 --> 00:14:28,301
He also had great instincts
how to read the weather.
274
00:14:28,368 --> 00:14:30,437
He understood the sun
and the moon
275
00:14:30,503 --> 00:14:33,106
as well as anybody of his era.
276
00:14:33,173 --> 00:14:35,342
He was an expert
on the topography
277
00:14:35,408 --> 00:14:37,477
of the eastern United States,
278
00:14:37,544 --> 00:14:39,612
and this allowed him
a huge advantage.
279
00:14:39,679 --> 00:14:45,152
George Washington, in many ways,
was a guerrilla fighter.
280
00:14:45,218 --> 00:14:48,989
The British would come in,
big clumsy army of redcoats,
281
00:14:49,056 --> 00:14:51,258
and Washington knew
how to go after them
282
00:14:51,324 --> 00:14:52,625
then disappear into the woods.
283
00:14:52,692 --> 00:14:57,497
So his innate knowledge
as a surveyor of the landscape
284
00:14:57,564 --> 00:15:01,969
was, bar none, superior
for his age.
285
00:15:02,035 --> 00:15:06,639
*
286
00:15:06,706 --> 00:15:08,375
NEWT: In 1753
287
00:15:08,441 --> 00:15:10,143
the lieutenant governor
of Virginia,
288
00:15:10,210 --> 00:15:11,478
Robert Dinwiddie,
289
00:15:11,544 --> 00:15:14,114
is ordered to protect
British territorial claims
290
00:15:14,181 --> 00:15:19,319
in the Ohio River Basin against
their French colonial rivals.
291
00:15:19,386 --> 00:15:21,989
He sends Washington
on a dangerous mission
292
00:15:22,055 --> 00:15:27,527
to deliver a message to
the French to vacate the area.
293
00:15:27,594 --> 00:15:29,262
CALLISTA:
Washington successfully
294
00:15:29,329 --> 00:15:31,064
delivers the message.
295
00:15:31,131 --> 00:15:34,667
But the return trip
nearly kills him.
296
00:15:38,071 --> 00:15:39,206
ELLIS: On the way back,
297
00:15:39,272 --> 00:15:42,142
they have to walk
through frozen rivers.
298
00:15:42,209 --> 00:15:43,310
Everybody else in the group
299
00:15:43,376 --> 00:15:46,246
comes down with frostbite
or sickness;
300
00:15:46,313 --> 00:15:47,714
he doesn't come down
with anything.
301
00:15:47,780 --> 00:15:51,118
He learns "survive
and you shall succeed,"
302
00:15:51,184 --> 00:15:54,221
and he's a survivor
in those early years.
303
00:15:54,287 --> 00:15:57,190
CALLISTA: Washington publishes
a journal about his adventure
304
00:15:57,257 --> 00:16:02,529
and becomes an international
celebrity at the age of 22.
305
00:16:02,595 --> 00:16:04,564
But his next trip
to the Ohio Valley
306
00:16:04,631 --> 00:16:08,035
ignites a global war.
307
00:16:08,101 --> 00:16:12,039
In 1754, Washington earns
a commission as a major
308
00:16:12,105 --> 00:16:14,741
in the Virginia militia
representing the British.
309
00:16:14,807 --> 00:16:17,577
On his second journey
into the Ohio Valley,
310
00:16:17,644 --> 00:16:20,580
Washington and his men ambush
a French scouting party,
311
00:16:20,647 --> 00:16:24,251
striking the first blow
in the French and Indian war.
312
00:16:24,317 --> 00:16:25,585
[gunfire]
313
00:16:25,652 --> 00:16:29,189
*
314
00:16:29,256 --> 00:16:30,190
[shouting]
315
00:16:30,257 --> 00:16:33,060
[gunfire]
316
00:16:33,126 --> 00:16:36,496
GUELZO: His behavior was that
of an inexperienced officer
317
00:16:36,563 --> 00:16:38,765
who bit off more
than he could chew.
318
00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:40,733
He learned a great deal
from that.
319
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,735
I think one lesson he learned
in particular
320
00:16:42,802 --> 00:16:49,176
was don't be too aggressive,
be careful what you take on.
321
00:16:49,242 --> 00:16:54,481
[gunfire]
322
00:16:54,547 --> 00:16:56,083
NEWT: The war
provides Washington
323
00:16:56,149 --> 00:16:58,418
with valuable
military experience.
324
00:16:58,485 --> 00:16:59,486
He begins to learn
325
00:16:59,552 --> 00:17:01,721
that traditional
European methods of war
326
00:17:01,788 --> 00:17:04,657
do not necessarily translate
to the colonies.
327
00:17:04,724 --> 00:17:07,227
Large columns of men
marching at each other
328
00:17:07,294 --> 00:17:09,696
are not effective in the woods.
329
00:17:09,762 --> 00:17:12,365
GUELZO: North America
is heavily forested.
330
00:17:12,432 --> 00:17:13,833
It's totally unlike Europe
331
00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:18,838
with its neatly manicured fields
and hedgerows.
332
00:17:18,905 --> 00:17:24,311
Washington learns from that
don't try to fight straight up,
333
00:17:24,377 --> 00:17:26,446
let the terrain fight for you.
334
00:17:26,513 --> 00:17:27,747
[gunfire]
335
00:17:27,814 --> 00:17:30,283
NEWT: Washington will have
another brush with death
336
00:17:30,350 --> 00:17:32,185
at the Battle of Monongahela.
337
00:17:32,252 --> 00:17:35,355
After British commanding officer
General Edward Braddock
338
00:17:35,422 --> 00:17:36,689
is mortally wounded,
339
00:17:36,756 --> 00:17:39,859
Washington steps in
to help organize a retreat.
340
00:17:39,926 --> 00:17:43,663
[men shouting]
341
00:17:43,730 --> 00:17:47,534
Washington has two horses
shot from beneath him...
342
00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:49,469
[gunfire]
343
00:17:49,536 --> 00:17:52,272
and four musket balls
pierce his coat.
344
00:17:52,339 --> 00:17:56,143
JANE HAMPTON COOK:
Yet he remained unharmed.
345
00:17:56,209 --> 00:17:57,610
WASHINGTON: This way!
346
00:17:57,677 --> 00:18:01,314
COOK: George Washington used
the word "providence" a lot
347
00:18:01,381 --> 00:18:02,682
in his writings.
348
00:18:02,749 --> 00:18:08,688
Today, we think of it
as meaning good luck or fortune.
349
00:18:08,755 --> 00:18:12,425
But back then,
it meant God's presence.
350
00:18:12,492 --> 00:18:15,928
ELLIS: Men were going down to
the right and the left of him,
351
00:18:15,995 --> 00:18:18,465
and he knows it's all
arbitrary and chance.
352
00:18:18,531 --> 00:18:20,633
You can be standing
in the wrong place
353
00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,935
and be disemboweled
by a cannonball,
354
00:18:23,002 --> 00:18:24,837
and he saw that.
355
00:18:24,904 --> 00:18:28,275
COOK: And that had to have had
an effect on him.
356
00:18:28,341 --> 00:18:29,709
Why was my life spared
357
00:18:29,776 --> 00:18:33,913
when so many of my fellow
Virginians died in this battle?
358
00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:35,282
ELLIS: He's lucky.
359
00:18:35,348 --> 00:18:38,851
By all rights, he shouldn't have
survived his twenties,
360
00:18:38,918 --> 00:18:40,853
he should have been killed
several times.
361
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,758
He came to believe that he
was charmed--because he was.
362
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,863
COOK: So this had a strong
effect on George Washington
363
00:18:50,930 --> 00:18:54,334
and his belief that maybe
my life was preserved
364
00:18:54,401 --> 00:18:56,736
for some greater purpose.
365
00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:59,972
*
366
00:19:00,039 --> 00:19:03,243
CALLISTA: During a sick leave
from the French and Indian War,
367
00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:05,278
Washington has
a fortunate encounter
368
00:19:05,345 --> 00:19:07,780
with the recently widowed
Martha Custis,
369
00:19:07,847 --> 00:19:10,350
the wealthiest woman
in Virginia.
370
00:19:10,417 --> 00:19:14,721
*
371
00:19:14,787 --> 00:19:17,557
COOK: Well, Martha Washington
was in her late twenties
372
00:19:17,624 --> 00:19:20,293
when George Washington
courted her.
373
00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:24,997
*
374
00:19:25,064 --> 00:19:27,767
In a lot of the paintings
that we see of her,
375
00:19:27,834 --> 00:19:29,202
she has white hair and a bonnet.
376
00:19:29,269 --> 00:19:33,640
And she's, you know, in the more
senior years of her life.
377
00:19:33,706 --> 00:19:36,276
But when she and
George Washington were courting,
378
00:19:36,343 --> 00:19:38,911
she was quite the catch.
379
00:19:41,814 --> 00:19:43,716
GEORGE: Would you care
for a stroll?
380
00:19:43,783 --> 00:19:45,918
MARTHA: Certainly.
381
00:19:45,985 --> 00:19:54,827
*
382
00:19:54,894 --> 00:19:57,330
You have done well, I see.
383
00:19:57,397 --> 00:20:00,267
GEORGE: Oh, thank you.
384
00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:02,402
You should come and visit
Mount Vernon.
385
00:20:02,469 --> 00:20:06,506
We are expanding the house,
building out the farms.
386
00:20:06,573 --> 00:20:11,378
One day it will be one of the
grandest houses in all Virginia.
387
00:20:11,444 --> 00:20:13,280
MARTHA: I will.
388
00:20:13,346 --> 00:20:17,384
COOK: George Washington
was 6-feet-2, he's very tall.
389
00:20:17,450 --> 00:20:21,888
When Abigail Adams met him
for the first time in 1775,
390
00:20:21,954 --> 00:20:25,358
she wrote, "I was quite struck
by General Washington.
391
00:20:25,425 --> 00:20:28,928
Citizen and soldier are
agreeably blended in him.
392
00:20:28,995 --> 00:20:32,365
Modesty marks every line
of his face."
393
00:20:32,432 --> 00:20:36,669
She was just gushing
over George Washington.
394
00:20:36,736 --> 00:20:38,938
MARTHA: Oh, it's beautiful.
395
00:20:39,005 --> 00:20:43,443
COOK: So he must have been
commanding in his appearance
396
00:20:43,510 --> 00:20:46,746
but also very charismatic.
397
00:20:46,813 --> 00:20:50,983
And there was just this
mutual attraction between them,
398
00:20:51,050 --> 00:20:53,019
but they also were both ready,
399
00:20:53,085 --> 00:20:57,990
they were both ready to have
that family and that security
400
00:20:58,057 --> 00:21:00,727
that they could each bring
one another.
401
00:21:00,793 --> 00:21:02,662
And so that's perhaps
one reason
402
00:21:02,729 --> 00:21:05,332
why their long-distance
relationship
403
00:21:05,398 --> 00:21:10,703
resulted in only three dates
and then a proposal.
404
00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:13,806
CALLISTA: In 1759,
after their wedding,
405
00:21:13,873 --> 00:21:16,008
George and Martha settle
into Mount Vernon
406
00:21:16,075 --> 00:21:19,045
with Martha's two children
from her first marriage.
407
00:21:19,111 --> 00:21:21,848
During the years leading up
to the War of Independence,
408
00:21:21,914 --> 00:21:23,816
Washington expands Mount Vernon
409
00:21:23,883 --> 00:21:26,753
and establishes himself
as a political figure
410
00:21:26,819 --> 00:21:29,889
in Virginia's
House of Burgesses.
411
00:21:29,956 --> 00:21:31,891
HANSON: He had been very active,
412
00:21:31,958 --> 00:21:34,661
not in the radical side
of revolutionary politics,
413
00:21:34,727 --> 00:21:35,762
but as someone who was
414
00:21:35,828 --> 00:21:37,797
a pragmatic
Eisenhower-like figure
415
00:21:37,864 --> 00:21:41,934
that could bring a lot
of diverse groups together.
416
00:21:42,001 --> 00:21:45,605
CALLISTA:
In 1772 Charles Wilson Peale
417
00:21:45,672 --> 00:21:46,839
visits Mount Vernon to paint
418
00:21:46,906 --> 00:21:50,543
the first known likeness
of George Washington.
419
00:21:50,610 --> 00:21:52,645
NEWT: Washington wears
his colonel's uniform
420
00:21:52,712 --> 00:21:53,946
from the French and Indian War,
421
00:21:54,013 --> 00:21:56,549
even though he had resigned
from the military
422
00:21:56,616 --> 00:21:58,885
some 14 years earlier.
423
00:21:58,951 --> 00:22:00,186
CALLISTA:
It may have been Martha
424
00:22:00,252 --> 00:22:03,055
who suggested that George
pose in his uniform,
425
00:22:03,122 --> 00:22:05,925
the same outfit he wore
when he was courting her.
426
00:22:05,992 --> 00:22:08,461
But Washington was also
acutely aware
427
00:22:08,528 --> 00:22:13,032
of the image he was promoting--
that of a leader.
428
00:22:13,099 --> 00:22:15,768
LARSON: So he knew how to dress
for an occasion,
429
00:22:15,835 --> 00:22:16,969
he knew how to look,
430
00:22:17,036 --> 00:22:22,041
and that was one
of his incredible strengths
431
00:22:22,108 --> 00:22:23,576
as a politician
432
00:22:23,643 --> 00:22:25,077
that made him a great actor.
433
00:22:25,144 --> 00:22:27,547
We have to remember
that he loved plays,
434
00:22:27,614 --> 00:22:28,748
he loved to read Shakespeare.
435
00:22:28,815 --> 00:22:32,519
So he liked acting,
and he knew how to act.
436
00:22:32,585 --> 00:22:37,990
*
437
00:22:38,057 --> 00:22:40,192
NEWT: In the summer of 1775
438
00:22:40,259 --> 00:22:42,729
Washington is
a robust 43-year-old
439
00:22:42,795 --> 00:22:45,097
and in the prime of his life.
440
00:22:45,164 --> 00:22:47,734
Just appointed commander
of the Continental Army,
441
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,836
he prepares to leave for war.
442
00:22:49,902 --> 00:22:53,205
At risk is everything
he holds dear.
443
00:22:53,272 --> 00:22:59,178
*
444
00:22:59,245 --> 00:23:02,081
GEORGE: Martha, I shall be
departing in a few moments.
445
00:23:02,148 --> 00:23:03,583
MARTHA: Yes.
446
00:23:05,652 --> 00:23:08,120
GEORGE: I know not whether
it will be in my power
447
00:23:08,187 --> 00:23:12,124
to write to you again until I
arrive at camp in Boston.
448
00:23:12,191 --> 00:23:14,627
MARTHA: You will write
when you can.
449
00:23:14,694 --> 00:23:16,896
I know that, George.
450
00:23:19,131 --> 00:23:22,168
Come and sit with me, please.
451
00:23:22,234 --> 00:23:23,870
*
452
00:23:23,936 --> 00:23:25,972
GAY HART GAINES:
I think they loved each other,
453
00:23:26,038 --> 00:23:27,306
but if you think about it,
454
00:23:27,373 --> 00:23:32,144
he was gone eight years
during the Revolutionary War
455
00:23:32,211 --> 00:23:36,549
and returned to Mount Vernon
only once.
456
00:23:36,616 --> 00:23:37,717
Just think about that.
457
00:23:37,784 --> 00:23:40,687
I think Martha Washington
was very strong.
458
00:23:40,753 --> 00:23:43,155
MARTHA: You say that you do not
want this commission,
459
00:23:43,222 --> 00:23:47,560
yet you are the only one
qualified for it.
460
00:23:47,627 --> 00:23:50,029
COOK: Martha Washington
expected George Washington
461
00:23:50,096 --> 00:23:52,832
to return to her
in the fall of 1775;
462
00:23:52,899 --> 00:23:54,501
that was his promise to her.
463
00:23:54,567 --> 00:23:55,668
And then she realized
464
00:23:55,735 --> 00:23:58,638
the war was going to go on
for a long time.
465
00:23:58,705 --> 00:24:00,773
So she decided to join him.
466
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:05,578
Historians at Mount Vernon think
that she spent 50% of the war
467
00:24:05,645 --> 00:24:07,547
with George in camp,
468
00:24:07,614 --> 00:24:10,883
which really shows you
the bonds that they had
469
00:24:10,950 --> 00:24:12,084
and the dependence that they had
470
00:24:12,151 --> 00:24:14,687
and the strength
that they gained and gleaned
471
00:24:14,754 --> 00:24:17,223
from one another
by being together.
472
00:24:17,289 --> 00:24:24,163
*
473
00:24:24,230 --> 00:24:26,633
NEWT: In Boston,
Washington takes command
474
00:24:26,699 --> 00:24:29,068
of 16,000 militiamen.
475
00:24:29,135 --> 00:24:31,604
The logistical challenges
are daunting.
476
00:24:31,671 --> 00:24:35,742
He is in desperate need of
gunpowder and other resources.
477
00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:38,244
BRINKLEY: Everything was
very strategic with Washington.
478
00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:40,947
He understood
that the key to victory
479
00:24:41,013 --> 00:24:43,149
was going to always be
supply lines,
480
00:24:43,215 --> 00:24:47,687
that you had to have munitions,
that you had to have foodstuffs,
481
00:24:47,754 --> 00:24:48,955
that you had to have blankets,
482
00:24:49,021 --> 00:24:51,624
that you had to have gunpowder
that was dry,
483
00:24:51,691 --> 00:24:52,959
and he never liked to act
484
00:24:53,025 --> 00:24:57,329
if he didn't have all of
the necessary materials for war
485
00:24:57,396 --> 00:24:59,832
at his disposal.
486
00:24:59,899 --> 00:25:01,568
NEWT: Before Washington arrives,
487
00:25:01,634 --> 00:25:03,970
the British had seized
Bunker and Breed's Hill,
488
00:25:04,036 --> 00:25:05,972
taking heavy casualties.
489
00:25:06,038 --> 00:25:08,575
With no hope of engaging
the British head to head,
490
00:25:08,641 --> 00:25:11,978
Washington sends
a 25-year-old named Henry Knox
491
00:25:12,044 --> 00:25:13,913
to bring artillery to Boston.
492
00:25:13,980 --> 00:25:15,848
[cannon fires]
493
00:25:15,915 --> 00:25:18,618
LENGEL: Henry Knox is one
of the most fascinating figures
494
00:25:18,685 --> 00:25:19,952
in the entire revolution,
495
00:25:20,019 --> 00:25:24,724
and he ends up being one
of Washington's closest comrades
496
00:25:24,791 --> 00:25:26,358
and closest friends.
497
00:25:26,425 --> 00:25:28,795
If you look
at Knox's background,
498
00:25:28,861 --> 00:25:29,996
he doesn't seem like much.
499
00:25:30,062 --> 00:25:31,931
He's a Boston bookseller.
500
00:25:31,998 --> 00:25:33,933
But it's Washington's genius
501
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,704
that he's able to see beneath
the surface of any individual,
502
00:25:37,770 --> 00:25:39,238
and he sees something in Knox.
503
00:25:39,305 --> 00:25:43,643
Knox is somebody who can think
a little bit outside the box,
504
00:25:43,710 --> 00:25:50,116
and that's what Knox does
at Boston.
505
00:25:50,182 --> 00:25:52,619
CALLISTA: In one of the greatest
logistical feats
506
00:25:52,685 --> 00:25:54,020
in the entire war,
507
00:25:54,086 --> 00:25:58,090
Knox delivers cannons captured
from Fort Ticonderoga.
508
00:25:58,157 --> 00:26:00,292
It takes him three months
to negotiate
509
00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:05,364
over 200 miles of frozen swamps
and impassable roads.
510
00:26:05,431 --> 00:26:09,168
[cannons firing]
511
00:26:09,235 --> 00:26:11,037
Washington places the artillery
512
00:26:11,103 --> 00:26:13,706
high on Boston's
Dorchester Heights.
513
00:26:13,773 --> 00:26:17,409
[cannons firing]
514
00:26:17,476 --> 00:26:19,946
With his forces unable
to aim their cannons
515
00:26:20,012 --> 00:26:21,313
high enough to counter,
516
00:26:21,380 --> 00:26:25,184
British General Howe
has no choice but to withdraw.
517
00:26:25,251 --> 00:26:27,253
HANSON: Most people
don't realize that ideology
518
00:26:27,319 --> 00:26:30,957
is not really the most important
factor in an insurgency;
519
00:26:31,023 --> 00:26:32,324
it's momentum.
520
00:26:32,391 --> 00:26:35,161
So, in Washington's
way of thinking,
521
00:26:35,227 --> 00:26:37,930
the fact that he was able
to have the high ground
522
00:26:37,997 --> 00:26:38,965
and hold his own
523
00:26:39,031 --> 00:26:40,066
would be very important
for people
524
00:26:40,132 --> 00:26:42,234
who had their fingers
in the wind
525
00:26:42,301 --> 00:26:44,704
and didn't know whether
they should take the risk
526
00:26:44,771 --> 00:26:45,972
of being hanged
527
00:26:46,038 --> 00:26:48,174
or they should just sit tight
and be neutral
528
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,878
or they should join the British.
529
00:26:51,944 --> 00:26:53,179
FORSTCHEN: The British reaction
530
00:26:53,245 --> 00:26:57,016
to their defeat in Boston
was absolute shock.
531
00:26:57,083 --> 00:27:00,920
How could a rabble lay siege
to a major city
532
00:27:00,987 --> 00:27:05,224
with our army and our fleet
and finally drive us out?
533
00:27:05,291 --> 00:27:07,326
It was almost incomprehensible.
534
00:27:10,296 --> 00:27:11,530
CALLISTA:
For his victory in Boston
535
00:27:11,597 --> 00:27:14,834
Washington is hailed
as the revolution's hero,
536
00:27:14,901 --> 00:27:18,705
both with the public and his
colleagues back in Philadelphia.
537
00:27:18,771 --> 00:27:20,773
The supposedly invincible
British force
538
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:26,178
has just been defeated
in an early engagement.
539
00:27:26,245 --> 00:27:28,347
NEWT: Washington moves south
to New York,
540
00:27:28,414 --> 00:27:30,983
certain the British
will strike there next.
541
00:27:31,050 --> 00:27:35,822
But he knows his amateur army
has yet to be seriously tested.
542
00:27:35,888 --> 00:27:37,389
FORSTCHEN:
George Washington, remember,
543
00:27:37,456 --> 00:27:40,927
had been a loyal officer
in that army, the British army,
544
00:27:40,993 --> 00:27:42,829
during
the French and Indian War.
545
00:27:42,895 --> 00:27:45,765
He knew they were the best
trained troops in the world,
546
00:27:45,832 --> 00:27:46,899
along with the Hessians.
547
00:27:46,966 --> 00:27:49,902
And he is throwing
a militia force up
548
00:27:49,969 --> 00:27:51,503
with limited combat experience.
549
00:27:51,570 --> 00:27:54,673
He knew he was in
for a tough fight.
550
00:27:56,442 --> 00:28:00,279
NEWT: Riding with Washington
is his attendant, Billy Lee.
551
00:28:00,346 --> 00:28:04,050
FORSTCHEN:
Billy Lee, well, was a slave.
552
00:28:04,116 --> 00:28:07,954
He was also the personal servant
of General George Washington.
553
00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:12,992
He was also Washington's friend
and even Washington's protector.
554
00:28:13,059 --> 00:28:16,295
And in numerable battles,
Billy Lee would put himself
555
00:28:16,362 --> 00:28:18,765
physically in front
of Washington
556
00:28:18,831 --> 00:28:21,500
because of all the shot
that was coming in,
557
00:28:21,567 --> 00:28:23,169
that Washington
would yell at him,
558
00:28:23,235 --> 00:28:25,037
"Would you get out of the way?"
559
00:28:25,104 --> 00:28:26,505
And which Billy Lee
would respond,
560
00:28:26,572 --> 00:28:27,740
"Sir, I'll move
561
00:28:27,807 --> 00:28:31,010
when you get safely back
away from enemy fire."
562
00:28:31,077 --> 00:28:32,812
That man was protecting
Washington,
563
00:28:32,879 --> 00:28:34,947
he was just not a servant.
564
00:28:35,014 --> 00:28:37,183
NEWT: Billy Lee will ride
alongside Washington
565
00:28:37,249 --> 00:28:38,985
for nearly the entire war
566
00:28:39,051 --> 00:28:40,419
and become one
of the most famous
567
00:28:40,486 --> 00:28:42,889
African Americans of his time.
568
00:28:42,955 --> 00:28:49,128
*
569
00:28:49,195 --> 00:28:51,397
Meanwhile,
after the defeat at Boston,
570
00:28:51,463 --> 00:28:53,933
King George III has had enough.
571
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,469
He sends William Howe's brother,
Admiral Richard Howe,
572
00:28:57,536 --> 00:28:59,872
with the largest fleet
in history--
573
00:28:59,939 --> 00:29:04,210
over 400 ships
and 32,000 soldiers--
574
00:29:04,276 --> 00:29:06,412
with orders to crush Washington
575
00:29:06,478 --> 00:29:10,216
and put a quick end
to the rebellion.
576
00:29:10,282 --> 00:29:11,417
CALLISTA: On June 28th,
577
00:29:11,483 --> 00:29:14,987
the first wave
of over 100 British ships
578
00:29:15,054 --> 00:29:17,389
is sighted approaching New York.
579
00:29:17,456 --> 00:29:20,960
FORSTCHEN: Washington is faced
with a military impossibility--
580
00:29:21,027 --> 00:29:26,098
Manhattan Island, Long Island,
Staten Island, the Jersey coast,
581
00:29:26,165 --> 00:29:27,299
whoever has naval superiority
582
00:29:27,366 --> 00:29:30,202
is going to control
that entire region.
583
00:29:30,269 --> 00:29:33,405
Washington is handed
an impossible situation.
584
00:29:33,472 --> 00:29:35,975
Politically he has to defend
New York,
585
00:29:36,042 --> 00:29:38,911
yet it is obvious,
with British naval superiority,
586
00:29:38,978 --> 00:29:41,380
it will be impossible
to defend New York.
587
00:29:41,447 --> 00:29:44,016
But he had to make
the effort anyhow.
588
00:29:44,083 --> 00:29:46,853
CALLISTA: July 4, 1776.
589
00:29:46,919 --> 00:29:49,355
The Second Continental Congress
in Philadelphia
590
00:29:49,421 --> 00:29:52,424
signs the Declaration
of Independence.
591
00:29:52,491 --> 00:29:54,994
NEWT: Five days later,
on July 9th,
592
00:29:55,061 --> 00:29:56,462
in Lower Manhattan,
593
00:29:56,528 --> 00:29:59,065
Washington has
the Declaration of Independence
594
00:29:59,131 --> 00:30:00,366
read to his troops.
595
00:30:00,432 --> 00:30:03,435
AIDE: We hold these truths
to be self-evident,
596
00:30:03,502 --> 00:30:06,638
that all men are created equal,
597
00:30:06,705 --> 00:30:09,275
that they are endowed
by their Creator
598
00:30:09,341 --> 00:30:12,311
with certain unalienable Rights,
599
00:30:12,378 --> 00:30:15,547
that among these
are Life, Liberty
600
00:30:15,614 --> 00:30:18,417
and the pursuit of Happiness.
601
00:30:18,484 --> 00:30:21,888
FORSTCHEN:
Where the Twin Towers once stood
602
00:30:21,954 --> 00:30:24,323
is an iconic spot
in American history.
603
00:30:24,390 --> 00:30:26,158
The troops are lined up.
604
00:30:26,225 --> 00:30:28,895
And if you looked
straight down the Green
605
00:30:28,961 --> 00:30:30,930
across New York Harbor,
606
00:30:30,997 --> 00:30:32,631
there around Staten Island
607
00:30:32,698 --> 00:30:36,936
was an invasion fleet
of almost 200 ships,
608
00:30:37,003 --> 00:30:39,471
the largest transoceanic
invasion fleet
609
00:30:39,538 --> 00:30:41,607
in history up to that time,
610
00:30:41,673 --> 00:30:45,577
all floating
close to 30,000 troops.
611
00:30:45,644 --> 00:30:48,981
And, yet,
our revolutionary forefathers
612
00:30:49,048 --> 00:30:51,217
are standing on the Green,
613
00:30:51,283 --> 00:30:53,319
having the Declaration
read to them,
614
00:30:53,385 --> 00:30:57,924
which was their call
as to why we fight.
615
00:30:57,990 --> 00:31:00,960
AIDE: And for the support
of this Declaration,
616
00:31:01,027 --> 00:31:05,998
with a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence,
617
00:31:06,065 --> 00:31:07,633
we mutually pledge to each other
618
00:31:07,699 --> 00:31:14,440
our Lives, our Fortunes
and our Sacred Honor.
619
00:31:14,506 --> 00:31:15,674
WALTER ISAACSON:
George Washington knew
620
00:31:15,741 --> 00:31:18,410
that his troops needed
a mission statement,
621
00:31:18,477 --> 00:31:21,080
they needed to know why
we were fighting this war.
622
00:31:21,147 --> 00:31:24,583
And he said, "Let facts be
submitted to a candid world
623
00:31:24,650 --> 00:31:28,620
that we are doing this
for these reasons."
624
00:31:28,687 --> 00:31:31,623
NEWT: Nearby, a crowd
pulls down a lead statue
625
00:31:31,690 --> 00:31:32,491
of King George.
626
00:31:32,558 --> 00:31:34,526
His head is displayed on a pike.
627
00:31:34,593 --> 00:31:38,530
The rest will be melted down
for bullets.
628
00:31:38,597 --> 00:31:44,736
*
629
00:31:44,803 --> 00:31:51,110
*
630
00:31:51,177 --> 00:31:52,211
CALLISTA: Washington now faces
631
00:31:52,278 --> 00:31:54,580
the best trained forces
in the world.
632
00:31:54,646 --> 00:31:57,383
The Howe brothers coordinate
the British attack--
633
00:31:57,449 --> 00:32:01,053
William on the ground
and Richard on the sea.
634
00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,389
[cannon fires]
635
00:32:03,455 --> 00:32:06,192
LENGEL: William Howe
is a superb general,
636
00:32:06,258 --> 00:32:08,760
he is an excellent tactician,
637
00:32:08,827 --> 00:32:13,632
he understands how to maneuver
armies and troops in the field,
638
00:32:13,699 --> 00:32:17,269
and, indeed, he's superior
to Washington in that respect.
639
00:32:17,336 --> 00:32:18,270
[horse neighs]
640
00:32:18,337 --> 00:32:21,040
[cannons fire]
641
00:32:21,107 --> 00:32:22,408
[gunfire]
642
00:32:22,474 --> 00:32:23,742
He's also a Whig.
643
00:32:23,809 --> 00:32:27,279
And he and his brother,
who commands the British fleet,
644
00:32:27,346 --> 00:32:31,050
sympathize
with the American cause.
645
00:32:31,117 --> 00:32:38,190
And that's why multiple times,
in 1776 and 1777,
646
00:32:38,257 --> 00:32:40,159
Howe holds back
647
00:32:40,226 --> 00:32:46,165
and he decides not to crush
the American army
648
00:32:46,232 --> 00:32:51,037
in such a way that will result
in its utter annihilation;
649
00:32:51,103 --> 00:32:52,471
but simply to defeat it.
650
00:32:52,538 --> 00:32:56,442
He thinks if he can simply
apply a few simple lessons,
651
00:32:56,508 --> 00:32:59,045
that the American people
will come to their senses,
652
00:32:59,111 --> 00:33:01,380
rise up and return
to the king.
653
00:33:01,447 --> 00:33:06,385
*
654
00:33:06,452 --> 00:33:07,686
CALLISTA:
The Battle of Long Island
655
00:33:07,753 --> 00:33:09,021
was the first major battle
656
00:33:09,088 --> 00:33:11,723
after the signing of
the Declaration of Independence,
657
00:33:11,790 --> 00:33:14,793
and the largest battle
of the entire war.
658
00:33:14,860 --> 00:33:23,169
[gunfire]
659
00:33:23,235 --> 00:33:24,303
While his brother, William,
660
00:33:24,370 --> 00:33:26,605
provides cover
for the British Navy,
661
00:33:26,672 --> 00:33:30,676
Richard Howe lands 15,000
soldiers on Long Island.
662
00:33:30,742 --> 00:33:33,645
Washington holds the high ground
at Brooklyn Heights.
663
00:33:33,712 --> 00:33:37,349
His troops fire down
on the advancing enemy.
664
00:33:37,416 --> 00:33:39,318
Howe changes tactics.
665
00:33:39,385 --> 00:33:41,420
He sends half of his men
undetected
666
00:33:41,487 --> 00:33:43,355
through the Jamaica Pass.
667
00:33:43,422 --> 00:33:46,592
He has Washington surrounded.
668
00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:51,697
NEWT: Some of Washington's men
669
00:33:51,763 --> 00:33:53,632
retreat through
the Gowanus Marsh
670
00:33:53,699 --> 00:33:56,602
and are slaughtered
by the British.
671
00:33:58,737 --> 00:34:00,406
Washington had split his troops
672
00:34:00,472 --> 00:34:02,508
between Manhattan
and Long Island,
673
00:34:02,574 --> 00:34:04,276
and British General Howe
was closing in
674
00:34:04,343 --> 00:34:05,777
with an enormous army.
675
00:34:05,844 --> 00:34:10,416
Washington would need
a miracle to survive.
676
00:34:10,482 --> 00:34:12,684
HANSON: Most military historians
fault Washington
677
00:34:12,751 --> 00:34:15,321
for dividing his troops
when he went into New York.
678
00:34:15,387 --> 00:34:17,156
And the reason
that they say that
679
00:34:17,223 --> 00:34:19,525
is that he didn't have
a concentration of force
680
00:34:19,591 --> 00:34:21,860
against a traditional army
681
00:34:21,927 --> 00:34:26,265
whose forte was firepower,
discipline, cavalry troops.
682
00:34:26,332 --> 00:34:28,367
Washington, at this stage
of the revolution,
683
00:34:28,434 --> 00:34:31,903
didn't quite understand
the extent of the disparity
684
00:34:31,970 --> 00:34:36,308
between British
professional troops and his own.
685
00:34:36,375 --> 00:34:37,909
[gunfire]
686
00:34:37,976 --> 00:34:39,845
FORSTCHEN: And it was not
just a rout,
687
00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:42,481
it was a stampede
by the end of the day.
688
00:34:42,548 --> 00:34:44,583
[gunfire]
689
00:34:44,650 --> 00:34:46,552
NEWT: The Continental Army
is no match
690
00:34:46,618 --> 00:34:48,654
for the British Army and Navy.
691
00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:53,159
The British expect Washington
will surrender.
692
00:34:53,225 --> 00:34:56,228
CALLISTA: Uncharacteristically,
Washington isn't certain
693
00:34:56,295 --> 00:34:57,529
of his next move.
694
00:34:57,596 --> 00:35:00,166
A surrender to the British
so early in the war
695
00:35:00,232 --> 00:35:02,334
means not only the death
of the cause,
696
00:35:02,401 --> 00:35:08,707
but shame as an honor-bound
18th century military commander.
697
00:35:08,774 --> 00:35:11,277
ELLIS: His mood is despondent.
698
00:35:11,343 --> 00:35:14,313
He's really upset at
the performance of his troops,
699
00:35:14,380 --> 00:35:15,781
he's mad at himself,
700
00:35:15,847 --> 00:35:18,417
he's been outflanked several
times by the Howe brothers.
701
00:35:18,484 --> 00:35:20,319
But he's resilient.
702
00:35:20,386 --> 00:35:24,456
The thought of surrendering
never entered his mind.
703
00:35:24,523 --> 00:35:27,626
FORSTCHEN: When we teach
about the American Revolution,
704
00:35:27,693 --> 00:35:30,462
we tend to overlook
what happened in New York.
705
00:35:30,529 --> 00:35:34,433
And what happened in New York
was nothing short of a miracle.
706
00:35:34,500 --> 00:35:35,834
We lost.
707
00:35:35,901 --> 00:35:39,438
We had it handed to us
at the Battle of Long Island.
708
00:35:39,505 --> 00:35:41,907
The troops that escaped that day
709
00:35:41,973 --> 00:35:47,879
were huddled down exactly where
the Brooklyn Bridge is now.
710
00:35:47,946 --> 00:35:50,249
CALLISTA: After consulting
with his generals,
711
00:35:50,316 --> 00:35:53,452
Washington orders a retreat
from Long Island.
712
00:35:53,519 --> 00:35:55,954
Miraculously,
a heavy fog appears
713
00:35:56,021 --> 00:36:00,492
and allows Washington to
evacuate all 9,000 of his troops
714
00:36:00,559 --> 00:36:03,729
without loss of life.
715
00:36:03,795 --> 00:36:04,896
FORSTCHEN:
They round up some boats,
716
00:36:04,963 --> 00:36:06,898
and throughout the night
they evacuate them
717
00:36:06,965 --> 00:36:09,901
under the cover of a fog
back to Manhattan.
718
00:36:09,968 --> 00:36:13,239
The British were so confident
that they had us beat
719
00:36:13,305 --> 00:36:15,807
that they figured
we'll wrap it up come dawn.
720
00:36:15,874 --> 00:36:19,311
Well, come dawn,
they saw an empty beach.
721
00:36:19,378 --> 00:36:22,514
And it is firmly believed
that George Washington
722
00:36:22,581 --> 00:36:24,783
was the last man off that beach.
723
00:36:24,850 --> 00:36:29,255
And the Revolution would live on
for another day.
724
00:36:29,321 --> 00:36:31,957
CALLISTA: Though certain
of their military superiority,
725
00:36:32,023 --> 00:36:34,260
the British are
in utter disbelief
726
00:36:34,326 --> 00:36:39,865
that Washington has somehow
escaped with his army.
727
00:36:39,931 --> 00:36:42,734
BRINKLEY: Well, look, there was
a British condescension
728
00:36:42,801 --> 00:36:46,505
to the Yankee Doodle
ragtag troops of Washington
729
00:36:46,572 --> 00:36:48,440
that weren't equipped properly,
730
00:36:48,507 --> 00:36:52,878
that did not have
coherent uniforms at times,
731
00:36:52,944 --> 00:36:54,946
on and on.
732
00:36:55,013 --> 00:37:00,752
But they knew not to
underestimate George Washington.
733
00:37:00,819 --> 00:37:02,120
HANSON:
But had he lost the army,
734
00:37:02,187 --> 00:37:04,656
we probably would have been
through at that point.
735
00:37:04,723 --> 00:37:06,392
I think Washington understood
736
00:37:06,458 --> 00:37:08,927
after the successful evacuation
from New York
737
00:37:08,994 --> 00:37:12,598
that at least he thought
he understood
738
00:37:12,664 --> 00:37:14,566
that there was a divine plan
in all this.
739
00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:18,437
There was a deity, that he could
receive guidance from God.
740
00:37:18,504 --> 00:37:21,573
This is a very important point,
because at this time,
741
00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,643
we're right in the middle
of the European Enlightenment
742
00:37:24,710 --> 00:37:28,680
where people who were examining
the relationship
743
00:37:28,747 --> 00:37:31,082
between logic and science
and religion
744
00:37:31,149 --> 00:37:32,751
were trying to suggest
745
00:37:32,818 --> 00:37:35,621
that religion represented
a retrogression
746
00:37:35,687 --> 00:37:36,955
back into the Middle Ages,
747
00:37:37,022 --> 00:37:38,256
and the Enlightenment was
748
00:37:38,324 --> 00:37:40,426
the new scientific
technological breakthrough.
749
00:37:40,492 --> 00:37:42,994
And Washington was
sort of a transitional figure
750
00:37:43,061 --> 00:37:45,364
that could combine
the best of both,
751
00:37:45,431 --> 00:37:46,865
but in a way more so
752
00:37:46,932 --> 00:37:51,970
than even Jefferson
or Franklin or Hamilton.
753
00:37:52,037 --> 00:37:54,673
WILLIAM HOWE:
Washington is an able man.
754
00:37:54,740 --> 00:37:57,008
But he has no force.
755
00:37:57,075 --> 00:37:59,378
CALLISTA: General William Howe
next attacks
756
00:37:59,445 --> 00:38:00,712
at Manhattan's Kips Bay,
757
00:38:00,779 --> 00:38:04,716
held by a Continental militia
of only 1,500 men.
758
00:38:04,783 --> 00:38:08,086
[cannons fire]
759
00:38:08,153 --> 00:38:11,022
NEWT: Howe unleashes a fury
of cannon fire
760
00:38:11,089 --> 00:38:13,492
later described
by a British midshipman
761
00:38:13,559 --> 00:38:16,962
as "so terrible and so incessant
a roar of guns
762
00:38:17,028 --> 00:38:21,367
few even in the army and navy
had ever heard before."
763
00:38:21,433 --> 00:38:24,636
LENGEL: Kips Bay
is one the worst days
764
00:38:24,703 --> 00:38:26,638
of Washington's entire life.
765
00:38:26,705 --> 00:38:32,444
British troops land, and they
begin to march uphill
766
00:38:32,511 --> 00:38:35,514
against positions that
the American could have defended
767
00:38:35,581 --> 00:38:37,549
if they had really wanted to,
768
00:38:37,616 --> 00:38:38,750
but the American militiamen,
769
00:38:38,817 --> 00:38:40,819
the American Continentals
who were there
770
00:38:40,886 --> 00:38:41,987
have been defeated
over and over,
771
00:38:42,053 --> 00:38:45,023
they're beginning
to lose confidence,
772
00:38:45,090 --> 00:38:46,758
and they begin to withdraw...
773
00:38:46,825 --> 00:38:48,494
[gunshot]
774
00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,397
even without firing a shot.
775
00:38:51,463 --> 00:38:53,131
[men shouting]
776
00:38:53,198 --> 00:38:56,668
Washington arrives on the scene
at that moment,
777
00:38:56,735 --> 00:39:00,506
and it throws him closer
to total despair
778
00:39:00,572 --> 00:39:03,442
than he ever was before,
779
00:39:03,509 --> 00:39:07,045
and it's one of the defining
moments of his life.
780
00:39:07,112 --> 00:39:09,080
When he sees his troops
withdrawing
781
00:39:09,147 --> 00:39:11,417
and he tells them
to get back into line,
782
00:39:11,483 --> 00:39:14,953
and they don't listen,
they keep withdrawing.
783
00:39:15,020 --> 00:39:18,056
Washington pulls the reins
of his horse,
784
00:39:18,123 --> 00:39:21,527
faces towards
the advancing British
785
00:39:21,593 --> 00:39:24,896
and begins to ride
straight toward them,
786
00:39:24,963 --> 00:39:28,634
knowing that he's going to die.
787
00:39:28,700 --> 00:39:29,901
ELLIS: And General Greene,
788
00:39:29,968 --> 00:39:31,970
one of his best generals,
Nathanael Greene,
789
00:39:32,037 --> 00:39:35,874
says he requested death.
790
00:39:35,941 --> 00:39:37,643
He wanted to be a martyr.
791
00:39:37,709 --> 00:39:40,446
He was embarrassed
at the behavior of his troops
792
00:39:40,512 --> 00:39:42,113
which reflected on him,
793
00:39:42,180 --> 00:39:44,215
and he wanted to go down
in battle.
794
00:39:44,282 --> 00:39:46,918
LENGEL: Fortunately one
of his aides de camp reaches out
795
00:39:46,985 --> 00:39:50,722
and grabs the rein of his horse
and pulls him back
796
00:39:50,789 --> 00:39:53,792
and pulls Washington
off the field.
797
00:39:53,859 --> 00:39:57,463
NEWT: There is no choice
but to order a retreat.
798
00:39:57,529 --> 00:39:59,598
New York is lost.
799
00:39:59,665 --> 00:40:04,570
*
800
00:40:04,636 --> 00:40:05,871
LENGEL: Unlike Washington,
801
00:40:05,937 --> 00:40:09,775
most members of Congress
had no combat experience,
802
00:40:09,841 --> 00:40:14,012
and they tended to think
in terms of ideals,
803
00:40:14,079 --> 00:40:15,346
and they didn't really
understand
804
00:40:15,413 --> 00:40:18,249
what Washington and his army
were going through,
805
00:40:18,316 --> 00:40:22,521
and so for quite some time
they are in denial.
806
00:40:25,624 --> 00:40:26,758
For members of Congress,
807
00:40:26,825 --> 00:40:29,728
the defeat at New York
was a catastrophe,
808
00:40:29,795 --> 00:40:33,131
and they can't imagine something
like this could happen.
809
00:40:33,198 --> 00:40:35,166
And they almost don't know
what to do;
810
00:40:35,233 --> 00:40:39,538
they're in a state of paralysis.
811
00:40:39,605 --> 00:40:40,772
CALLISTA: In late September,
812
00:40:40,839 --> 00:40:43,174
as Washington prepares
the final evacuation
813
00:40:43,241 --> 00:40:45,611
of his troops
from Harlem Heights,
814
00:40:45,677 --> 00:40:47,779
he looks back on New York City.
815
00:40:47,846 --> 00:40:49,748
One third of it is on fire,
816
00:40:49,815 --> 00:40:53,018
probably due to patriot
arsonists who defied orders
817
00:40:53,084 --> 00:40:57,055
and burned the city
as the British approached.
818
00:40:57,122 --> 00:41:01,192
NEWT: The defeat at Long Island
and disaster at Kips Bay
819
00:41:01,259 --> 00:41:03,862
was a devastating blow
to Washington,
820
00:41:03,929 --> 00:41:07,265
a humiliation
that affected him deeply.
821
00:41:07,332 --> 00:41:09,768
LENGEL: At those darkest moments
of the war,
822
00:41:09,835 --> 00:41:12,103
Washington considers
the possibility
823
00:41:12,170 --> 00:41:15,040
that he may have been
the wrong man for the job.
824
00:41:15,106 --> 00:41:19,310
Not once does he doubt
the cause.
825
00:41:19,377 --> 00:41:20,646
Not once does he doubt
826
00:41:20,712 --> 00:41:24,850
that it's a cause
worth fighting and dying for.
827
00:41:24,916 --> 00:41:27,553
But he sees him himself
as a human being,
828
00:41:27,619 --> 00:41:33,091
and he wonders whether he was
the right man for the job.
829
00:41:33,158 --> 00:41:35,226
GAINES: He took everything
personally.
830
00:41:35,293 --> 00:41:37,863
And I think when people
deserted the army,
831
00:41:37,929 --> 00:41:42,000
he understood it because they
didn't have the right equipment,
832
00:41:42,067 --> 00:41:44,102
many of them had no shoes,
833
00:41:44,169 --> 00:41:46,237
he kept writing voluminous
letters to Congress--
834
00:41:46,304 --> 00:41:48,640
we need more money,
we need more money--
835
00:41:48,707 --> 00:41:49,808
but he didn't give up.
836
00:41:49,875 --> 00:41:51,309
And the ones
that stayed with him knew
837
00:41:51,376 --> 00:41:55,246
that if they stayed with him,
eventually they would get paid.
838
00:41:55,313 --> 00:41:57,115
But they believed in the man
839
00:41:57,182 --> 00:41:59,618
because the man believed
in the cause,
840
00:41:59,685 --> 00:42:03,589
and the cause was freedom
and independence from England.
841
00:42:03,655 --> 00:42:07,659
*
842
00:42:07,726 --> 00:42:10,095
CALLISTA: When news
of the great victory in New York
843
00:42:10,161 --> 00:42:11,863
reaches King George,
844
00:42:11,930 --> 00:42:14,332
he expresses
his great satisfaction
845
00:42:14,399 --> 00:42:19,037
by making General William Howe
a knight.
846
00:42:19,104 --> 00:42:21,707
FORSTCHEN: When we look
at the first two years
847
00:42:21,773 --> 00:42:23,742
of our American Revolution
848
00:42:23,809 --> 00:42:25,010
and the changes of what happened
849
00:42:25,076 --> 00:42:30,749
between April of 1775
and December of 1776,
850
00:42:30,816 --> 00:42:34,385
it is a shocking decline.
851
00:42:34,452 --> 00:42:37,222
CALLISTA:
The fall and winter of 1776
852
00:42:37,288 --> 00:42:39,991
were desperate times
for Washington.
853
00:42:40,058 --> 00:42:42,060
By mid-November
British General Howe
854
00:42:42,127 --> 00:42:45,196
sends troops, under the command
of General Cornwallis,
855
00:42:45,263 --> 00:42:47,699
to pursue Washington
across New Jersey.
856
00:42:47,766 --> 00:42:51,302
Colonial refugees flee ahead
of the British war machine.
857
00:42:51,369 --> 00:42:55,941
And Washington's men
are deserting.
858
00:42:56,007 --> 00:43:00,679
LENGEL: It's 12,000 men,
it's 10, it's 6.
859
00:43:00,746 --> 00:43:01,780
Before long, he only has
860
00:43:01,847 --> 00:43:04,916
a couple thousand men
at his command.
861
00:43:04,983 --> 00:43:06,151
FORSTCHEN: We were an army
862
00:43:06,217 --> 00:43:09,254
that was so thoroughly routed
and demoralized
863
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:12,157
that when the British
were in pursuit,
864
00:43:12,223 --> 00:43:14,325
their cavalry was
no longer even using
865
00:43:14,392 --> 00:43:16,227
the standard military calls.
866
00:43:16,294 --> 00:43:18,864
They were blowing
fox-hunting horns.
867
00:43:18,930 --> 00:43:21,967
[gunfire]
868
00:43:22,033 --> 00:43:26,171
That is the contempt
they held us in.
869
00:43:26,237 --> 00:43:31,176
LENGEL: Washington sees
the American people losing hope,
870
00:43:31,242 --> 00:43:34,312
and that frightens him
more than anything else.
871
00:43:34,379 --> 00:43:35,781
[gunfire]
872
00:43:35,847 --> 00:43:41,252
Washington doesn't worry as much
about his own army in the field
873
00:43:41,319 --> 00:43:43,354
as he worries
about the willingness
874
00:43:43,421 --> 00:43:47,693
of the American people
to carry on the struggle.
875
00:43:47,759 --> 00:43:49,695
[gunfire]
876
00:43:49,761 --> 00:43:52,463
*
877
00:43:52,530 --> 00:43:57,402
[gunfire]
878
00:43:57,468 --> 00:44:01,106
*
879
00:44:01,172 --> 00:44:04,475
CALLISTA: Washington, not known
for his public speaking,
880
00:44:04,542 --> 00:44:05,777
makes a last minute plea
881
00:44:05,844 --> 00:44:11,850
for his men to stay with him
for 30 more days.
882
00:44:11,917 --> 00:44:16,254
WASHINGTON: Those of you
who are with me, step forward.
883
00:44:16,321 --> 00:44:19,424
The rest are free to leave.
884
00:44:19,490 --> 00:44:21,760
*
885
00:44:21,827 --> 00:44:24,195
NEWT: Washington will lose
more than one third
886
00:44:24,262 --> 00:44:28,133
of his able-bodied men
that December.
887
00:44:28,199 --> 00:44:30,802
CALLISTA: After a series
of losses and retreats,
888
00:44:30,869 --> 00:44:33,939
General Washington is in danger
of losing the war.
889
00:44:34,005 --> 00:44:37,475
Washington writes the password
for a daring attack--
890
00:44:37,542 --> 00:44:39,745
Victory or death.
891
00:44:39,811 --> 00:44:45,216
*
892
00:44:45,283 --> 00:44:47,953
GAINES: "It's victory or death.
893
00:44:48,019 --> 00:44:50,021
We fight to be free.
894
00:44:50,088 --> 00:44:51,823
We've got to do this."
895
00:44:51,890 --> 00:44:53,358
And I think he knew.
896
00:44:53,424 --> 00:44:55,894
I think he really believed
it would succeed.
897
00:44:55,961 --> 00:45:00,298
LENGEL: And those were
the watchwords for that day
898
00:45:00,365 --> 00:45:01,767
of the Battle of Trenton,
899
00:45:01,833 --> 00:45:06,037
and those watchwords were
intended to remind the troops
900
00:45:06,104 --> 00:45:09,140
that there was no turning back--
901
00:45:09,207 --> 00:45:12,010
they either won or they died.
902
00:45:12,077 --> 00:45:15,480
*
903
00:45:15,546 --> 00:45:18,950
WASHINGTON: We shall attack
the Hessian garrison at Trenton
904
00:45:19,017 --> 00:45:20,852
in three days.
905
00:45:20,919 --> 00:45:23,855
You are a mariner,
are you not, Glover?
906
00:45:23,922 --> 00:45:25,824
You will find us boats.
907
00:45:25,891 --> 00:45:29,828
Colonel Knox, you will
organize the troops.
908
00:45:29,895 --> 00:45:34,800
You gentlemen shall move
my army across this river.
909
00:45:34,866 --> 00:45:38,069
LENGEL: He sees Trenton
as an opportunity
910
00:45:38,136 --> 00:45:44,109
to focus Americans' minds again
on what they're fighting for,
911
00:45:44,175 --> 00:45:45,877
on the cause.
912
00:45:47,979 --> 00:45:50,081
FORSTCHEN: The plan
that General Washington created
913
00:45:50,148 --> 00:45:53,819
for Christmas night, 1776,
914
00:45:53,885 --> 00:45:56,121
was to get across
the Delaware River
915
00:45:56,187 --> 00:45:58,824
approximately 10 miles
north of Trenton,
916
00:45:58,890 --> 00:46:02,360
swing south on a force march
at night,
917
00:46:02,427 --> 00:46:04,930
hit Trenton long before dawn,
918
00:46:04,996 --> 00:46:08,967
catch a Hessian garrison
of about 800 by surprise,
919
00:46:09,034 --> 00:46:11,036
capture them all.
920
00:46:11,102 --> 00:46:12,270
People have always questioned
921
00:46:12,337 --> 00:46:16,107
why did Washington make
this radical decision
922
00:46:16,174 --> 00:46:18,009
to attack Trenton.
923
00:46:18,076 --> 00:46:19,244
It was the equivalent
924
00:46:19,310 --> 00:46:23,381
of Washington picking up
the dice and shaking,
925
00:46:23,448 --> 00:46:25,383
and he better come up
with two sixes.
926
00:46:25,450 --> 00:46:27,385
That's what the odds were.
927
00:46:27,452 --> 00:46:30,055
Now, let's look at the numbers
who crossed with him.
928
00:46:30,121 --> 00:46:32,123
About 2,500 men left.
929
00:46:32,190 --> 00:46:33,458
During the battles
around New York,
930
00:46:33,524 --> 00:46:35,293
there was close to 30,000.
931
00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:38,129
Who were those 2,500 men
that were left?
932
00:46:38,196 --> 00:46:40,031
That was the hard core.
933
00:46:40,098 --> 00:46:45,236
*
934
00:46:45,303 --> 00:46:47,372
And on the day
that was to be launched,
935
00:46:47,438 --> 00:46:50,375
a true nor'easter
came up the coast.
936
00:46:50,441 --> 00:46:51,676
A real nor'easter.
937
00:46:51,742 --> 00:46:56,547
Winds 30, 35 miles per hour,
sleet, rain, snow.
938
00:46:56,614 --> 00:46:59,184
*
939
00:46:59,250 --> 00:47:00,551
NEWT: On Christmas night,
940
00:47:00,618 --> 00:47:02,553
as his troops prepare
in the cold,
941
00:47:02,620 --> 00:47:06,557
Washington orders Thomas Paine's
The American Crisis
942
00:47:06,624 --> 00:47:09,027
to be read throughout
the entire camp,
943
00:47:09,094 --> 00:47:10,929
with its famous first sentence:
944
00:47:10,996 --> 00:47:15,433
"These are the times
that try men's souls."
945
00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:17,235
FORSTCHEN:
And it was a challenge
946
00:47:17,302 --> 00:47:20,972
to every man and woman
in America.
947
00:47:21,039 --> 00:47:23,441
Are we going to stand up,
948
00:47:23,508 --> 00:47:26,344
or are we going to lay down
and submit?
949
00:47:26,411 --> 00:47:29,147
NEWT: "Tyranny, like hell,"
Paine writes,
950
00:47:29,214 --> 00:47:31,016
"is not easily conquered.
951
00:47:31,082 --> 00:47:35,220
The harder the conflict,
the more glorious the triumph."
952
00:47:35,286 --> 00:47:38,189
These words encourage
Washington's men.
953
00:47:38,256 --> 00:47:42,327
BRINKLEY: He could read the
morale of men like nobody else.
954
00:47:42,393 --> 00:47:44,462
And what he would do
is use oratory
955
00:47:44,529 --> 00:47:46,631
to incite those thousands
956
00:47:46,697 --> 00:47:49,968
and to recruit more
to the cause.
957
00:47:50,035 --> 00:47:51,436
And that inspired men.
958
00:47:51,502 --> 00:47:54,705
Every time you thought the
Continental Army had dwindled,
959
00:47:54,772 --> 00:47:58,109
he was able to bring
a new life back into it.
960
00:47:58,176 --> 00:48:06,284
*
961
00:48:06,351 --> 00:48:07,953
NEWT: Washington's plan calls
962
00:48:08,019 --> 00:48:10,388
for multiple assaults
on Trenton.
963
00:48:10,455 --> 00:48:12,023
ELLIS:
Most of his offensive plans
964
00:48:12,090 --> 00:48:14,125
were too complicated,
too intricate,
965
00:48:14,192 --> 00:48:17,495
and he didn't have troops
capable of carrying them out.
966
00:48:17,562 --> 00:48:19,097
FORSTCHEN:
It wasn't until Washington
967
00:48:19,164 --> 00:48:20,631
actually started his own move
968
00:48:20,698 --> 00:48:23,368
that word came to him that the
other two commanding generals
969
00:48:23,434 --> 00:48:25,736
said sorry, sir,
river's too high.
970
00:48:25,803 --> 00:48:27,505
You're on your own.
971
00:48:27,572 --> 00:48:28,739
ELLIS: And so when
he knows that,
972
00:48:28,806 --> 00:48:31,309
it's, okay, should we
go forward with this
973
00:48:31,376 --> 00:48:34,645
with a much smaller force
and risk defeat,
974
00:48:34,712 --> 00:48:38,183
or should we recognize
that it's not going to happen?
975
00:48:38,249 --> 00:48:39,650
He goes forward.
976
00:48:39,717 --> 00:48:46,757
*
977
00:48:46,824 --> 00:48:53,664
*
978
00:48:53,731 --> 00:48:55,666
NEWT: General Washington
crosses early
979
00:48:55,733 --> 00:48:58,169
to organize his troops
for the attack.
980
00:48:58,236 --> 00:49:02,440
But moving 2,500 men, artillery,
horses and supplies
981
00:49:02,507 --> 00:49:03,641
across the Delaware
982
00:49:03,708 --> 00:49:08,613
takes far longer
than Washington anticipated.
983
00:49:08,679 --> 00:49:11,382
FORSTCHEN: What should have been
a one to two-hour river crossing
984
00:49:11,449 --> 00:49:13,284
takes nine hours.
985
00:49:13,351 --> 00:49:21,292
*
986
00:49:21,359 --> 00:49:22,493
CALLISTA: Just before dawn,
987
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:24,795
the last boats
unload Washington's troops
988
00:49:24,862 --> 00:49:27,298
on the New Jersey side
of the Delaware.
989
00:49:27,365 --> 00:49:29,534
The men are cold, tired
990
00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:34,639
and now face a grueling
8-mile march to Trenton.
991
00:49:34,705 --> 00:49:36,807
FORSTCHEN: The roads were
so badly iced over
992
00:49:36,874 --> 00:49:38,809
that the men could barely get
their footing.
993
00:49:38,876 --> 00:49:40,645
And when we're talking
about footing,
994
00:49:40,711 --> 00:49:42,647
most of them were barefoot.
995
00:49:42,713 --> 00:49:45,583
You could easily follow
the track of the army
996
00:49:45,650 --> 00:49:48,719
because the road
was covered in blood.
997
00:49:48,786 --> 00:49:53,458
Bleeding feet staggering
through the winter night.
998
00:49:53,524 --> 00:49:56,161
CALLISTA:
Ahead are 1,400 Hessians,
999
00:49:56,227 --> 00:49:58,563
professional soldiers
whom the British have hired
1000
00:49:58,629 --> 00:50:01,432
to supplement their troops.
1001
00:50:01,499 --> 00:50:02,633
NEWT: General Washington fears
1002
00:50:02,700 --> 00:50:05,203
the Hessians will have
sentries on watch.
1003
00:50:05,270 --> 00:50:07,472
But he also knows
some will be sleeping off
1004
00:50:07,538 --> 00:50:10,641
their Christmas night
celebrations.
1005
00:50:10,708 --> 00:50:14,479
FORSTCHEN: Many would later say
that storm was heaven sent
1006
00:50:14,545 --> 00:50:16,614
to cover the approach
of the army,
1007
00:50:16,681 --> 00:50:18,749
because the Hessian commander
was thinking
1008
00:50:18,816 --> 00:50:22,653
nobody is that crazy to be
out there in a storm like this
1009
00:50:22,720 --> 00:50:24,689
in the middle of the night.
1010
00:50:24,755 --> 00:50:27,758
LENGEL: And so there's
that sense among the troops
1011
00:50:27,825 --> 00:50:30,861
of despite
their physical hardships,
1012
00:50:30,928 --> 00:50:35,133
despite the elements, that
they're marching toward destiny.
1013
00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:36,467
NEWT: Washington and his troops
1014
00:50:36,534 --> 00:50:39,170
arrive outside of Trenton
hours behind schedule.
1015
00:50:39,237 --> 00:50:42,307
With daybreak, they've lost
the element of surprise.
1016
00:50:42,373 --> 00:50:44,142
But Washington is committed.
1017
00:50:44,209 --> 00:50:48,146
At 8 a.m. he orders the attack.
1018
00:50:48,213 --> 00:50:50,215
WASHINGTON: Fix bayonets.
1019
00:50:50,281 --> 00:50:51,749
OFFICER: Fix bayonets!
1020
00:50:51,816 --> 00:50:53,384
FORSTCHEN: Washington went
into that battle
1021
00:50:53,451 --> 00:50:54,752
wearing his formal uniform.
1022
00:50:54,819 --> 00:50:57,788
He did so because he
half expected to die that day.
1023
00:50:57,855 --> 00:51:00,525
But he was going to die
with honor.
1024
00:51:00,591 --> 00:51:01,692
OFFICER: March.
1025
00:51:01,759 --> 00:51:03,794
NEWT: The Hessian colonel,
Johann Rall,
1026
00:51:03,861 --> 00:51:06,264
is unprepared for the attack.
1027
00:51:06,331 --> 00:51:10,235
He had reportedly spent
Christmas night playing cards.
1028
00:51:12,237 --> 00:51:15,240
One account says an aide
handed Rall a message
1029
00:51:15,306 --> 00:51:16,841
warning of a surprise attack,
1030
00:51:16,907 --> 00:51:19,510
but that Rall put the note
in his coat pocket
1031
00:51:19,577 --> 00:51:21,646
without reading it.
1032
00:51:22,547 --> 00:51:24,415
[gunfire]
1033
00:51:24,482 --> 00:51:26,751
Rall does not survive
the attack.
1034
00:51:26,817 --> 00:51:29,187
The note was later found
in his pocket.
1035
00:51:29,254 --> 00:51:37,262
*
1036
00:51:37,328 --> 00:51:39,697
FORSTCHEN: The ending of
the Battle of Trenton, I think,
1037
00:51:39,764 --> 00:51:41,799
is one of the finest moments
in American history
1038
00:51:41,866 --> 00:51:44,935
and sets a precedent
in American history.
1039
00:51:45,002 --> 00:51:47,572
Because the Americans
facing them
1040
00:51:47,638 --> 00:51:51,442
had witnessed the Hessians
executing prisoners
1041
00:51:51,509 --> 00:51:54,679
in Manhattan and on Long Island.
1042
00:51:54,745 --> 00:51:57,648
This was a moment that could
have spun out of control,
1043
00:51:57,715 --> 00:52:00,851
but blessedly
with the American troops
1044
00:52:00,918 --> 00:52:03,354
were some of German descent.
1045
00:52:03,421 --> 00:52:06,791
And these American troops
started shouting in German--
1046
00:52:06,857 --> 00:52:09,594
Kamerad, Kamerad,
lay down your arms,
1047
00:52:09,660 --> 00:52:12,397
we will take your surrender.
1048
00:52:12,463 --> 00:52:15,200
And with that, the Hessians all
started to drop their weapons,
1049
00:52:15,266 --> 00:52:20,571
put their hands up,
there was no massacre.
1050
00:52:20,638 --> 00:52:23,341
CALLISTA:
On New Year's Eve, 1776,
1051
00:52:23,408 --> 00:52:26,744
Washington again asks his men
to stay with him.
1052
00:52:26,811 --> 00:52:28,779
The inspiring victory
at Trenton
1053
00:52:28,846 --> 00:52:30,748
and a promised 10-dollar bonus
1054
00:52:30,815 --> 00:52:32,717
convinced many
to stay and fight.
1055
00:52:32,783 --> 00:52:34,719
MEN: Hip Hip Huzzah!
1056
00:52:34,785 --> 00:52:39,290
Hip Hip Huzzah!
Hip Hip Huzzah!
1057
00:52:39,357 --> 00:52:40,558
CALLISTA: Washington follows up
1058
00:52:40,625 --> 00:52:43,828
with another surprise victory
at Princeton.
1059
00:52:43,894 --> 00:52:46,797
He makes the British believe
he is still in his camp
1060
00:52:46,864 --> 00:52:50,000
by ordering his men to leave
their campfires ablaze,
1061
00:52:50,067 --> 00:52:52,270
then marches his men
to Princeton
1062
00:52:52,337 --> 00:52:55,340
to attack Cornwallis' flank.
1063
00:52:56,907 --> 00:53:00,678
LENGEL: At Princeton
and the campaign that follows,
1064
00:53:00,745 --> 00:53:02,647
Washington drives the British
1065
00:53:02,713 --> 00:53:04,915
almost entirely
out of New Jersey.
1066
00:53:04,982 --> 00:53:08,286
He wipes out all the gains
that they made
1067
00:53:08,353 --> 00:53:11,256
in that previous autumn of 1776.
1068
00:53:11,322 --> 00:53:15,360
In an incredibly short time,
less than two weeks,
1069
00:53:15,426 --> 00:53:20,365
Washington has completely
changed the course of the war.
1070
00:53:20,431 --> 00:53:24,502
Washington has restored hope.
1071
00:53:24,569 --> 00:53:27,572
Washington has restored
1072
00:53:27,638 --> 00:53:30,941
the American people's belief
in victory.
1073
00:53:33,043 --> 00:53:35,680
NEWT: General Washington winters
with the Continental Army
1074
00:53:35,746 --> 00:53:37,047
at Morristown.
1075
00:53:37,114 --> 00:53:41,952
There, he begins to discover
a strategy to survive.
1076
00:53:42,019 --> 00:53:44,555
LENGEL: Washington believes
in continuing to maintain
1077
00:53:44,622 --> 00:53:46,824
constant pressure on the enemy
1078
00:53:46,891 --> 00:53:49,059
so that when he withdraws
to winter quarters,
1079
00:53:49,126 --> 00:53:53,364
he doesn't just sit there
and observe things.
1080
00:53:53,431 --> 00:53:57,034
He's sending out cavalry,
he's sending out militia
1081
00:53:57,101 --> 00:54:00,605
to pressure the British
and their German allies
1082
00:54:00,671 --> 00:54:03,608
at every possible point,
constantly,
1083
00:54:03,674 --> 00:54:05,376
throughout the remains
of the winter
1084
00:54:05,443 --> 00:54:06,544
and into the spring.
1085
00:54:06,611 --> 00:54:11,849
He doesn't give Howe
a moment to rest.
1086
00:54:11,916 --> 00:54:12,983
HANSON:
Washington had to survive
1087
00:54:13,050 --> 00:54:15,786
and he had to tell people
in America
1088
00:54:15,853 --> 00:54:18,723
that I'm not losing and we're
going to gain strength,
1089
00:54:18,789 --> 00:54:21,359
and the British can't do this
indefinitely.
1090
00:54:21,426 --> 00:54:23,594
And he was right about that.
1091
00:54:23,661 --> 00:54:26,030
BRINKLEY: You know, when we deal
with the Continental Congress,
1092
00:54:26,096 --> 00:54:30,401
we're dealing with the creation
of the United States in 1776,
1093
00:54:30,468 --> 00:54:33,738
well, these politicians--
Jefferson, Adams and the rest--
1094
00:54:33,804 --> 00:54:36,006
you know, they sign their names,
they go back home.
1095
00:54:36,073 --> 00:54:38,843
Adams goes to Massachusetts,
Jefferson to Virginia.
1096
00:54:38,909 --> 00:54:40,911
ELLIS: The Revolution
was a marathon.
1097
00:54:40,978 --> 00:54:45,683
Okay, he's on horseback
for 7 1/2 years.
1098
00:54:45,750 --> 00:54:48,018
I mean, he's out there
all that time.
1099
00:54:48,085 --> 00:54:53,358
BRINKLEY: Washington has to find
how to fund this army,
1100
00:54:53,424 --> 00:54:54,592
how to keep them equipped.
1101
00:54:54,659 --> 00:54:57,061
He's the star
of the American Revolution,
1102
00:54:57,127 --> 00:54:59,897
not because of his cunning
on the battlefield,
1103
00:54:59,964 --> 00:55:04,034
but he kept the spirit
of the Continental Army alive
1104
00:55:04,101 --> 00:55:06,103
even in its darkest moments.
1105
00:55:10,040 --> 00:55:12,810
NEWT: By the spring of 1777,
1106
00:55:12,877 --> 00:55:14,779
Washington has grown
the Continental Army
1107
00:55:14,845 --> 00:55:17,815
back to a force of 9,000 men.
1108
00:55:17,882 --> 00:55:20,718
But in September,
at the Battle of Brandywine,
1109
00:55:20,785 --> 00:55:22,219
Washington is defeated,
1110
00:55:22,286 --> 00:55:25,823
and British General William Howe
takes control of Philadelphia,
1111
00:55:25,890 --> 00:55:28,859
the American capital.
1112
00:55:28,926 --> 00:55:31,662
Losing Philadelphia
is another devastating blow
1113
00:55:31,729 --> 00:55:32,997
to General Washington.
1114
00:55:33,063 --> 00:55:35,933
Coupled with General Gates'
victory at Saratoga,
1115
00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:41,472
some question Washington's
ability to lead and to win.
1116
00:55:41,539 --> 00:55:43,107
COOK: Washington was
very much revered
1117
00:55:43,173 --> 00:55:45,843
by the men who served
underneath him,
1118
00:55:45,910 --> 00:55:47,612
especially the officers.
1119
00:55:47,678 --> 00:55:49,914
His fate was going to be
their fate.
1120
00:55:49,980 --> 00:55:52,049
Now, not everyone
loved George Washington.
1121
00:55:52,116 --> 00:55:54,585
There were some generals
who competed
1122
00:55:54,652 --> 00:55:56,421
and wanted to have his job:
1123
00:55:56,487 --> 00:55:59,089
General Gates,
General Charles Lee,
1124
00:55:59,156 --> 00:56:00,190
General Conway.
1125
00:56:00,257 --> 00:56:02,693
But one by one,
each of those generals
1126
00:56:02,760 --> 00:56:04,662
in their attempts
for personal glory
1127
00:56:04,729 --> 00:56:05,996
kind of fell away.
1128
00:56:06,063 --> 00:56:10,801
And George Washington was
the last one standing.
1129
00:56:10,868 --> 00:56:13,438
CALLISTA: In December of 1777
1130
00:56:13,504 --> 00:56:16,841
Washington and his troops arrive
at Valley Forge for the winter.
1131
00:56:16,907 --> 00:56:18,208
Washington had been told
1132
00:56:18,275 --> 00:56:21,446
there would be 8 months' worth
of food in storage.
1133
00:56:21,512 --> 00:56:25,382
In reality, there were
just 8 days' worth of supplies.
1134
00:56:27,752 --> 00:56:30,488
NEWT: At Valley Forge,
Washington's troops suffer
1135
00:56:30,555 --> 00:56:33,824
from hunger, disease
and exposure.
1136
00:56:33,891 --> 00:56:37,695
2,500 soldiers die
by the end of the winter.
1137
00:56:37,762 --> 00:56:42,199
*
1138
00:56:42,266 --> 00:56:44,969
LENGEL: Valley Forge was indeed
the terrible winter.
1139
00:56:45,035 --> 00:56:48,005
Disease spread through the Army.
1140
00:56:48,072 --> 00:56:52,743
It's said that approximately
20% of the entire army
1141
00:56:52,810 --> 00:56:57,014
died of disease that winter.
1142
00:56:57,081 --> 00:56:59,116
The troops didn't have
adequate clothing to wear,
1143
00:56:59,183 --> 00:57:02,553
they were still wearing
their old summer uniforms.
1144
00:57:02,620 --> 00:57:06,924
They were down to just
a few barrels of flour.
1145
00:57:06,991 --> 00:57:09,026
They didn't have any meat,
1146
00:57:09,093 --> 00:57:12,830
and their suffering
was incredible.
1147
00:57:15,232 --> 00:57:17,902
CALLISTA: Washington realizes
that the morale of his men
1148
00:57:17,968 --> 00:57:19,704
is part of that preservation.
1149
00:57:19,770 --> 00:57:23,240
He inspires his troops
by appealing to their emotions,
1150
00:57:23,307 --> 00:57:26,944
like he had before the crossing
of the Delaware.
1151
00:57:27,011 --> 00:57:31,148
He has Joseph Addison's play
Cato read to his troops.
1152
00:57:31,215 --> 00:57:33,718
It tells the story
of a selfless patriot
1153
00:57:33,784 --> 00:57:39,123
who holds to his belief
of liberty in the face of death.
1154
00:57:39,189 --> 00:57:44,028
AIDE: A day, an hour,
of virtuous liberty...
1155
00:57:44,094 --> 00:57:48,566
is worth a whole eternity
in bondage.
1156
00:57:48,633 --> 00:57:50,635
What pity is it
1157
00:57:50,701 --> 00:57:54,104
that we can die but once
to serve our country.
1158
00:57:54,171 --> 00:57:55,339
BRINKLEY:
Washington had a genius
1159
00:57:55,405 --> 00:57:58,075
for keeping the morale high
of his troops.
1160
00:57:58,142 --> 00:58:01,078
He knew just how far
a human spirit could go
1161
00:58:01,145 --> 00:58:02,847
and when they would need
1162
00:58:02,913 --> 00:58:05,149
a kind of a different type
of fellowship.
1163
00:58:05,215 --> 00:58:07,217
And he was able to provide that.
1164
00:58:07,284 --> 00:58:09,754
HANSON: And Washington was
trying to remind them
1165
00:58:09,820 --> 00:58:11,221
that they were republicans,
1166
00:58:11,288 --> 00:58:14,024
that they believed in the idea
that people had the right
1167
00:58:14,091 --> 00:58:16,627
to elect their own leaders
and make their own laws.
1168
00:58:16,694 --> 00:58:19,296
That's a kind of an abstract
thought for an army
1169
00:58:19,363 --> 00:58:20,631
in the field of battle;
1170
00:58:20,698 --> 00:58:22,266
so he was trying to imbue it,
1171
00:58:22,332 --> 00:58:25,736
I guess the word would be
revolutionary fervor.
1172
00:58:25,803 --> 00:58:29,239
*
1173
00:58:29,306 --> 00:58:32,142
CALLISTA: Part of that
revolutionary fervor came back
1174
00:58:32,209 --> 00:58:35,680
to the basic necessity
of a well-trained army.
1175
00:58:35,746 --> 00:58:37,982
In February of 1778,
1176
00:58:38,048 --> 00:58:39,984
an unemployed
Prussian army officer
1177
00:58:40,050 --> 00:58:41,351
arrives at Valley Forge
1178
00:58:41,418 --> 00:58:45,723
with a letter of introduction
from Benjamin Franklin.
1179
00:58:45,790 --> 00:58:47,625
He is Baron von Steuben,
1180
00:58:47,692 --> 00:58:52,029
and he is offering his military
skills to the cause.
1181
00:58:52,096 --> 00:58:55,065
COOK: When Baron von Steuben
arrived at Valley Forge,
1182
00:58:55,132 --> 00:58:59,737
he was very well trained
in European military tactics.
1183
00:58:59,804 --> 00:59:01,005
But it didn't take long
1184
00:59:01,071 --> 00:59:03,674
for von Steuben to realize
in his inspections
1185
00:59:03,741 --> 00:59:07,244
that these men really needed
some skill sets
1186
00:59:07,311 --> 00:59:09,747
to be a better fighting force.
1187
00:59:09,814 --> 00:59:12,116
ISAACSON: When Benjamin Franklin
was in Paris,
1188
00:59:12,182 --> 00:59:14,284
he corresponded often
with Washington.
1189
00:59:14,351 --> 00:59:16,621
Occasionally they had
sort of a bit of run-ins
1190
00:59:16,687 --> 00:59:19,690
because Franklin
was always recruiting people
1191
00:59:19,757 --> 00:59:21,291
to come help Washington fight,
1192
00:59:21,358 --> 00:59:22,993
and Washington
wasn't sure he needed
1193
00:59:23,060 --> 00:59:24,328
all these commissioned officers
1194
00:59:24,394 --> 00:59:27,865
that would run into Ben Franklin
in the courts of Paris.
1195
00:59:27,932 --> 00:59:29,166
We get all sorts of people,
1196
00:59:29,233 --> 00:59:31,235
including Lafayette
and von Steuben,
1197
00:59:31,301 --> 00:59:33,103
but there are a few riffraff
1198
00:59:33,170 --> 00:59:35,005
that I think Ben Franklin
sent over.
1199
00:59:35,072 --> 00:59:36,941
And at one point,
Washington is saying, hey,
1200
00:59:37,007 --> 00:59:39,176
vet these people
a little bit more carefully.
1201
00:59:39,243 --> 00:59:41,278
NEWT: Von Steuben
speaks little English.
1202
00:59:41,345 --> 00:59:44,314
His translators struggle
with his frequent expletives.
1203
00:59:44,381 --> 00:59:48,318
He trains Washington's men
into a professional army.
1204
00:59:48,385 --> 00:59:49,319
OFFICER: Fire!
1205
00:59:49,386 --> 00:59:50,821
[gunshots]
1206
00:59:50,888 --> 00:59:51,989
OFFICER: First rank!
1207
00:59:52,056 --> 00:59:53,390
COOK: Within a couple of months,
1208
00:59:53,457 --> 00:59:57,662
you had a very confident
fighting force.
1209
00:59:57,728 --> 01:00:00,264
What's great about the story
of Valley Forge
1210
01:00:00,330 --> 01:00:04,301
is that it's an organic,
natural, true story.
1211
01:00:04,368 --> 01:00:08,773
A bedraggled, hungry,
starving, naked army
1212
01:00:08,839 --> 01:00:10,074
goes into Valley Forge;
1213
01:00:10,140 --> 01:00:14,845
but a confident, fearless
fighting force emerges.
1214
01:00:14,912 --> 01:00:18,348
*
1215
01:00:18,415 --> 01:00:24,221
[gunfire]
1216
01:00:24,288 --> 01:00:26,724
*
1217
01:00:26,791 --> 01:00:28,025
[gunfire]
1218
01:00:28,092 --> 01:00:31,095
Over and over again,
you see George Washington
1219
01:00:31,161 --> 01:00:33,964
looking for that right moment
to strike.
1220
01:00:34,031 --> 01:00:35,966
His army left Valley Forge,
1221
01:00:36,033 --> 01:00:39,704
he knew that the British
were evacuating Philadelphia,
1222
01:00:39,770 --> 01:00:43,273
and they converged
at the Battle of Monmouth.
1223
01:00:43,340 --> 01:00:45,743
HANSON: I think at Monmouth
that was the first time
1224
01:00:45,810 --> 01:00:49,479
that Washington saw that
in a classical set battle
1225
01:00:49,546 --> 01:00:50,347
they would not lose;
1226
01:00:50,414 --> 01:00:51,682
not that they would win easily,
1227
01:00:51,749 --> 01:00:54,752
but the Continental Army
at least could hold its own
1228
01:00:54,819 --> 01:00:56,053
against regular British forces.
1229
01:00:56,120 --> 01:00:59,189
[gunfire]
1230
01:00:59,256 --> 01:01:00,991
COOK: And though neither side
really won
1231
01:01:01,058 --> 01:01:02,526
the Battle of Monmouth,
1232
01:01:02,592 --> 01:01:05,129
the British realized they were
dealing with a different army
1233
01:01:05,195 --> 01:01:08,999
than they had been
prior to that point.
1234
01:01:09,066 --> 01:01:12,102
ELLIS: Washington is one of
the greatest military leaders
1235
01:01:12,169 --> 01:01:16,073
in American history
and in world history.
1236
01:01:16,140 --> 01:01:23,280
But most of the great generals
in world history end up losers--
1237
01:01:23,347 --> 01:01:28,218
Hannibal, Napoleon,
Robert E. Lee.
1238
01:01:28,285 --> 01:01:32,022
Washington was not tactically
a good general.
1239
01:01:32,089 --> 01:01:35,425
He does begin
to learn the lesson
1240
01:01:35,492 --> 01:01:37,294
that's going to be
so significant,
1241
01:01:37,361 --> 01:01:39,964
the strategic lesson,
not the tactical lesson,
1242
01:01:40,030 --> 01:01:44,001
the strategic lesson
that the British have to win;
1243
01:01:44,068 --> 01:01:47,171
all I have to do is not lose.
1244
01:01:47,237 --> 01:01:49,373
But it takes him a while.
1245
01:01:49,439 --> 01:01:53,043
This goes against every instinct
in his body.
1246
01:01:53,110 --> 01:01:54,444
He's a fighter.
1247
01:01:54,511 --> 01:01:55,445
OFFICER: Fire!
1248
01:01:55,512 --> 01:01:57,181
[cannon fires]
1249
01:01:57,247 --> 01:01:59,249
NEWT: France enters the war
in 1778
1250
01:01:59,316 --> 01:02:00,550
on the side of the Americans,
1251
01:02:00,617 --> 01:02:03,954
convinced in part
by Ambassador Benjamin Franklin
1252
01:02:04,021 --> 01:02:05,856
and the Americans'
stunning victory
1253
01:02:05,923 --> 01:02:07,457
at the Battle of Saratoga.
1254
01:02:07,524 --> 01:02:10,260
[cannons fire]
1255
01:02:10,327 --> 01:02:11,728
CALLISTA: The French Navy
1256
01:02:11,796 --> 01:02:15,232
and a young French aristocrat,
the Marquis de Lafayette,
1257
01:02:15,299 --> 01:02:16,934
finally help turn the tide
1258
01:02:17,001 --> 01:02:20,971
to an American victory
at Yorktown in 1781.
1259
01:02:21,038 --> 01:02:23,507
[cannons and gunfire]
1260
01:02:23,573 --> 01:02:26,110
COOK: Everybody knew
George Washington wanted
1261
01:02:26,176 --> 01:02:28,212
to defeat the British
in New York
1262
01:02:28,278 --> 01:02:30,214
because he had been
so badly beaten
1263
01:02:30,280 --> 01:02:32,817
by the British there in 1776,
1264
01:02:32,883 --> 01:02:35,552
and the Marquis de Lafayette
wrote him a letter and said,
1265
01:02:35,619 --> 01:02:38,823
look, I know you really have
your eye on New York,
1266
01:02:38,889 --> 01:02:41,358
but I'm telling you,
the British General Cornwallis,
1267
01:02:41,425 --> 01:02:44,094
he's building up a fortification
here in York, Virginia--
1268
01:02:44,161 --> 01:02:46,063
I don't think
he's going anywhere.
1269
01:02:46,130 --> 01:02:48,833
LENGEL: Washington has a choice.
1270
01:02:48,899 --> 01:02:53,537
He can continue to pursue
his fixation on New York City,
1271
01:02:53,603 --> 01:02:56,240
or he can recognize
an opportunity.
1272
01:02:56,306 --> 01:02:58,843
Washington lets go of his pride.
1273
01:02:58,909 --> 01:03:02,112
Washington lets go
of his fixation.
1274
01:03:02,179 --> 01:03:04,248
That decision
that Washington makes,
1275
01:03:04,314 --> 01:03:06,917
decides the fate
of the United States of America.
1276
01:03:06,984 --> 01:03:08,152
[men shouting]
1277
01:03:08,218 --> 01:03:10,387
[gunfire]
1278
01:03:10,454 --> 01:03:11,755
COOK: Washington tricked
the British,
1279
01:03:11,822 --> 01:03:14,892
he made them think he was going
to attack in New York,
1280
01:03:14,959 --> 01:03:16,861
but instead
they surrounded Cornwallis
1281
01:03:16,927 --> 01:03:19,296
and defeated him
at the Battle of Yorktown,
1282
01:03:19,363 --> 01:03:21,265
the last major battle
of the war.
1283
01:03:21,331 --> 01:03:23,934
[gunfire]
1284
01:03:24,001 --> 01:03:33,210
*
1285
01:03:33,277 --> 01:03:34,879
NEWT: Washington
and his Continental Army
1286
01:03:34,945 --> 01:03:37,948
have won the War
for Independence.
1287
01:03:38,015 --> 01:03:39,449
[horse neighs]
1288
01:03:39,516 --> 01:03:42,319
FORSTCHEN: Washington defeated
the British by outlasting them.
1289
01:03:42,386 --> 01:03:43,787
Plain and simple.
1290
01:03:43,854 --> 01:03:48,025
BRINKLEY: He defeated the
British Army by staying alive,
1291
01:03:48,092 --> 01:03:50,294
by keeping his troops moving,
1292
01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:54,331
by not giving in,
a war of attrition.
1293
01:03:57,267 --> 01:03:59,169
ELLIS: And we see pictures
of these guys
1294
01:03:59,236 --> 01:04:01,238
with bloodstained bandanas--
1295
01:04:01,305 --> 01:04:03,007
it's all true.
1296
01:04:03,073 --> 01:04:05,375
They're all starving to death.
They're not fed.
1297
01:04:05,442 --> 01:04:08,913
Those are the guys
that won the war.
1298
01:04:08,979 --> 01:04:11,448
FORSTCHEN: And let us also
give credit where credit is due.
1299
01:04:11,515 --> 01:04:12,816
The French intervention
was crucial.
1300
01:04:12,883 --> 01:04:16,320
And one can almost say
it was not so much that we won,
1301
01:04:16,386 --> 01:04:19,056
it's that they lost.
1302
01:04:21,591 --> 01:04:24,461
HANSON: Anytime an army
lands on foreign soil,
1303
01:04:24,528 --> 01:04:27,031
there's only a finite period
they have to win,
1304
01:04:27,097 --> 01:04:29,199
and we don't know
what that finite period is.
1305
01:04:29,266 --> 01:04:32,970
But it's usually predicated
on how much money they spend,
1306
01:04:33,037 --> 01:04:34,204
how many troops they lose,
1307
01:04:34,271 --> 01:04:36,941
and whether they have
a perception of winning
1308
01:04:37,007 --> 01:04:42,512
and bringing definite benefits
to the population back home.
1309
01:04:42,579 --> 01:04:46,016
CALLISTA: But as two years
of peace talks drag on in Paris,
1310
01:04:46,083 --> 01:04:49,253
Washington's troops and officers
go without pay.
1311
01:04:49,319 --> 01:04:51,455
There are even rumors
of a military coup
1312
01:04:51,521 --> 01:04:53,357
unless Washington
is more forceful
1313
01:04:53,423 --> 01:04:56,693
in demanding funds
from Congress.
1314
01:04:56,760 --> 01:05:04,668
*
1315
01:05:04,734 --> 01:05:07,972
FORSTCHEN:
In the winter of 1782,
1316
01:05:08,038 --> 01:05:10,674
our army was encamped
in Newburgh, New York,
1317
01:05:10,740 --> 01:05:12,742
starving, unpaid--
1318
01:05:12,809 --> 01:05:15,112
not unlike the winter
at Valley Forge.
1319
01:05:15,179 --> 01:05:18,448
ELLIS: We know that Yorktown
is the last battle in the war.
1320
01:05:18,515 --> 01:05:19,783
They didn't know that.
1321
01:05:19,849 --> 01:05:22,519
Washington assumed the war
was going to continue.
1322
01:05:22,586 --> 01:05:27,457
The British still had
25,000 troops in country.
1323
01:05:27,524 --> 01:05:29,226
FORSTCHEN:
And the officer corps,
1324
01:05:29,293 --> 01:05:34,031
many of them decided to rebel.
1325
01:05:34,098 --> 01:05:37,267
CALLISTA: At a gathering of
officers led by General Gates,
1326
01:05:37,334 --> 01:05:39,669
Washington makes
a surprise appearance.
1327
01:05:39,736 --> 01:05:41,671
He denounces
the threat of a coup
1328
01:05:41,738 --> 01:05:46,543
and implores the men to remember
the liberty they had fought for.
1329
01:05:46,610 --> 01:05:49,613
FORSTCHEN: Washington drew
a speech out of a pocket,
1330
01:05:49,679 --> 01:05:54,784
looked at it, and then
did something unimaginable.
1331
01:05:54,851 --> 01:05:58,155
In his pocket, he also
pulled out his spectacles,
1332
01:05:58,222 --> 01:06:02,592
something a military man did not
wear in the 18th century.
1333
01:06:02,659 --> 01:06:06,663
*
1334
01:06:06,730 --> 01:06:10,300
WASHINGTON: I have grown gray
in the service of my country.
1335
01:06:10,367 --> 01:06:14,171
Now I find I am growing blind.
1336
01:06:14,238 --> 01:06:16,140
*
1337
01:06:16,206 --> 01:06:19,676
CALLISTA: Reportedly some of
the officers in the room wept,
1338
01:06:19,743 --> 01:06:22,779
so moved by General Washington's
total commitment
1339
01:06:22,846 --> 01:06:27,651
and personal sacrifice
to his men and the cause.
1340
01:06:27,717 --> 01:06:30,654
GUELZO: What he had said
to all of his officers was
1341
01:06:30,720 --> 01:06:38,395
I am loyal to the last drop
of my blood to this Congress,
1342
01:06:38,462 --> 01:06:40,464
to this government,
to this republic--
1343
01:06:40,530 --> 01:06:44,301
and you should be, too.
1344
01:06:44,368 --> 01:06:45,802
And at that moment in the room,
1345
01:06:45,869 --> 01:06:50,774
you could almost have heard
the air going out of any plan
1346
01:06:50,840 --> 01:06:55,745
to threaten, intimidate,
or mutiny against Congress.
1347
01:06:55,812 --> 01:06:59,849
And in that one statement,
Washington did it all.
1348
01:06:59,916 --> 01:07:01,251
What a moment.
1349
01:07:01,318 --> 01:07:06,256
And what an extraordinary man
to be able to do that.
1350
01:07:06,323 --> 01:07:10,360
*
1351
01:07:10,427 --> 01:07:18,668
[fireworks exploding]
1352
01:07:18,735 --> 01:07:20,837
*
1353
01:07:20,904 --> 01:07:23,707
NEWT: Seven years after
his retreat from Manhattan,
1354
01:07:23,773 --> 01:07:28,545
General George Washington rides
triumphantly back into the city.
1355
01:07:28,612 --> 01:07:33,417
LARSON: Washington's liberation
of Manhattan in 1783
1356
01:07:33,483 --> 01:07:37,254
was really the capstone
of the Revolutionary War
1357
01:07:37,321 --> 01:07:41,858
and a moment of great relief
and exhilaration
1358
01:07:41,925 --> 01:07:43,127
by the American people.
1359
01:07:43,193 --> 01:07:46,196
It was so because
they had suffered so long
1360
01:07:46,263 --> 01:07:47,364
during the revolution.
1361
01:07:47,431 --> 01:07:49,399
And so when word finally came
1362
01:07:49,466 --> 01:07:53,603
that the British were relenting
and evacuating New York City,
1363
01:07:53,670 --> 01:07:56,273
the whole sky broke loose.
1364
01:07:56,340 --> 01:07:57,907
The people rejoiced.
1365
01:07:57,974 --> 01:07:59,443
The city went wild.
1366
01:07:59,509 --> 01:08:02,179
Fireworks were shot off
at night.
1367
01:08:04,214 --> 01:08:05,882
NEWT: A week later,
at Fraunces Tavern,
1368
01:08:05,949 --> 01:08:08,152
his former New York
headquarters,
1369
01:08:08,218 --> 01:08:11,355
Washington says goodbye
to his officers.
1370
01:08:11,421 --> 01:08:18,195
WASHINGTON: It is with a heart
full of love and gratitude
1371
01:08:18,262 --> 01:08:20,697
that I take my leave of you.
1372
01:08:20,764 --> 01:08:23,567
LARSON: We forget what a
sentimental man Washington was,
1373
01:08:23,633 --> 01:08:26,436
how close he was
especially to his men
1374
01:08:26,503 --> 01:08:29,173
with whom he'd fought
for so long.
1375
01:08:29,239 --> 01:08:32,342
We think of him as that
wax figure on the dollar bill,
1376
01:08:32,409 --> 01:08:34,778
but he was, he was very close
to these men,
1377
01:08:34,844 --> 01:08:37,447
and this was his chance
to say goodbye.
1378
01:08:37,514 --> 01:08:38,915
He raised a toast to them,
1379
01:08:38,982 --> 01:08:41,585
he raised a toast
to their future--
1380
01:08:41,651 --> 01:08:44,488
not his own, but their future.
1381
01:08:44,554 --> 01:08:49,193
And Washington,
choked with emotion, left.
1382
01:08:51,428 --> 01:08:54,798
*
1383
01:08:54,864 --> 01:08:57,801
CALLISTA:
In late December 1783,
1384
01:08:57,867 --> 01:09:01,205
Washington sets out on horseback
to Annapolis, Maryland,
1385
01:09:01,271 --> 01:09:03,473
where he will offer
his resignation
1386
01:09:03,540 --> 01:09:05,942
as Commander
of the Continental Army.
1387
01:09:06,009 --> 01:09:08,578
His travels take him
through many of the areas
1388
01:09:08,645 --> 01:09:11,215
where he had fought
the War of Independence.
1389
01:09:11,281 --> 01:09:14,518
OFFICER: Second rank!
Make ready!
1390
01:09:14,584 --> 01:09:16,486
LARSON: These were
key sites of the war,
1391
01:09:16,553 --> 01:09:19,756
where the people
had felt the battles,
1392
01:09:19,823 --> 01:09:21,591
and they all looked
to Washington,
1393
01:09:21,658 --> 01:09:24,361
who had led battles
in those places,
1394
01:09:24,428 --> 01:09:26,963
as their liberator.
1395
01:09:27,030 --> 01:09:30,634
So, at every stop,
he was greeted with salutes,
1396
01:09:30,700 --> 01:09:33,337
with balls in the evening.
1397
01:09:33,403 --> 01:09:34,704
He loved to dance.
1398
01:09:34,771 --> 01:09:36,206
Every woman wanted
to dance with him,
1399
01:09:36,273 --> 01:09:40,610
and he made a point of staying
until each had a chance to.
1400
01:09:40,677 --> 01:09:43,413
It was step by step by step
1401
01:09:43,480 --> 01:09:47,951
through New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Maryland--
1402
01:09:48,017 --> 01:09:51,788
a moment of triumph
for Washington,
1403
01:09:51,855 --> 01:09:57,861
but even more so a shared
triumph for the country.
1404
01:09:57,927 --> 01:10:01,565
CALLISTA: December 23, 1783.
1405
01:10:01,631 --> 01:10:03,733
Washington arrives at Annapolis.
1406
01:10:03,800 --> 01:10:06,803
He is eager to return
to Mount Vernon by Christmas,
1407
01:10:06,870 --> 01:10:12,442
but is compelled to perform
one last act for his country.
1408
01:10:12,509 --> 01:10:13,810
At the end of the war,
1409
01:10:13,877 --> 01:10:16,280
Washington
could have become king,
1410
01:10:16,346 --> 01:10:18,415
but here at
the Maryland State House,
1411
01:10:18,482 --> 01:10:21,818
he resigns as commander-in-chief
of the Continental Army
1412
01:10:21,885 --> 01:10:24,321
and returns happily
to civilian life
1413
01:10:24,388 --> 01:10:27,291
at Mount Vernon.
1414
01:10:27,357 --> 01:10:30,494
LENGEL: This is another
beautiful moment
1415
01:10:30,560 --> 01:10:32,596
in American history.
1416
01:10:32,662 --> 01:10:34,598
In some ways,
it's choreographed.
1417
01:10:34,664 --> 01:10:38,368
Congress fully expected
Washington
1418
01:10:38,435 --> 01:10:40,870
to resign his commission.
1419
01:10:40,937 --> 01:10:44,974
That was one reason that
the delegates to Congress
1420
01:10:45,041 --> 01:10:48,345
don't get up
and applaud Washington,
1421
01:10:48,412 --> 01:10:50,814
because they want
to be careful to show
1422
01:10:50,880 --> 01:10:54,851
that they're not accepting
a favor from Washington,
1423
01:10:54,918 --> 01:10:58,755
but that Washington
is performing his duty
1424
01:10:58,822 --> 01:11:01,090
as an American.
1425
01:11:01,157 --> 01:11:03,827
WASHINGTON:
I here offer my commission
1426
01:11:03,893 --> 01:11:10,033
and take my leave of all
the employments of public life.
1427
01:11:10,099 --> 01:11:14,871
LENGEL: No man has ever been
trusted more in American history
1428
01:11:14,938 --> 01:11:17,507
than Washington is trusted now.
1429
01:11:17,574 --> 01:11:20,810
*
1430
01:11:20,877 --> 01:11:22,612
NEWT: Washington gives control
of the military
1431
01:11:22,679 --> 01:11:23,847
back to the people
1432
01:11:23,913 --> 01:11:26,015
and is hailed as a hero.
1433
01:11:26,082 --> 01:11:28,652
King George III
said the act made him
1434
01:11:28,718 --> 01:11:31,120
"the greatest man in the world."
1435
01:11:31,187 --> 01:11:34,758
*
1436
01:11:34,824 --> 01:11:36,259
ELLIS: Now, if you
think about it, see,
1437
01:11:36,326 --> 01:11:40,830
Julius Caesar didn't do this,
Oliver Cromwell didn't do this,
1438
01:11:40,897 --> 01:11:42,832
Napoleon's not going to do this.
1439
01:11:42,899 --> 01:11:46,670
BRANDS: National leaders
had often been military leaders.
1440
01:11:46,736 --> 01:11:50,139
Generals became presidents,
prime ministers,
1441
01:11:50,206 --> 01:11:51,908
despots, tyrants.
1442
01:11:51,975 --> 01:11:54,844
When Washington
handed over his sword
1443
01:11:54,911 --> 01:11:56,580
and resumed civilian life,
1444
01:11:56,646 --> 01:11:59,649
it signaled this country
was going to be different.
1445
01:11:59,716 --> 01:12:01,718
ELLIS: He resigns,
walks out the door,
1446
01:12:01,785 --> 01:12:03,520
gets on his horse and rides off.
1447
01:12:03,587 --> 01:12:06,523
It is almost--
almost fiction.
1448
01:12:06,590 --> 01:12:12,696
*
1449
01:12:12,762 --> 01:12:18,902
*
1450
01:12:18,968 --> 01:12:21,538
NEWT: Like Cincinnatus,
the hero from antiquity
1451
01:12:21,605 --> 01:12:24,408
who put down his plow,
fought for his country,
1452
01:12:24,474 --> 01:12:30,680
and declined personal power,
Washington rides home.
1453
01:12:30,747 --> 01:12:37,821
He has no intention of ever
again serving in public life.
1454
01:12:37,887 --> 01:12:39,823
ELLIS: When he goes back
to Mount Vernon,
1455
01:12:39,889 --> 01:12:42,759
he never thinks he's leaving.
1456
01:12:42,826 --> 01:12:45,795
I want to stay here
and live out my days
1457
01:12:45,862 --> 01:12:49,966
under my vine and fig trees.
1458
01:12:50,033 --> 01:12:53,703
He feels he's done
what he said he would do.
1459
01:12:53,770 --> 01:12:57,441
*
1460
01:12:57,507 --> 01:13:00,844
HANSON: And so
in the Continental mind,
1461
01:13:00,910 --> 01:13:02,812
Washington is a Cincinnatus
in the sense
1462
01:13:02,879 --> 01:13:05,449
that he didn't really ask
for the job,
1463
01:13:05,515 --> 01:13:07,484
he had a life before.
1464
01:13:07,551 --> 01:13:11,721
And after the crisis had passed,
he went back to his farm.
1465
01:13:11,788 --> 01:13:13,056
And it really resonated
1466
01:13:13,122 --> 01:13:17,461
because the natural inclination
of all people is...
1467
01:13:17,527 --> 01:13:19,729
is not to do that.
1468
01:13:19,796 --> 01:13:26,069
*
1469
01:13:26,135 --> 01:13:31,007
NEWT: He arrives at Mount Vernon
as promised, on Christmas Eve.
1470
01:13:31,074 --> 01:13:38,515
*
1471
01:13:38,582 --> 01:13:44,688
*
1472
01:13:44,754 --> 01:13:51,160
*
1473
01:13:51,227 --> 01:13:53,029
CALLISTA:
After tending to Mount Vernon,
1474
01:13:53,096 --> 01:13:55,164
which had suffered
in his absence,
1475
01:13:55,231 --> 01:13:57,767
he ventures west
to the land he purchased
1476
01:13:57,834 --> 01:14:00,169
during
the French and Indian War.
1477
01:14:00,236 --> 01:14:03,773
*
1478
01:14:03,840 --> 01:14:07,777
LARSON: Perhaps the most
significant event
1479
01:14:07,844 --> 01:14:10,914
of Washington's entire
retirement
1480
01:14:10,980 --> 01:14:16,720
was his trip to visit
his frontier properties.
1481
01:14:16,786 --> 01:14:18,955
Washington had always realized
1482
01:14:19,022 --> 01:14:23,627
that what made Americans
different was the frontier,
1483
01:14:23,693 --> 01:14:27,964
that in Europe people
were basically trapped
1484
01:14:28,031 --> 01:14:29,533
in their hometown.
1485
01:14:29,599 --> 01:14:30,867
The country was full,
1486
01:14:30,934 --> 01:14:35,204
they could basically be
what their parents had been.
1487
01:14:35,271 --> 01:14:37,741
What made America different
was the frontier,
1488
01:14:37,807 --> 01:14:41,678
the fact that Americans
with initiative and ambition
1489
01:14:41,745 --> 01:14:43,880
could always move west
1490
01:14:43,947 --> 01:14:47,551
and create a new life
for themselves.
1491
01:14:47,617 --> 01:14:50,319
He had, of course, covered
these territories as a youth,
1492
01:14:50,386 --> 01:14:53,557
alone on horseback,
as a surveyor.
1493
01:14:53,623 --> 01:14:56,626
And he loved those days.
1494
01:14:56,693 --> 01:14:57,827
Now he was going back
1495
01:14:57,894 --> 01:15:00,797
as the most famous person
in the world,
1496
01:15:00,864 --> 01:15:04,167
and America's leading celebrity.
1497
01:15:04,233 --> 01:15:06,135
And so he just wore his coat,
1498
01:15:06,202 --> 01:15:08,838
had a saddlebag
and his great horse.
1499
01:15:08,905 --> 01:15:12,075
He would try to find a settler's
home to stay with at night.
1500
01:15:12,141 --> 01:15:14,978
And could you imagine
the surprise of a person
1501
01:15:15,044 --> 01:15:18,081
living in a broken-down cabin
in the frontier
1502
01:15:18,147 --> 01:15:19,983
who hardly ever has any guests,
1503
01:15:20,049 --> 01:15:22,586
suddenly knock on the door
and you open the door,
1504
01:15:22,652 --> 01:15:25,955
and here is George Washington
standing there
1505
01:15:26,022 --> 01:15:28,858
asking for a place to stay.
1506
01:15:28,925 --> 01:15:32,862
But other nights, he would
literally sleep under the stars
1507
01:15:32,929 --> 01:15:37,634
or under a bush with only
his coat thrown over him.
1508
01:15:37,701 --> 01:15:39,603
And from reading his diary,
1509
01:15:39,669 --> 01:15:43,006
I think in his own way
he loved every minute of it.
1510
01:15:43,072 --> 01:15:47,143
[hoofbeats]
1511
01:15:47,210 --> 01:15:49,779
NEWT: And though he is
determined in his retirement,
1512
01:15:49,846 --> 01:15:52,682
he is persuaded to attend
the Constitutional Convention
1513
01:15:52,749 --> 01:15:56,620
in Philadelphia in 1787.
1514
01:15:56,686 --> 01:15:59,222
GAINES: He didn't want to do it,
and they begged him
1515
01:15:59,288 --> 01:16:02,125
because they knew they needed
his gravitas
1516
01:16:02,191 --> 01:16:05,094
when he entered the room,
that he was the hero,
1517
01:16:05,161 --> 01:16:08,231
and with him in the room,
it might happen.
1518
01:16:08,297 --> 01:16:11,034
And, finally, he said,
"I'll do it,
1519
01:16:11,100 --> 01:16:13,302
but only if we succeed."
1520
01:16:13,369 --> 01:16:19,743
*
1521
01:16:19,809 --> 01:16:23,179
NEWT: Washington is elected
as President of the Convention.
1522
01:16:23,246 --> 01:16:26,816
For the next three months,
in the hot Philadelphia summer,
1523
01:16:26,883 --> 01:16:28,918
he attends every session.
1524
01:16:28,985 --> 01:16:30,219
BRANDS: Washington understood
1525
01:16:30,286 --> 01:16:33,222
that the American experiment
in self-government
1526
01:16:33,289 --> 01:16:37,326
had depended on American success
in the Revolutionary War;
1527
01:16:37,393 --> 01:16:39,062
but that was just
achieving independence.
1528
01:16:39,128 --> 01:16:40,363
Now putting independence
into effect
1529
01:16:40,429 --> 01:16:43,800
required getting the new
government up and running.
1530
01:16:43,867 --> 01:16:46,435
America's first attempt
at a government of independence,
1531
01:16:46,502 --> 01:16:48,838
the Articles of Confederation,
had been a failure,
1532
01:16:48,905 --> 01:16:53,376
and that's why there was
a Constitutional Convention.
1533
01:16:53,442 --> 01:16:55,444
CALLISTA: Our founders
understood the importance
1534
01:16:55,511 --> 01:16:57,681
of the document
they were designing.
1535
01:16:57,747 --> 01:17:00,116
It was a blueprint
for a system of government
1536
01:17:00,183 --> 01:17:03,219
that would create a country
unique in human history,
1537
01:17:03,286 --> 01:17:07,123
a great experiment
in human liberty.
1538
01:17:07,190 --> 01:17:08,491
ISAACSON:
There's something very deep
1539
01:17:08,557 --> 01:17:11,695
about understanding the people
who founded our country,
1540
01:17:11,761 --> 01:17:14,731
because they're the ones
who imprinted our DNA,
1541
01:17:14,798 --> 01:17:17,333
they're the ones who said
here are our values.
1542
01:17:17,400 --> 01:17:20,103
And we've become
the greatest republic
1543
01:17:20,169 --> 01:17:21,570
in the history of the earth,
1544
01:17:21,637 --> 01:17:25,909
and it's because of the values
that they imparted to us.
1545
01:17:25,975 --> 01:17:28,912
CALLISTA: They also knew their
goal of "a more perfect union"
1546
01:17:28,978 --> 01:17:32,782
would be a constant work
in progress.
1547
01:17:32,849 --> 01:17:34,250
BRANDS: The framers
of the Constitution
1548
01:17:34,317 --> 01:17:37,186
understood that there were
some big holes
1549
01:17:37,253 --> 01:17:38,855
that were left in this charter.
1550
01:17:38,922 --> 01:17:40,089
The two most important were
1551
01:17:40,156 --> 01:17:42,291
what do we do about slavery
in a republic,
1552
01:17:42,358 --> 01:17:44,928
what do we do about the balance
between the states
1553
01:17:44,994 --> 01:17:46,229
and the federal government?
1554
01:17:46,295 --> 01:17:49,265
COOK: George Washington
changed over his lifetime
1555
01:17:49,332 --> 01:17:50,333
on the issue of slavery.
1556
01:17:50,399 --> 01:17:54,237
When he was a child,
his father died,
1557
01:17:54,303 --> 01:17:56,873
and he inherited slaves.
1558
01:17:56,940 --> 01:17:59,943
ELLIS: The revolution was
a transformative experience
1559
01:18:00,009 --> 01:18:01,010
for Washington.
1560
01:18:01,077 --> 01:18:02,211
He travels in the north,
1561
01:18:02,278 --> 01:18:06,315
he sees blacks fighting
in the Continental Army,
1562
01:18:06,382 --> 01:18:08,918
he's got Billy Lee
with him all that time,
1563
01:18:08,985 --> 01:18:11,020
his closest associate,
1564
01:18:11,087 --> 01:18:14,991
and he comes to realize
that slavery as an institution
1565
01:18:15,058 --> 01:18:16,525
is incompatible with the values
1566
01:18:16,592 --> 01:18:18,828
with which the American
Revolution is based on.
1567
01:18:18,895 --> 01:18:20,930
He has no problem with that.
1568
01:18:20,997 --> 01:18:22,398
But how do you end it?
1569
01:18:22,465 --> 01:18:26,770
The only way to end it he thinks
is by gradual emancipation.
1570
01:18:26,836 --> 01:18:28,872
He sits in
the Constitutional Convention
1571
01:18:28,938 --> 01:18:31,440
and listens and he understands
1572
01:18:31,507 --> 01:18:37,313
that if you raise the issue
of slavery frontally,
1573
01:18:37,380 --> 01:18:39,182
it means the end of the union.
1574
01:18:39,248 --> 01:18:42,351
Let's get the republic
established
1575
01:18:42,418 --> 01:18:45,054
before we raise this issue.
1576
01:18:45,121 --> 01:18:47,423
If he had, we wouldn't be here
1577
01:18:47,490 --> 01:18:50,794
because we wouldn't
have had a republic.
1578
01:18:50,860 --> 01:18:53,396
And he's the only one
of the Virginia dynasty
1579
01:18:53,462 --> 01:18:55,832
that frees his slaves
in his will.
1580
01:18:55,899 --> 01:18:58,902
*
1581
01:18:58,968 --> 01:18:59,936
[puff]
1582
01:19:01,070 --> 01:19:02,338
CALLISTA: After the convention,
1583
01:19:02,405 --> 01:19:05,474
Washington's long-time aide,
Alexander Hamilton,
1584
01:19:05,541 --> 01:19:08,344
along with James Madison
and John Jay,
1585
01:19:08,411 --> 01:19:11,347
help get the United States
Constitution ratified
1586
01:19:11,414 --> 01:19:14,951
through a brilliant series
of anonymously published essays,
1587
01:19:15,018 --> 01:19:18,021
known as the Federalist Papers.
1588
01:19:18,087 --> 01:19:20,189
And, per the new constitution,
1589
01:19:20,256 --> 01:19:23,292
a president, our first,
is elected.
1590
01:19:23,359 --> 01:19:26,362
The vote is unanimous.
1591
01:19:26,429 --> 01:19:29,365
LENGEL: Yes, he expected
to be named president;
1592
01:19:29,432 --> 01:19:32,468
that doesn't mean he wanted
to be president.
1593
01:19:32,535 --> 01:19:35,338
He wanted nothing better than
simply to return to Mount Vernon
1594
01:19:35,404 --> 01:19:37,606
and work on his farms.
1595
01:19:37,673 --> 01:19:41,845
He doesn't grasp for it.
He accepts it.
1596
01:19:41,911 --> 01:19:45,048
ELLIS: I would say that no
president in American history
1597
01:19:45,114 --> 01:19:49,485
did not want to be president
more than George Washington.
1598
01:19:49,552 --> 01:19:51,287
He didn't think
of the presidency
1599
01:19:51,354 --> 01:19:53,122
as a capstone to his career;
1600
01:19:53,189 --> 01:19:55,424
he thought of it as an epilogue.
1601
01:19:55,491 --> 01:20:01,998
And if he could have gotten out
of doing it, he would have.
1602
01:20:02,065 --> 01:20:04,400
BRINKLEY: The ride of Washington
from Mount Vernon
1603
01:20:04,467 --> 01:20:06,235
to New York City to Wall Street
1604
01:20:06,302 --> 01:20:08,071
where he gets sworn in
as president,
1605
01:20:08,137 --> 01:20:09,205
it's remarkable--
1606
01:20:09,272 --> 01:20:10,473
people pouring out
of the countryside
1607
01:20:10,539 --> 01:20:14,243
just to have a glimpse
of General Washington.
1608
01:20:14,310 --> 01:20:16,545
There he goes, that journey
1609
01:20:16,612 --> 01:20:18,647
was sort of the founding
of our country.
1610
01:20:18,714 --> 01:20:20,349
You can feel how strong
1611
01:20:20,416 --> 01:20:22,886
the institution of the president
was going to be
1612
01:20:22,952 --> 01:20:27,523
as a symbol for the nation
when Washington took that ride.
1613
01:20:29,692 --> 01:20:33,529
NEWT: On April 30, 1789,
George Washington is sworn in
1614
01:20:33,596 --> 01:20:35,598
as President
of the United States
1615
01:20:35,664 --> 01:20:40,369
at Federal Hall
in New York City.
1616
01:20:40,436 --> 01:20:41,737
As our first president,
1617
01:20:41,804 --> 01:20:44,941
Washington realized
he was establishing precedents
1618
01:20:45,008 --> 01:20:47,076
for how future presidents
would govern,
1619
01:20:47,143 --> 01:20:52,048
including the appointment
of the first cabinet.
1620
01:20:52,115 --> 01:20:54,317
LENGEL: Washington understood
that in some ways
1621
01:20:54,383 --> 01:20:58,454
it was up to him
to define the presidency.
1622
01:20:58,521 --> 01:21:01,324
He understood
that the American people
1623
01:21:01,390 --> 01:21:05,228
would follow his example
for good or for ill.
1624
01:21:05,294 --> 01:21:08,965
COOK: The Constitution
was vague enough
1625
01:21:09,032 --> 01:21:12,001
on how the executive
should be organized.
1626
01:21:12,068 --> 01:21:16,339
So Washington put pillars
into the building.
1627
01:21:16,405 --> 01:21:19,542
He's the reason
why Washington, D.C.,
1628
01:21:19,608 --> 01:21:22,345
is located between Maryland
and Virginia.
1629
01:21:22,411 --> 01:21:25,014
That was
George Washington's desire.
1630
01:21:25,081 --> 01:21:28,317
And so the vision of having
this district
1631
01:21:28,384 --> 01:21:32,421
was really George Washington's
vision for the nation's capital
1632
01:21:32,488 --> 01:21:36,960
to be geographically
at the center of the 13 states.
1633
01:21:37,026 --> 01:21:39,095
CALLISTA: The symbolism
of the presidential office
1634
01:21:39,162 --> 01:21:40,396
was also important.
1635
01:21:40,463 --> 01:21:43,366
John Adams suggested
that President Washington
1636
01:21:43,432 --> 01:21:45,601
be addressed as "your highness."
1637
01:21:45,668 --> 01:21:49,105
But Washington felt that
echoed of European royalty
1638
01:21:49,172 --> 01:21:52,541
and preferred "Mr. President."
1639
01:21:52,608 --> 01:21:55,444
BRANDS: Washington was aware
that there were those
1640
01:21:55,511 --> 01:21:56,779
who wanted the presidency
1641
01:21:56,845 --> 01:22:02,385
to be essentially a monarchy
in republican guise.
1642
01:22:02,451 --> 01:22:05,054
They were talking
of a presidency for life.
1643
01:22:05,121 --> 01:22:09,658
*
1644
01:22:09,725 --> 01:22:12,228
NEWT: Washington serves
a four-year term
1645
01:22:12,295 --> 01:22:14,130
and reluctantly serves another,
1646
01:22:14,197 --> 01:22:17,300
when fighting between the newly
created Federalist Party,
1647
01:22:17,366 --> 01:22:19,235
led by Alexander Hamilton,
1648
01:22:19,302 --> 01:22:23,339
and Democratic Republican Party,
led by Thomas Jefferson,
1649
01:22:23,406 --> 01:22:26,409
threatens the future
of the country.
1650
01:22:26,475 --> 01:22:30,379
MAN: I, George Washington,
do solemnly swear.
1651
01:22:30,446 --> 01:22:33,149
WASHINGTON:
I, George Washington,
1652
01:22:33,216 --> 01:22:34,383
do solemnly swear.
1653
01:22:34,450 --> 01:22:35,618
MAN: That I will faithfully...
1654
01:22:35,684 --> 01:22:37,686
NEWT: But during
his eight years as president,
1655
01:22:37,753 --> 01:22:40,289
Washington shapes
the very institutions
1656
01:22:40,356 --> 01:22:41,724
that make us American.
1657
01:22:41,790 --> 01:22:43,792
He establishes
the United States Navy,
1658
01:22:43,859 --> 01:22:48,631
the State Department,
and the Supreme Court.
1659
01:22:48,697 --> 01:22:50,533
CALLISTA:
And his Treasury Secretary,
1660
01:22:50,599 --> 01:22:52,168
Alexander Hamilton,
1661
01:22:52,235 --> 01:22:53,669
creates a visionary system
1662
01:22:53,736 --> 01:22:56,405
enabling the new nation
to handle its debts
1663
01:22:56,472 --> 01:23:00,576
and establishes
a federal banking system.
1664
01:23:00,643 --> 01:23:02,711
LENGEL: I think Washington
surprised people perhaps
1665
01:23:02,778 --> 01:23:06,115
by his vision as president,
1666
01:23:06,182 --> 01:23:08,717
and he had a very powerful
economic vision.
1667
01:23:08,784 --> 01:23:14,123
He believes his role
is to remove barriers,
1668
01:23:14,190 --> 01:23:15,691
to create opportunities.
1669
01:23:15,758 --> 01:23:19,162
He saw himself in some ways
as a facilitator
1670
01:23:19,228 --> 01:23:22,565
for liberty, for prosperity,
1671
01:23:22,631 --> 01:23:25,101
which he felt
would naturally grow
1672
01:23:25,168 --> 01:23:29,438
if the American people
were given the opportunity.
1673
01:23:29,505 --> 01:23:31,474
CALLISTA:
After two terms as president,
1674
01:23:31,540 --> 01:23:33,142
to the surprise of many,
1675
01:23:33,209 --> 01:23:36,512
Washington once again
sets a precedent.
1676
01:23:36,579 --> 01:23:38,747
In Washington's
farewell address,
1677
01:23:38,814 --> 01:23:41,217
he refuses a third term
as president
1678
01:23:41,284 --> 01:23:44,853
and warns about the dangers
of factions or political parties
1679
01:23:44,920 --> 01:23:48,091
that put their own interests
ahead of the nation's.
1680
01:23:48,157 --> 01:23:49,725
ELLIS:
Washington was representative
1681
01:23:49,792 --> 01:23:51,760
of the founding generation
in the sense
1682
01:23:51,827 --> 01:23:56,099
that the word "political party"
was an epithet.
1683
01:23:56,165 --> 01:23:57,333
They thought of parties
1684
01:23:57,400 --> 01:24:00,269
in the same way we think
of partisan lobbyists.
1685
01:24:00,336 --> 01:24:04,440
They distort the conversation,
the political conversation
1686
01:24:04,507 --> 01:24:07,610
in ways that are not
in the public interest.
1687
01:24:07,676 --> 01:24:09,112
BRANDS: In some ways,
the most important thing
1688
01:24:09,178 --> 01:24:13,249
that George Washington did was
to leave office after two terms.
1689
01:24:13,316 --> 01:24:16,585
Washington could have remained
in office as long as he wanted,
1690
01:24:16,652 --> 01:24:18,454
but by voluntarily
stepping down,
1691
01:24:18,521 --> 01:24:19,722
and this at a time
1692
01:24:19,788 --> 01:24:20,956
when the Constitution
did not require that.
1693
01:24:21,023 --> 01:24:25,861
He said two is enough,
and this set a precedent
1694
01:24:25,928 --> 01:24:29,532
for presidents right down
to the 20th century.
1695
01:24:29,598 --> 01:24:30,733
NEWT: Washington also stresses
1696
01:24:30,799 --> 01:24:33,569
the importance of religion
and morality.
1697
01:24:33,636 --> 01:24:36,572
He writes, "Of all
the dispositions and habits
1698
01:24:36,639 --> 01:24:38,641
that lead
to political prosperity,
1699
01:24:38,707 --> 01:24:44,280
religion and morality
are indispensable supports."
1700
01:24:44,347 --> 01:24:47,583
CALLISTA: And Washington helps
to establish the American view
1701
01:24:47,650 --> 01:24:48,751
of religious tolerance...
1702
01:24:48,817 --> 01:24:51,654
in a short
but enormously impactful letter
1703
01:24:51,720 --> 01:24:54,590
to the Jewish congregation
at Newport, Rhode Island.
1704
01:24:54,657 --> 01:24:56,425
Washington writes,
1705
01:24:56,492 --> 01:24:58,694
"May the children
of the stock of Abraham
1706
01:24:58,761 --> 01:25:00,496
who dwell in this land
1707
01:25:00,563 --> 01:25:03,432
continue to merit
and enjoy the good will
1708
01:25:03,499 --> 01:25:06,702
of the other inhabitants."
1709
01:25:06,769 --> 01:25:10,473
GUELZO: Washington was a man
who was profoundly convinced
1710
01:25:10,539 --> 01:25:12,175
of the virtue
of religious tolerance.
1711
01:25:12,241 --> 01:25:15,178
Because it is
religious tolerance
1712
01:25:15,244 --> 01:25:17,846
which makes for peace,
and peace is what he wanted.
1713
01:25:17,913 --> 01:25:21,784
He promotes tolerance,
but yet he also sees
1714
01:25:21,850 --> 01:25:24,653
that religion has
a major role to play
1715
01:25:24,720 --> 01:25:26,822
in the lives of Americans,
1716
01:25:26,889 --> 01:25:30,726
because what, after all,
holds together a republic?
1717
01:25:30,793 --> 01:25:33,929
A monarchy is held together
by corruption and patronage.
1718
01:25:33,996 --> 01:25:37,466
But a republic
is held together by virtue.
1719
01:25:37,533 --> 01:25:39,535
Where is virtue to come from?
1720
01:25:39,602 --> 01:25:43,472
He could find virtue arising
really only from one source,
1721
01:25:43,539 --> 01:25:45,474
and that was from religion.
1722
01:25:45,541 --> 01:25:53,349
*
1723
01:25:53,416 --> 01:26:02,225
*
1724
01:26:02,291 --> 01:26:09,498
*
1725
01:26:09,565 --> 01:26:12,235
CALLISTA: Washington spent
the last years of his life
1726
01:26:12,301 --> 01:26:14,637
here, at his beloved
Mount Vernon.
1727
01:26:14,703 --> 01:26:16,372
He rose early each morning
1728
01:26:16,439 --> 01:26:20,309
to actively manage
every aspect of his farm.
1729
01:26:20,376 --> 01:26:22,611
NEWT: During the daytime
he was helping to create
1730
01:26:22,678 --> 01:26:23,812
innovative ways of farming,
1731
01:26:23,879 --> 01:26:26,482
including new methods
of crop rotation.
1732
01:26:26,549 --> 01:26:27,950
In the evening,
1733
01:26:28,016 --> 01:26:32,688
he and Martha entertained
an endless stream of visitors.
1734
01:26:32,755 --> 01:26:35,891
On the morning
of December 12, 1799,
1735
01:26:35,958 --> 01:26:39,528
Washington goes out for his
daily ride to inspect his farms.
1736
01:26:39,595 --> 01:26:41,564
It is freezing and raining.
1737
01:26:41,630 --> 01:26:46,902
It will be his last ride
at Mount Vernon.
1738
01:26:46,969 --> 01:26:49,472
Washington arrives home
five hours later
1739
01:26:49,538 --> 01:26:50,573
and finds visitors.
1740
01:26:50,639 --> 01:26:51,907
Not wanting
to keep them waiting,
1741
01:26:51,974 --> 01:26:55,844
he decides against changing
out of his wet clothing.
1742
01:26:55,911 --> 01:27:00,683
That night Washington falls ill.
1743
01:27:00,749 --> 01:27:02,818
His throat swells with infection
1744
01:27:02,885 --> 01:27:04,620
and he begins
a three-day process
1745
01:27:04,687 --> 01:27:06,555
of suffocating to death.
1746
01:27:06,622 --> 01:27:10,959
*
1747
01:27:11,026 --> 01:27:12,895
LARSON: He couldn't breathe,
he was choking,
1748
01:27:12,961 --> 01:27:15,564
he had been bled repeatedly
by his doctors.
1749
01:27:15,631 --> 01:27:17,433
He had done one thing, however.
1750
01:27:17,500 --> 01:27:19,735
He had prepared two wills,
1751
01:27:19,802 --> 01:27:22,738
and he asked that those wills
be brought to him.
1752
01:27:22,805 --> 01:27:26,709
And he looked at them,
and he tore up one.
1753
01:27:26,775 --> 01:27:29,878
We don't know what it says,
but he tore up one,
1754
01:27:29,945 --> 01:27:32,047
and he said this was the one.
1755
01:27:32,114 --> 01:27:35,718
This was the one
that freed his slaves,
1756
01:27:35,784 --> 01:27:38,987
this is the one that went down
to posterity.
1757
01:27:39,054 --> 01:27:43,592
Then in the end, he said,
"'Tis well," and died.
1758
01:27:43,659 --> 01:27:47,062
[geese honking]
1759
01:27:47,129 --> 01:27:48,497
*
1760
01:27:48,564 --> 01:27:54,870
CALLISTA: Washington dies
on December 14, 1799, at age 67.
1761
01:27:54,937 --> 01:27:57,973
A funeral is held at
Mount Vernon four days later,
1762
01:27:58,040 --> 01:27:59,642
and memorial services are held
1763
01:27:59,708 --> 01:28:02,478
in many cities
throughout the nation.
1764
01:28:02,545 --> 01:28:05,714
Washington's trusted friend
Alexander Hamilton
1765
01:28:05,781 --> 01:28:07,916
helps stage some
of these tributes.
1766
01:28:07,983 --> 01:28:10,018
Hamilton writes, Washington was
1767
01:28:10,085 --> 01:28:14,857
"a character unrivaled
on the list of true glory."
1768
01:28:14,923 --> 01:28:17,059
NEWT: In Philadelphia,
church bells toll,
1769
01:28:17,125 --> 01:28:19,495
alongside cannon
and gunfire salutes.
1770
01:28:19,562 --> 01:28:20,963
[cannons fire]
1771
01:28:21,029 --> 01:28:25,501
Thousands of Americans wear
mourning clothes for months.
1772
01:28:25,568 --> 01:28:28,971
In France, Napoleon orders
a funeral oration.
1773
01:28:29,037 --> 01:28:30,939
In England,
flags of the English fleet
1774
01:28:31,006 --> 01:28:33,776
are lowered to half mast.
1775
01:28:36,211 --> 01:28:39,147
CALLISTA: Back at Mount Vernon,
to protect their privacy,
1776
01:28:39,214 --> 01:28:42,017
Martha Washington burns
almost all of the letters
1777
01:28:42,084 --> 01:28:45,988
the couple had exchanged
over the years.
1778
01:28:46,054 --> 01:28:48,791
NEWT: Their innermost thoughts
during the War for Independence
1779
01:28:48,857 --> 01:28:51,727
and creation of the country
are lost to us,
1780
01:28:51,794 --> 01:28:54,397
but Washington's legacy remains:
1781
01:28:54,463 --> 01:28:59,902
that of citizenship, sacrifice,
honor, and integrity.
1782
01:28:59,968 --> 01:29:01,169
CALLISTA: After his death,
1783
01:29:01,236 --> 01:29:04,106
Americans marveled
at Washington's dedication
1784
01:29:04,172 --> 01:29:06,942
to creating and preserving
our republic.
1785
01:29:07,009 --> 01:29:08,877
In his eulogy he was remembered
1786
01:29:08,944 --> 01:29:11,547
as "first in war,
first in peace,
1787
01:29:11,614 --> 01:29:14,116
and first in the hearts
of his countrymen."
1788
01:29:14,182 --> 01:29:16,018
NEWT: More than
any other person,
1789
01:29:16,084 --> 01:29:18,921
George Washington enabled us
to better understand who we are
1790
01:29:18,987 --> 01:29:20,923
as a people and a nation.
1791
01:29:20,989 --> 01:29:25,461
He remains the greatest figure
in American history.
1792
01:29:25,528 --> 01:29:29,432
*
1793
01:29:29,498 --> 01:29:34,036
ELLIS: This is what Americans
need to understand,
1794
01:29:34,102 --> 01:29:35,904
to go back to the beginning.
1795
01:29:35,971 --> 01:29:39,141
The statue was a living,
breathing human being
1796
01:29:39,207 --> 01:29:42,845
who went through all
of these incredible sacrifices
1797
01:29:42,911 --> 01:29:46,749
and experiences, dangers,
and succeeded.
1798
01:29:46,815 --> 01:29:48,283
WASHINGTON: Fire that weapon!
1799
01:29:48,350 --> 01:29:52,087
ELLIS: There are two founding
moments in American history--
1800
01:29:52,154 --> 01:29:53,722
when we declare our independence
1801
01:29:53,789 --> 01:29:55,157
and when we declare
our nationhood--
1802
01:29:55,223 --> 01:29:58,927
Washington is the central figure
in both of those moments.
1803
01:29:58,994 --> 01:30:01,830
AIDE: In further support
of this declaration...
1804
01:30:01,897 --> 01:30:03,799
LENGEL:
He is more important for us
1805
01:30:03,866 --> 01:30:06,469
in the 21st century
as an example
1806
01:30:06,535 --> 01:30:11,139
than he was perhaps at any time
since he was alive.
1807
01:30:11,206 --> 01:30:16,612
I think Americans need him now
as a unifying force
1808
01:30:16,679 --> 01:30:18,881
of what it means to serve,
1809
01:30:18,947 --> 01:30:23,886
what it means to sacrifice
for the nation.
1810
01:30:23,952 --> 01:30:26,154
GAINES: If you don't understand
George Washington,
1811
01:30:26,221 --> 01:30:30,025
you don't understand
what's important about America.
1812
01:30:30,092 --> 01:30:33,061
And nowadays,
I don't think children
1813
01:30:33,128 --> 01:30:40,503
are being taught in schools
the original founding history.
1814
01:30:40,569 --> 01:30:42,938
GUELZO: It is Washington
more than anybody else--
1815
01:30:43,005 --> 01:30:45,040
more than Jefferson,
more than Franklin,
1816
01:30:45,107 --> 01:30:49,111
more than Adams,
more than any of the others--
1817
01:30:49,177 --> 01:30:51,880
who makes
the American experiment,
1818
01:30:51,947 --> 01:30:54,082
as he called it, a success.
1819
01:30:54,149 --> 01:30:57,853
And without him,
it is simply incomprehensible
1820
01:30:57,920 --> 01:31:00,188
to think of the United States
1821
01:31:00,255 --> 01:31:03,959
surviving more than a decade
or two decades
1822
01:31:04,026 --> 01:31:08,997
in the environment
in which it was born.
1823
01:31:09,064 --> 01:31:10,232
ISAACSON: He's the father
of our country
1824
01:31:10,298 --> 01:31:13,301
because at a time when we were
being torn apart
1825
01:31:13,368 --> 01:31:14,637
and we needed to be led,
1826
01:31:14,703 --> 01:31:19,074
he held us together with
his rectitude and his honor.
1827
01:31:19,141 --> 01:31:22,144
It's easy to be smart,
it's easy to be clever,
1828
01:31:22,210 --> 01:31:25,180
but what's important
is to be wise,
1829
01:31:25,247 --> 01:31:28,551
and that's what you found
in George Washington.
1830
01:31:28,617 --> 01:31:37,760
*
1831
01:31:37,826 --> 01:31:47,102
*
1832
01:31:47,703 --> 01:31:57,345
*
1833
01:31:57,412 --> 01:32:07,255
*
1834
01:32:07,322 --> 01:32:17,132
*
1835
01:32:17,199 --> 01:32:26,875
*
1836
01:32:26,942 --> 01:32:32,948
*
1837
01:32:33,015 --> 01:32:39,221
*
136512
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