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♪♪♪
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‐ Turn and run, you cowards!
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[ explosion ]
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington is,
without question,
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the greatest hero and leader
in American history,
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but he's a stranger.
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‐ I, George Washington,
do solemnly swear...
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‐ People see him more
as a monument than a person.
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But you can't understand him
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unless you acknowledge
that he was human.
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‐ That I will faithfully
execute the office
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of President
of the United States.
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‐ And when we understand
the man behind the myth,
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it actually becomes empowering
and inspiring for us,
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because he's not as distant.
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‐ Long live George Washington,
President of the United States.
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‐ When I look at Washington,
I see a leader.
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‐ He could have been king,
but that was not him.
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He wasn't interested in power.
He had power.
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‐ The world has never seen
the last stage of perfection
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to which human nature
is capable of attaining.
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‐ Hear, hear!
‐ [ cheering ]
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‐ I see a man who gave himself
to service.
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‐ We must give them something to
fight for, something inspiring.
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‐ Something happened
to Washington
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that made him think...
"I have to do this."
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‐ I see a husband.
‐ It is exquisite.
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‐ And I see a slaveholder.
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‐ American history
is not a fairy tale,
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so I think it's a mistake
to think of him
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as entirely virtuous.
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‐ If we truly want to know
that man,
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then we have to look
at everything, warts and all.
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[ explosions ]
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‐ Washington's not
a frozen image.
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He changes from moment to moment
in his life.
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He evolves.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Despite all his flaws,
Washington was the one man
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that made this country possible.
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♪♪♪
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‐ What makes this a nation?
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Two things‐‐the Constitution
and George Washington.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington was not born great.
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He took a journey
toward greatness.
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♪♪♪
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[ thunder rumbling ]
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♪♪♪
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[ birds chirping ]
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[ horse whinnies ]
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[ indistinct chatter ]
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‐ Keep moving.
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We march through the night
if necessary.
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♪♪♪
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[ horse nickers ]
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‐ In 1754, the man who will
one day become
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the father of his country
is an American colonist
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wearing British red.
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He's in command
for the first time
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on a mission to serve his king,
George II.
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‐ Lieutenant Colonel Washington,
sir. Over the ridge,
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the Half King and his men, sir.
‐ Good work. Fall in line.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington is the colonel
of Virginia Regiment by age 22.
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He hasn't led men in battle
at all.
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He has no experience.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington's here to help
the British Empire
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defend its claim
on a strategic piece
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of the frontier.
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The forks
where three rivers meet
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will one day be called
Pittsburgh,
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but now the Ohio country
is land claimed
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by both Britain and France,
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and the native nations
who live there.
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♪♪♪
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‐ There are many different
tribes in this area.
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There's a very complicated
political alignment
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between various tribes
and between the French
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and the‐‐and the British.
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‐ They wanted traders to come in
because traders brought
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lots of things that Indian
people wanted and needed.
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But what Indian people
in the Ohio country wanted
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00:04:03,452 --> 00:04:06,663
was to preserve
their own independence,
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00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:09,082
and they wanted to preserve
their own land.
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[ horse whinnies ]
‐ And to assure
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their own control of the region,
it's always better
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to be able to play off
the different European nations
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against each other.
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‐ Washington's goal is to reach
the forks before the French do
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and convince them to leave
the Ohio country peacefully.
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But in this land
of shifting alliances,
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his only chance to succeed
is to secure the help
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of the Half King, an ambassador
of the six Iroquois nations,
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who at this point
is a friend to Britain.
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‐ The Half King is
an accomplished warrior,
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and he's now a statesman
and a diplomat.
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This was his world,
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and Washington was coming
into it.
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‐ You English are welcome here.
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‐ We have pushed on
for many miles.
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My men need rest.
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‐ Get them water.
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We have meat.
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‐ Thank you.
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We received word
on our way here‐‐
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the French have beaten us
to the forks.
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They're already underway.
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‐ They are much closer.
‐ Closer?
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‐ A few miles. I will show you.
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‐ How well armed are they?
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Have they made clear
their intentions?
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‐ These French,
they have bad hearts.
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They are here to fight.
‐ What makes you say‐‐
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‐ You wait,
and the French may come first.
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Then...
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my people will not help you.
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‐ We have endured
a grueling march.
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My men need rest.
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If it is as you say, I will
choose a course of action.
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‐ Only a handful
of non‐Indian guys
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knew enough to negotiate
the treacherous waters
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of Indian politics
and international politics
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in the Ohio country,
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and George Washington
was not one of them.
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‐ You will lead us to them.
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‐ We know the place.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington is trying to make
a career for himself
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in the military,
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and he feels like if he fails
on this mission
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that his career is over.
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‐ As a young man, 21, 22,
he really wanted
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to earn a name for himself.
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‐ To understand where
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George Washington's
intense ambition comes from,
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it's really helpful to look
at his family history.
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‐ Our Father, which art in
Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
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Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
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on Earth
as it is in Heaven.
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♪♪♪
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‐ The adversity for him begins
with the death of his father.
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[ muttered prayers ]
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‐ He was 11 years old.
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He's now the head
of his household,
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and so George is supposed to be
educated in London
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like his two
older half‐brothers.
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That's not happening anymore.
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[ thunder rumbles ]
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‐ Washington as a young man
is sort of second‐tier gentry.
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He's not one of the great,
wealthy families of Virginia.
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‐ He was very sensitive
about the fact
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that he didn't have
advanced schooling.
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[ thunder rumbles ]
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‐ The education
of George Washington
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was experience
rather than schooling.
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John Adams went to Harvard.
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Thomas Jefferson
went to William & Mary.
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George Washington
went to war.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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[ laughter, chatter ]
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‐ There must be 20.
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‐ 32.
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‐ We do outnumber them.
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‐ They do not know we're here.
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Surprise is ours.
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‐ My order‐‐
‐ This is no time for waiting.
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You must see it.
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‐ I see the opportunity.
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♪♪♪
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‐ This is
his first major command.
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He doesn't really know
what he's doing,
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but he does not want to go
back to Virginia empty‐handed.
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‐ No war has yet been declared
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between France
and Great Britain,
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but all it's going to take
is one spark
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to set the tinderbox alight.
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‐ I will give the command.
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♪♪♪
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‐ Fire!
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‐ [ shouting ]
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‐ [ whooping ]
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‐ Charge!
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‐ [ men yelling ]
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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‐ Washington almost immediately
loses control.
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He's become a spectator.
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‐ [ man shouting in French ]
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‐ Stop! Do not shoot!
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[ thud ]
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[ man yelling in distance ]
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‐ Aah!
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[ screaming ]
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‐ [ whoop ]
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‐ This is the moment that causes
the French and Indian War.
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This is the war that led
to the American Revolution.
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♪♪♪
202
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‐ When the Half King
kills Jumonville,
203
00:10:44,936 --> 00:10:48,022
the French commander,
in front of his eyes,
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what had looked like a victory
205
00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:53,736
now looks like a tragic fiasco.
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00:10:53,736 --> 00:10:57,740
‐ Jumonville's mission
was the same as Washington's‐‐
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00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:01,077
send a message
to the competition
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00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:04,414
to clear out
of the Ohio country.
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00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:08,168
‐ The letter that the French
are trying to deliver claimed
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00:11:08,168 --> 00:11:10,253
that they were actually
a diplomatic party
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00:11:10,253 --> 00:11:12,338
delivering a message
212
00:11:12,338 --> 00:11:14,674
to the British governor
of Virginia.
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00:11:14,674 --> 00:11:18,344
So Washington essentially
attacked a diplomatic party.
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00:11:18,344 --> 00:11:21,848
‐ Take the survivors
as prisoners.
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00:11:21,848 --> 00:11:24,309
Treat them fairly.
216
00:11:24,309 --> 00:11:28,021
For it's time we departed.
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00:11:28,021 --> 00:11:31,024
‐ [ whoop ]
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00:11:31,024 --> 00:11:33,234
‐ This is an era
that's very strict
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00:11:33,234 --> 00:11:35,820
about following the rules
of warfare.
220
00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:38,990
George Washington's just
breached those rules.
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00:11:38,990 --> 00:11:42,368
It's one of the most shocking
moments of his life‐‐
222
00:11:42,368 --> 00:11:50,001
a moment where he could get
in very big trouble indeed.
223
00:11:50,001 --> 00:11:51,502
‐ [ whooping ]
224
00:11:56,466 --> 00:12:00,220
[ whooping in distance ]
225
00:12:06,809 --> 00:12:08,561
‐ "Honorable sir.
226
00:12:08,561 --> 00:12:11,648
"I shall begin with assuring you
that nothing was farther
227
00:12:11,648 --> 00:12:13,399
from my intention..."
228
00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:15,193
‐ Washington wastes no time
scrambling
229
00:12:15,193 --> 00:12:17,445
to protect his reputation.
230
00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:18,738
On the day after the battle,
231
00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:22,283
he writes three separate letters
to his superior,
232
00:12:22,283 --> 00:12:26,579
Virginia Lieutenant Governor,
Robert Dinwiddie.
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00:12:26,579 --> 00:12:29,874
‐ "These officers pretended
they were coming on an embassy,
234
00:12:29,874 --> 00:12:33,044
"but the absurdity
of this pretext is too glaring.
235
00:12:33,044 --> 00:12:35,129
They were sent as spies."
236
00:12:35,129 --> 00:12:39,092
‐ His first instinct
is to justify what he did,
237
00:12:39,092 --> 00:12:43,513
to suggest that it was
the Frenchman's fault
238
00:12:43,513 --> 00:12:46,766
not being clear that he was
on a diplomatic mission.
239
00:12:46,766 --> 00:12:50,019
‐ "The sense of the Half King
is they designed to come to us
240
00:12:50,019 --> 00:12:51,854
in a hostile manner."
241
00:12:51,854 --> 00:12:53,856
‐ "If the French prisoners
tell you any differently,
242
00:12:53,856 --> 00:12:56,442
don't believe them.
We had to do this."
243
00:12:56,442 --> 00:12:58,278
Then he follows up
almost immediately
244
00:12:58,278 --> 00:13:00,238
with another letter
to this effect.
245
00:13:00,238 --> 00:13:02,115
‐ "Since writing
the other letter,
246
00:13:02,115 --> 00:13:03,700
"I have
still stronger presumption,
247
00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:07,620
indeed, almost confirmation,
that they were sent as spies."
248
00:13:07,620 --> 00:13:10,331
♪♪♪
249
00:13:10,331 --> 00:13:11,708
‐ The notion is
this is a man who can't lie‐‐
250
00:13:11,708 --> 00:13:14,335
you know, Washington never lies.
Of course he lies.
251
00:13:14,335 --> 00:13:19,007
He's an ambitious young guy
who overreaches on occasion,
252
00:13:19,007 --> 00:13:21,217
and, um, he's lucky.
253
00:13:21,217 --> 00:13:23,011
Some of these things
could have derailed him.
254
00:13:23,011 --> 00:13:25,638
He's lucky that he didn't
get killed.
255
00:13:25,638 --> 00:13:27,640
‐ When he's young,
he's undisciplined,
256
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,809
and he doesn't quite understand
the ways of the world,
257
00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:31,978
and so he writes letters
to Dinwiddie
258
00:13:31,978 --> 00:13:34,689
that he later
very much regrets.
259
00:13:34,689 --> 00:13:37,775
♪♪♪
260
00:13:37,775 --> 00:13:39,861
‐ Taking care
of your reputation‐‐
261
00:13:39,861 --> 00:13:42,655
for Washington,
that was exceedingly important.
262
00:13:42,655 --> 00:13:46,826
‐ Washington wants to live up
to the values instilled in him
263
00:13:46,826 --> 00:13:51,831
as a young boy growing up
on a Virginia tobacco farm.
264
00:13:51,831 --> 00:13:55,376
‐ George Washington,
like Barack Obama,
265
00:13:55,376 --> 00:13:59,922
like Gerald Ford,
was raised by a single mother,
266
00:13:59,922 --> 00:14:02,675
and that's often overlooked
in how that impacted him.
267
00:14:05,470 --> 00:14:07,180
‐ Come on, George.
268
00:14:07,180 --> 00:14:10,183
‐ Yes, Mother, coming.
269
00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:12,727
♪♪♪
270
00:14:12,727 --> 00:14:15,521
‐ Mary Ball Washington
was a strong woman
271
00:14:15,521 --> 00:14:18,524
who was very focused,
very business‐like.
272
00:14:19,984 --> 00:14:23,196
‐ She was ambitious.
She was savvy.
273
00:14:23,196 --> 00:14:28,326
She managed her estate
very carefully.
274
00:14:28,326 --> 00:14:30,745
‐ Heaven knows how she handled
all of that, but she did.
275
00:14:30,745 --> 00:14:34,499
And she played such
an important role in his life
276
00:14:34,499 --> 00:14:36,459
to give him that structure
of character, of competence,
277
00:14:36,459 --> 00:14:38,795
and believing in yourself.
278
00:14:38,795 --> 00:14:41,422
‐ She passed to Washington
279
00:14:41,422 --> 00:14:44,175
a very kind
of a hard‐headed realism,
280
00:14:44,175 --> 00:14:46,969
teaching him
strict self‐discipline
281
00:14:46,969 --> 00:14:49,222
and being very tough
on himself.
282
00:14:49,222 --> 00:14:52,767
She doesn't give him time
to putter around
283
00:14:52,767 --> 00:14:56,437
and waste the years dreaming.
284
00:14:56,437 --> 00:14:57,772
‐ He learned pretty early
285
00:14:57,772 --> 00:14:59,982
he was gonna have
to depend upon himself.
286
00:14:59,982 --> 00:15:02,819
I think he wanted to separate
himself from his childhood,
287
00:15:02,819 --> 00:15:05,446
and he had the strength
of will to do it,
288
00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:09,617
partly because he saw what
it took his mother to survive.
289
00:15:09,617 --> 00:15:24,423
♪♪♪
290
00:15:24,423 --> 00:15:26,801
‐ Washington's pinned his hopes
on advancing
291
00:15:26,801 --> 00:15:28,928
up the ranks in the military,
292
00:15:28,928 --> 00:15:32,807
even though colonists can only
serve in the provincial forces
293
00:15:32,807 --> 00:15:35,601
and aren't eligible
for commissions.
294
00:15:35,601 --> 00:15:40,231
He's determined to become
a British officer.
295
00:15:40,231 --> 00:15:43,025
‐ Washington's trying to impress
his higher‐ups
296
00:15:43,025 --> 00:15:44,694
within the British Empire.
297
00:15:44,694 --> 00:15:46,445
He hopes it's gonna go on
up the chain
298
00:15:46,445 --> 00:15:48,781
and will reach powerful people
in London
299
00:15:48,781 --> 00:15:50,575
who will be impressed
with what he's doing.
300
00:15:50,575 --> 00:15:53,578
‐ But George Washington
recognizes
301
00:15:53,578 --> 00:15:56,455
that the showdown with
the French has only just begun.
302
00:15:56,455 --> 00:16:01,127
They're certainly not going
to take this defeat lying down.
303
00:16:01,127 --> 00:16:03,087
Fort Duquesne is not
that far away.
304
00:16:03,087 --> 00:16:07,300
He knows that there are hundreds
more French troops there,
305
00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:08,843
and they're going
to come after him.
306
00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:13,222
‐ As Washington prepares
for the counterattack,
307
00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:17,059
he's reinforced
by 100 British regulars,
308
00:16:17,059 --> 00:16:23,858
giving him a total of 400 men
to face the French revenge.
309
00:16:23,858 --> 00:16:27,278
‐ He builds a fort
that he names Fort Necessity
310
00:16:27,278 --> 00:16:31,574
to suit the desperation,
as he sees it, of the moment.
311
00:16:31,574 --> 00:16:38,497
♪♪♪
312
00:16:38,497 --> 00:16:41,083
‐ It's about 50 feet
in diameter.
313
00:16:41,083 --> 00:16:43,044
I mean, that's like the size
of your lawn.
314
00:16:43,044 --> 00:16:47,965
‐ He's put it
in the worst possible position.
315
00:16:47,965 --> 00:16:50,426
He has not cleared the field
of fire.
316
00:16:50,426 --> 00:16:52,386
♪♪♪
317
00:16:52,386 --> 00:16:55,139
The French
and their Native American allies
318
00:16:55,139 --> 00:17:00,019
will be able to fire down
into the fort with impunity.
319
00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:03,022
♪♪♪
320
00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:05,024
This is not really a fort.
321
00:17:05,024 --> 00:17:07,693
It looks much more like
a death trap.
322
00:17:07,693 --> 00:17:10,112
♪♪♪
323
00:17:10,112 --> 00:17:12,323
But he's still kind of cocky,
324
00:17:12,323 --> 00:17:16,118
despite everything
that he's gone through.
325
00:17:16,118 --> 00:17:19,205
And he's very confident
that he's going to succeed.
326
00:17:19,205 --> 00:17:23,417
‐ "I shall expect every hour
to be attacked
327
00:17:23,417 --> 00:17:27,880
"and by unequal numbers,
which I must withstand.
328
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,258
Let them come what hour
they will."
329
00:17:30,258 --> 00:17:37,390
♪♪♪
330
00:17:41,894 --> 00:17:43,020
‐ Fire!
331
00:17:44,814 --> 00:17:46,899
And reload!
332
00:17:46,899 --> 00:17:49,694
Keep your positions!
333
00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:52,488
‐ When the ex‐French and
their Native allies strike...
334
00:17:52,488 --> 00:17:53,990
‐ Aah!
335
00:17:53,990 --> 00:17:56,826
‐ ...they hit
with overwhelming firepower.
336
00:17:56,826 --> 00:17:58,411
‐ Hold your line!
337
00:17:58,411 --> 00:17:59,495
‐ Aah!
338
00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:02,248
[ gunshots ]
339
00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:04,500
‐ Washington and his men
are essentially trapped.
340
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:07,003
‐ Uhh!
341
00:18:07,003 --> 00:18:11,007
‐ The French have total control
over the situation.
342
00:18:11,007 --> 00:18:12,925
‐ And fire!
343
00:18:12,925 --> 00:18:14,468
Reload!
344
00:18:14,468 --> 00:18:16,637
‐ They're determined
to punish Washington...
345
00:18:16,637 --> 00:18:19,307
[ gunfire ]
346
00:18:19,307 --> 00:18:22,101
to embarrass him...
347
00:18:22,101 --> 00:18:23,811
and possibly to kill him.
348
00:18:23,811 --> 00:18:25,896
♪♪♪
349
00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:35,740
♪♪♪
350
00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:37,617
‐ Hold your line!
351
00:18:43,497 --> 00:18:53,007
♪♪♪
352
00:18:53,007 --> 00:18:54,634
‐ Fire!
353
00:18:54,634 --> 00:18:56,177
♪♪♪
354
00:18:56,177 --> 00:18:57,887
And reload!
355
00:18:57,887 --> 00:19:00,931
‐ Hours into an assault
by the French
356
00:19:00,931 --> 00:19:02,850
and their Native American
allies,
357
00:19:02,850 --> 00:19:05,686
22‐year‐old George Washington...
358
00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:07,438
‐ Keep your positions!
359
00:19:07,438 --> 00:19:10,733
‐ ...is confronting the cost
of his inexperience in command.
360
00:19:10,733 --> 00:19:11,901
[ gunshot ]
‐ Aah!
361
00:19:11,901 --> 00:19:15,196
‐ Hold your line!
362
00:19:15,196 --> 00:19:19,200
♪♪♪
363
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,327
Turn back and fight!
364
00:19:23,412 --> 00:19:24,955
‐ The men themselves,
365
00:19:24,955 --> 00:19:27,541
they have
no reputations to defend.
366
00:19:27,541 --> 00:19:30,419
So when it gets to a point
of crisis...
367
00:19:30,419 --> 00:19:32,546
[ gunshot ]
368
00:19:32,546 --> 00:19:33,714
...they're not going to
listen to him.
369
00:19:33,714 --> 00:19:34,590
♪♪♪
370
00:19:34,590 --> 00:19:35,841
‐ Hold your ground.
371
00:19:35,841 --> 00:19:37,343
Keep your position, soldier!
372
00:19:37,343 --> 00:19:39,428
♪♪♪
373
00:19:39,428 --> 00:19:41,097
[ gunshot ]
‐ Uhh!
374
00:19:41,097 --> 00:19:43,015
♪♪♪
375
00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:45,309
‐ The powder is wet.
Their guns are failing.
376
00:19:45,309 --> 00:19:48,521
[ gunfire continues ]
Another few minutes,
377
00:19:48,521 --> 00:19:50,439
and George Washington
would have been dead.
378
00:19:50,439 --> 00:19:53,734
[ gunfire continues ]
379
00:19:53,734 --> 00:19:57,279
And then all of a sudden,
there's an extraordinary
380
00:19:57,279 --> 00:19:59,281
fortuitous opportunity
to end that fight.
381
00:19:59,281 --> 00:20:02,451
[ gunshots ]
382
00:20:02,451 --> 00:20:04,286
‐ Hold your fire!
383
00:20:04,286 --> 00:20:07,748
‐ The chance for a parlay
to end this battle
384
00:20:07,748 --> 00:20:10,751
is a saving grace.
385
00:20:10,751 --> 00:20:20,803
♪♪♪
386
00:20:20,803 --> 00:20:30,229
♪♪♪
387
00:20:30,229 --> 00:20:33,941
‐ Well, the French don't want
the full‐fledged war.
388
00:20:33,941 --> 00:20:37,361
Allowing Washington
and his soldiers
389
00:20:37,361 --> 00:20:39,697
to live and to go back
to Virginia,
390
00:20:39,697 --> 00:20:42,199
having been embarrassed
by defeat,
391
00:20:42,199 --> 00:20:45,494
is the best possible result
of this confrontation.
392
00:20:51,459 --> 00:20:55,254
‐ While Washington
and his men survive,
393
00:20:55,254 --> 00:20:58,257
the price is signing
an official surrender.
394
00:20:58,257 --> 00:21:00,926
♪♪♪
395
00:21:00,926 --> 00:21:03,929
Washington doesn't speak French.
396
00:21:03,929 --> 00:21:06,599
‐ Read it to me.
397
00:21:08,350 --> 00:21:12,605
‐ "As our intention had never
been to trouble, uh...
398
00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:16,108
[ mutters ] "uh, the peace,
uh, between, uh,
399
00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:18,778
the peace and the good harmony
between the two princes..."
400
00:21:18,778 --> 00:21:21,322
‐ His translator is a Dutchman
401
00:21:21,322 --> 00:21:23,657
who speaks some French
and English,
402
00:21:23,657 --> 00:21:26,535
but not enough
to alert his commander
403
00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:28,913
to exactly what he's signing.
404
00:21:28,913 --> 00:21:31,207
‐ "But only to revenge
the killing,
405
00:21:31,207 --> 00:21:33,083
which has been done
on one of our officers."
406
00:21:36,670 --> 00:21:38,964
‐ The documents of surrender
demand
407
00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:41,008
that Washington confess
408
00:21:41,008 --> 00:21:45,346
that he has assassinated
Ensign Jumonville,
409
00:21:45,346 --> 00:21:47,139
to being a war criminal.
410
00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:51,435
‐ "We grant
the English commander to, uh,
411
00:21:51,435 --> 00:21:55,731
return with his garrisons
peaceably into his own country."
412
00:21:55,731 --> 00:21:59,902
♪♪♪
413
00:21:59,902 --> 00:22:01,320
‐ He's in over his head.
414
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:05,241
He never expected
that he would have to surrender,
415
00:22:05,241 --> 00:22:08,410
and so he's ill‐prepared
for that particular moment.
416
00:22:08,410 --> 00:22:10,412
‐ Take it.
417
00:22:10,412 --> 00:22:16,085
♪♪♪
418
00:22:16,085 --> 00:22:19,213
‐ Washington's name
at this point will be
419
00:22:19,213 --> 00:22:22,383
associated with ignominy
and embarrassment,
420
00:22:22,383 --> 00:22:27,221
not with grit, feats of
military accomplishment.
421
00:22:27,221 --> 00:22:40,693
♪♪♪
422
00:22:40,693 --> 00:22:43,571
‐ It will take months for
Washington to learn the truth
423
00:22:43,571 --> 00:22:46,031
about what he signed.
424
00:22:46,031 --> 00:22:47,992
In the meantime,
he's determined
425
00:22:47,992 --> 00:22:51,287
to make sure this defeat
doesn't threaten his dreams
426
00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:53,873
of becoming a British officer.
427
00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:56,041
♪♪♪
428
00:22:56,041 --> 00:22:57,376
‐ Washington writes an account
429
00:22:57,376 --> 00:23:00,170
that appears
in the colonial newspapers,
430
00:23:00,170 --> 00:23:01,505
and in that whole account,
431
00:23:01,505 --> 00:23:03,465
there's not one word
of surrender.
432
00:23:03,465 --> 00:23:06,635
‐ "The French called to parlay.
433
00:23:06,635 --> 00:23:08,804
"We agreed that each side
should retire,
434
00:23:08,804 --> 00:23:12,892
that we should march away
with all the honors of war."
435
00:23:12,892 --> 00:23:14,768
‐ Of course, it didn't happen
that way at all.
436
00:23:14,768 --> 00:23:17,771
And, yet,
he becomes a folk hero
437
00:23:17,771 --> 00:23:20,566
in the eyes of many Virginians.
438
00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:22,902
‐ He had a sort of cunning
439
00:23:22,902 --> 00:23:25,029
and a kind of understanding
about how things operated,
440
00:23:25,029 --> 00:23:27,740
how society operated,
how the world operated
441
00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:29,742
that I think served him well.
442
00:23:29,742 --> 00:23:34,622
‐ Washington is a tremendously
savvy political figure.
443
00:23:34,622 --> 00:23:36,332
He's great at protecting
his reputation,
444
00:23:36,332 --> 00:23:38,709
and he has friends
who know how to do it.
445
00:23:38,709 --> 00:23:43,631
‐ Governor Dinwiddie and the men
of the House of Burgesses
446
00:23:43,631 --> 00:23:47,468
pass a resolution
thanking Washington
447
00:23:47,468 --> 00:23:49,345
for his good conduct.
448
00:23:49,345 --> 00:23:51,847
They wipe out
449
00:23:51,847 --> 00:23:54,433
much of the embarrassment
and humiliation
450
00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:59,063
that Washington
had gotten himself into.
451
00:23:59,063 --> 00:24:02,483
‐ But the farther you go
from Williamsburg, Virginia,
452
00:24:02,483 --> 00:24:04,526
the less of a hero he is.
453
00:24:04,526 --> 00:24:08,739
‐ Eventually,
the French will publish
454
00:24:08,739 --> 00:24:10,908
these articles of surrender.
455
00:24:10,908 --> 00:24:13,619
They will announce
to the world
456
00:24:13,619 --> 00:24:16,580
this young American officer
has confessed
457
00:24:16,580 --> 00:24:18,958
to assassinating
a French officer.
458
00:24:18,958 --> 00:24:22,294
If you think about it,
"assassin" in English and French
459
00:24:22,294 --> 00:24:25,673
are pretty much the same,
but he was desperate.
460
00:24:25,673 --> 00:24:26,840
I think he was afraid.
461
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,551
‐ And yet Washington denied
462
00:24:29,551 --> 00:24:30,844
that interpretation
of the capitulation
463
00:24:30,844 --> 00:24:32,721
for the rest of his life.
464
00:24:32,721 --> 00:24:36,392
‐ "That we were willfully
or ignorantly deceived
465
00:24:36,392 --> 00:24:39,520
"by our interpreter in regard
to the word 'assassination',
466
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,315
I do aver and will
to my dying moment."
467
00:24:43,315 --> 00:24:46,819
♪♪♪
468
00:24:46,819 --> 00:24:51,323
‐ In London, the Lords in charge
are saying,
469
00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:56,495
"If we let this behavior stand,
we'll lose all North America.
470
00:24:56,495 --> 00:24:57,663
"We need professional
British soldiers.
471
00:24:57,663 --> 00:24:59,957
"We need professional officers.
472
00:24:59,957 --> 00:25:03,877
We can't rely on people
like this guy Washington."
473
00:25:03,877 --> 00:25:07,214
‐ As a result, British command
474
00:25:07,214 --> 00:25:09,883
reorganizes
the Virginia Regiment
475
00:25:09,883 --> 00:25:12,845
and makes its American officers,
regardless of rank,
476
00:25:12,845 --> 00:25:17,266
subordinate to even
the lowest of British officers.
477
00:25:17,266 --> 00:25:19,309
The changes not only dash
478
00:25:19,309 --> 00:25:21,061
Washington's hopes
of advancement,
479
00:25:21,061 --> 00:25:23,063
they effectively demote him
480
00:25:23,063 --> 00:25:27,234
from lieutenant colonel
to captain.
481
00:25:27,234 --> 00:25:30,612
Washington resigns in protest.
482
00:25:30,612 --> 00:25:33,073
‐ Washington resigned,
and he writes this great letter,
483
00:25:33,073 --> 00:25:36,201
in which he says,
"How could a man allow himself
484
00:25:36,201 --> 00:25:38,996
"to be demoted
for no good reason?
485
00:25:38,996 --> 00:25:41,749
"It was from the advice
of my friends and my own honor
486
00:25:41,749 --> 00:25:43,459
"that I declined,
not because I didn't wish
487
00:25:43,459 --> 00:25:45,794
to be in the military anymore."
488
00:25:45,794 --> 00:25:48,047
‐ "I shall have the consolation
of knowing
489
00:25:48,047 --> 00:25:50,716
"that I have hitherto stood
the heat and brunt of the day
490
00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:54,720
"and that I have the thanks
of my country
491
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,972
for the services
I have rendered it."
492
00:25:56,972 --> 00:25:58,932
‐ He's got to be wondering
if he has a future.
493
00:25:58,932 --> 00:26:02,061
He's convinced that he's never
going to command troops
494
00:26:02,061 --> 00:26:03,937
in action again.
495
00:26:03,937 --> 00:26:11,570
♪♪♪
496
00:26:12,362 --> 00:26:24,833
♪♪♪
497
00:26:24,833 --> 00:26:28,253
‐ Seven months after quitting
the Virginia Regiment,
498
00:26:28,253 --> 00:26:31,507
George Washington
is back in uniform,
499
00:26:31,507 --> 00:26:35,552
this time as a volunteer.
500
00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:37,721
The American frontier
is engulfed
501
00:26:37,721 --> 00:26:40,224
in a war for control
of the continent,
502
00:26:40,224 --> 00:26:43,435
and the Ohio country
is ground zero.
503
00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:49,942
♪♪♪
504
00:26:49,942 --> 00:26:51,610
[ horse whinnies ]
505
00:26:55,906 --> 00:26:58,075
‐ It means we're not alone.
506
00:26:58,075 --> 00:27:00,494
Be on your guard.
507
00:27:06,041 --> 00:27:08,210
‐ Despite his missteps,
508
00:27:08,210 --> 00:27:10,379
Washington is now
one of Virginia's
509
00:27:10,379 --> 00:27:13,632
most experienced
frontier fighters,
510
00:27:13,632 --> 00:27:16,176
and he's been tapped
to serve as an aide
511
00:27:16,176 --> 00:27:18,303
to British General
Edward Braddock.
512
00:27:18,303 --> 00:27:20,264
‐ Braddock's
a veteran commander,
513
00:27:20,264 --> 00:27:22,975
but a veteran of European wars.
514
00:27:22,975 --> 00:27:25,227
And so he doesn't know
what he's doing
515
00:27:25,227 --> 00:27:26,645
once he gets
into North America,
516
00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:27,813
which is
a different environment.
517
00:27:30,107 --> 00:27:33,318
‐ The British,
they didn't know how to fight
518
00:27:33,318 --> 00:27:35,195
in the forest conditions.
519
00:27:37,698 --> 00:27:40,993
[ horse blusters ]
520
00:27:40,993 --> 00:27:43,328
‐ Washington is willing to go
as an aide‐de‐camp
521
00:27:43,328 --> 00:27:45,789
because it carries some respect,
522
00:27:45,789 --> 00:27:49,376
and Braddock apparently gave him
some indication
523
00:27:49,376 --> 00:27:52,129
that he could expect
a military commission.
524
00:27:52,129 --> 00:27:55,340
‐ Braddock
and 2,400 British regulars
525
00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:58,218
are cutting a road through
more than 100 miles
526
00:27:58,218 --> 00:28:01,346
of dense wilderness
to move scores
527
00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:04,349
of cannon, horses, and men
into place
528
00:28:04,349 --> 00:28:06,518
for an attack on Fort Duquesne,
529
00:28:06,518 --> 00:28:09,980
the stronghold the French
completed at the forks
530
00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:14,192
after Washington's defeat
at Fort Necessity.
531
00:28:14,192 --> 00:28:16,904
‐ The forks of the Ohio
532
00:28:16,904 --> 00:28:19,990
were seen as almost the key
to the continent.
533
00:28:19,990 --> 00:28:22,910
Whichever imperial power
controlled that
534
00:28:22,910 --> 00:28:24,828
controlled access to
the interior of the continent.
535
00:28:29,708 --> 00:28:31,710
‐ I do not have time for this.
536
00:28:31,710 --> 00:28:34,588
Break down another wagon.
‐ Yes, sir.
537
00:28:34,588 --> 00:28:37,507
‐ General Braddock,
another delay?
538
00:28:37,507 --> 00:28:40,177
‐ Cannot be helped.
539
00:28:40,177 --> 00:28:45,432
‐ Perhaps if we did not stop
to level every molehill
540
00:28:45,432 --> 00:28:48,393
or erect a bridge
over every brook.
541
00:28:48,393 --> 00:28:50,354
‐ It is this terrain of yours.
‐ Sir...
542
00:28:50,354 --> 00:28:53,065
‐ But we shall level it out yet.
543
00:28:53,065 --> 00:28:57,069
‐ Sir, with respect,
I have fought the Indians.
544
00:28:57,069 --> 00:28:59,112
Our line is too extended.
545
00:28:59,112 --> 00:29:01,406
They could cut our forces
in two before we could even
546
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:02,824
martial our defense.
547
00:29:02,824 --> 00:29:06,870
‐ These savages may be
a formidable enemy
548
00:29:06,870 --> 00:29:10,374
for your raw American militia,
but upon the King's regular
549
00:29:10,374 --> 00:29:13,752
and disciplined troops,
it is impossible
550
00:29:13,752 --> 00:29:16,004
that they will make
an impression.
551
00:29:16,004 --> 00:29:19,091
‐ Of course, sir.
‐ We have nothing to fear.
552
00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:20,300
Head out and inspect
the rear guard.
553
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:22,094
Report back to me
within the hour.
554
00:29:22,094 --> 00:29:23,595
‐ Sir.
555
00:29:23,595 --> 00:29:35,649
♪♪♪
556
00:29:35,649 --> 00:29:39,444
‐ Over the next five weeks,
the army pushes slowly
557
00:29:39,444 --> 00:29:42,781
toward Fort Duquesne,
traveling in a long column
558
00:29:42,781 --> 00:29:45,951
with Washington and Braddock
just a quarter mile
559
00:29:45,951 --> 00:29:48,537
behind the advance guard.
560
00:29:48,537 --> 00:29:50,080
‐ Once they crossed
the Monongahela River,
561
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,457
he thinks,
"Okay, that's job done.
562
00:29:52,457 --> 00:29:54,292
We'll just
sweep the fort apart."
563
00:29:54,292 --> 00:29:57,379
[ footsteps marching ]
564
00:30:09,182 --> 00:30:10,267
[ distant boom ]
565
00:30:10,267 --> 00:30:12,644
[ horse whinnies ]
566
00:30:12,644 --> 00:30:14,813
[ booming continues ]
567
00:30:14,813 --> 00:30:15,939
[ gunshot ]
568
00:30:15,939 --> 00:30:21,403
♪♪♪
569
00:30:21,403 --> 00:30:24,156
‐ Suddenly, chaos erupts.
570
00:30:24,156 --> 00:30:25,991
‐ [ yelling ]
571
00:30:25,991 --> 00:30:29,119
‐ French Canadian troops
have hit the front
572
00:30:29,119 --> 00:30:30,829
of the British column.
573
00:30:30,829 --> 00:30:33,582
‐ The advance guard.
We are under attack.
574
00:30:33,582 --> 00:30:35,584
Forward!
‐ Make ready!
575
00:30:35,584 --> 00:30:39,004
‐ Washington warned the Redcoats
were vulnerable to an ambush.
576
00:30:39,004 --> 00:30:40,839
‐ Forward!
577
00:30:40,839 --> 00:30:43,383
‐ Now he has to face
the hellfire.
578
00:30:49,639 --> 00:30:53,727
[ explosions, gunfire ]
579
00:30:53,727 --> 00:30:55,604
‐ [ yelling ]
580
00:30:55,604 --> 00:30:58,065
‐ 23‐year‐old George Washington
581
00:30:58,065 --> 00:30:59,107
and the British force
he's advising
582
00:30:59,107 --> 00:31:02,277
are caught in an ambush.
583
00:31:02,277 --> 00:31:04,613
‐ Stay in line!
584
00:31:04,613 --> 00:31:07,074
‐ [ whoop ]
585
00:31:07,074 --> 00:31:10,160
♪♪♪
586
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:15,499
‐ The British are trapped,
surrounded by enemy fire‐‐
587
00:31:15,499 --> 00:31:19,211
the French from the front
and their Native American allies
588
00:31:19,211 --> 00:31:22,255
from the tree line
on both flanks.
589
00:31:22,255 --> 00:31:23,590
‐ [ whooping ]
590
00:31:23,590 --> 00:31:28,470
♪♪♪
591
00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:30,097
‐ Hold fire!
592
00:31:30,097 --> 00:31:31,056
‐ [ whooping continues ]
593
00:31:31,056 --> 00:31:34,976
♪♪♪
594
00:31:34,976 --> 00:31:35,769
‐ Aah!
‐ Uhh!
595
00:31:35,769 --> 00:31:39,481
♪♪♪
596
00:31:39,481 --> 00:31:40,649
‐ [ yelling ]
597
00:31:40,649 --> 00:31:42,692
‐ Get back in line!
598
00:31:42,692 --> 00:31:45,112
‐ As an aide‐de‐camp,
he's not in charge of anything.
599
00:31:45,112 --> 00:31:47,447
‐ Look to your officers!
600
00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:49,366
‐ He can deliver messages.
He is responding
601
00:31:49,366 --> 00:31:51,952
to the orders
of General Braddock.
602
00:31:51,952 --> 00:31:53,703
But he doesn't have any troops
under his command.
603
00:31:53,703 --> 00:31:54,830
‐ Hold the line!
604
00:31:54,830 --> 00:31:59,251
[ gunfire, men yelling ]
605
00:31:59,251 --> 00:32:01,670
‐ Uhh!
606
00:32:01,670 --> 00:32:04,589
‐ Washington has two horses
shot out from under him,
607
00:32:04,589 --> 00:32:06,007
three bullet holes
through his coat,
608
00:32:06,007 --> 00:32:07,175
but he's not scratched.
609
00:32:07,175 --> 00:32:10,470
‐ [ panting ]
610
00:32:10,470 --> 00:32:15,600
‐ Where's General Braddock?
Where is General Braddock?!
611
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,269
General Braddock?
612
00:32:17,269 --> 00:32:19,771
‐ Within a very short period
of time
613
00:32:19,771 --> 00:32:21,439
every single British officer
614
00:32:21,439 --> 00:32:23,483
has been either killed
or wounded.
615
00:32:23,483 --> 00:32:25,277
[ gunshots ]
616
00:32:25,277 --> 00:32:27,279
‐ General Braddock, sir.
617
00:32:29,030 --> 00:32:30,448
We need to get you to safety.
618
00:32:30,448 --> 00:32:32,951
‐ Leave me.
‐ But, sir...
619
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:37,497
‐ Save those men that can
be saved. Order a withdrawal.
620
00:32:37,497 --> 00:32:42,460
‐ We can get you clear.
‐ Order a withdrawal.
621
00:32:42,460 --> 00:32:46,173
‐ But to whom am I to relay
the command, sir?
622
00:32:46,173 --> 00:32:49,134
‐ The command...is yours.
623
00:32:49,134 --> 00:32:57,684
♪♪♪
624
00:32:57,684 --> 00:32:59,811
‐ This is the opportunity
625
00:32:59,811 --> 00:33:03,815
that Washington's
been waiting for‐‐
626
00:33:03,815 --> 00:33:07,152
to prove himself
in command.
627
00:33:08,862 --> 00:33:12,908
‐ In this moment
of almost complete breakdown,
628
00:33:12,908 --> 00:33:17,954
he is able to compose himself
and to give the orders
629
00:33:17,954 --> 00:33:21,791
that would enable this army
to start its retreat.
630
00:33:21,791 --> 00:33:25,378
‐ Fall back! Fall back!
631
00:33:25,378 --> 00:33:27,214
Fall back! Fall back!
632
00:33:27,214 --> 00:33:35,805
♪♪♪
633
00:33:35,805 --> 00:33:38,558
‐ Washington organizes
a rear guard
634
00:33:38,558 --> 00:33:42,270
to provide cover while he mounts
a general retreat,
635
00:33:42,270 --> 00:33:47,359
narrowly saving Braddock's
force from annihilation.
636
00:33:47,359 --> 00:33:50,487
But the British battle losses
are severe.
637
00:33:50,487 --> 00:33:53,031
In just three hours
of fighting,
638
00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:56,034
nearly 1,000
of some 1,500 troops
639
00:33:56,034 --> 00:34:01,122
are killed or wounded,
including 63 officers.
640
00:34:04,459 --> 00:34:06,127
‐ "The dead, the dying,
641
00:34:06,127 --> 00:34:09,047
"the groans, lamentations,
and cries along the road
642
00:34:09,047 --> 00:34:10,465
of the wounded for help..."
643
00:34:10,465 --> 00:34:12,968
‐ [ groaning ]
644
00:34:12,968 --> 00:34:15,971
‐ "...were enough to pierce
a heart of adamant."
645
00:34:15,971 --> 00:34:20,725
‐ [ distant yelling ]
646
00:34:20,725 --> 00:34:23,228
‐ Washington's never seen
anything like this.
647
00:34:23,228 --> 00:34:25,772
I mean, this is destruction
of human life
648
00:34:25,772 --> 00:34:27,315
on a colossal scale.
649
00:34:27,315 --> 00:34:29,901
‐ Nobody who is ever going
into battle
650
00:34:29,901 --> 00:34:31,695
comes out of the battle
the same way.
651
00:34:31,695 --> 00:34:33,488
When you see blood
in front of you,
652
00:34:33,488 --> 00:34:36,449
when you see body parts
laying all over,
653
00:34:36,449 --> 00:34:39,911
you realize this is no longer
a game. This is the worst.
654
00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:41,246
This is the worst.
655
00:34:41,246 --> 00:34:45,000
♪♪♪
656
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,669
‐ When he's young,
he wants to be in battle.
657
00:34:47,669 --> 00:34:49,754
It's romantic. It's where
he can prove his valor.
658
00:34:49,754 --> 00:34:52,090
And those things
sort of fall away
659
00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:53,591
after the Battle
of Monongahela.
660
00:34:53,591 --> 00:34:57,470
‐ He will never be again
that naive young man
661
00:34:57,470 --> 00:34:59,723
who sees war as an adventure.
662
00:35:01,308 --> 00:35:04,769
♪♪♪
663
00:35:04,769 --> 00:35:08,398
‐ In the aftermath
of the battle,
664
00:35:08,398 --> 00:35:11,443
Washington's family receives
a report of his death.
665
00:35:13,236 --> 00:35:18,992
Days later,
he writes his brother.
666
00:35:18,992 --> 00:35:21,703
‐ "As I have heard
a circumstantial account
667
00:35:21,703 --> 00:35:23,913
"of my death and dying speech.
668
00:35:23,913 --> 00:35:28,043
"But by the all‐powerful
dispensations of providence,
669
00:35:28,043 --> 00:35:30,337
"I have been protected beyond
670
00:35:30,337 --> 00:35:34,382
all human probability
and expectation."
671
00:35:34,382 --> 00:35:36,301
‐ Washington developed
the notion
672
00:35:36,301 --> 00:35:39,179
that somebody was looking
over him,
673
00:35:39,179 --> 00:35:41,014
that he should have died,
and he attributes this
674
00:35:41,014 --> 00:35:43,558
not to God but to providence.
675
00:35:43,558 --> 00:35:47,020
He believes that because
those forces have saved him,
676
00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:50,190
that history's on his side.
677
00:35:50,190 --> 00:35:51,858
‐ We should all be grateful
678
00:35:51,858 --> 00:35:54,319
that he was the one
who had the luck.
679
00:35:54,319 --> 00:35:56,321
What would have happened to us
if he had been killed
680
00:35:56,321 --> 00:35:58,490
by one of those bullets?
681
00:35:58,490 --> 00:36:03,203
‐ With Braddock's death,
Washington's most promising path
682
00:36:03,203 --> 00:36:05,955
to a British officer's
commission is thwarted.
683
00:36:05,955 --> 00:36:10,126
But he emerges from the battle
a war hero.
684
00:36:10,126 --> 00:36:14,506
‐ Newspapers and broadsides
and tavern talk
685
00:36:14,506 --> 00:36:18,176
throughout America become filled
with discussions of Washington.
686
00:36:18,176 --> 00:36:20,011
"Do you know that it was
an American
687
00:36:20,011 --> 00:36:23,390
who led those troops
off the field?"
688
00:36:23,390 --> 00:36:26,810
‐ Washington had joined
the Braddock campaign
689
00:36:26,810 --> 00:36:30,271
with a view to reclaiming,
rebuilding his reputation.
690
00:36:30,271 --> 00:36:32,816
Ironically, that happens.
691
00:36:32,816 --> 00:36:35,276
Because one of the things
the colonists can take from this
692
00:36:35,276 --> 00:36:38,613
is the unmistakable courage
of George Washington.
693
00:36:38,613 --> 00:36:43,451
‐ At that stage,
the Virginians need a hero,
694
00:36:43,451 --> 00:36:45,745
and he's
the available candidate.
695
00:36:45,745 --> 00:36:49,332
♪♪♪
696
00:36:49,332 --> 00:36:54,546
[ playing up‐tempo waltz ]
697
00:36:54,546 --> 00:37:04,597
♪♪♪
698
00:37:04,597 --> 00:37:10,603
♪♪♪
699
00:37:10,603 --> 00:37:12,522
‐ Would you humble me
with a dance?
700
00:37:12,522 --> 00:37:14,315
‐ It would be my pleasure.
701
00:37:14,315 --> 00:37:17,736
♪♪♪
702
00:37:17,736 --> 00:37:20,363
‐ Watching Washington
in public settings,
703
00:37:20,363 --> 00:37:24,743
everybody is rapt because
they have not seen anybody
704
00:37:24,743 --> 00:37:27,787
with his size, his strength.
705
00:37:27,787 --> 00:37:32,834
♪♪♪
706
00:37:32,834 --> 00:37:35,754
‐ Washington is tall
for his time. He's around 6'2",
707
00:37:35,754 --> 00:37:37,922
the look of an natural athlete,
someone you would see
708
00:37:37,922 --> 00:37:40,508
on the basketball court today
or the football field.
709
00:37:40,508 --> 00:37:42,969
♪♪♪
710
00:37:42,969 --> 00:37:45,305
‐ First impression is,
"Oh, my God.
711
00:37:45,305 --> 00:37:47,223
This guy is impressive."
712
00:37:47,223 --> 00:37:50,059
‐ Historians are always talking
about how great he was
713
00:37:50,059 --> 00:37:52,437
on the dance floor,
in the ballroom,
714
00:37:52,437 --> 00:37:53,813
and all the women
write about it all the time.
715
00:37:53,813 --> 00:37:59,235
♪♪♪
716
00:37:59,235 --> 00:38:02,405
‐ Later on, Abigail Adams,
when she writes
717
00:38:02,405 --> 00:38:04,282
about seeing George Washington
for the first time,
718
00:38:04,282 --> 00:38:06,284
I mean, it could be
in a romance novel.
719
00:38:06,284 --> 00:38:10,163
‐ "The gentleman and soldier
look agreeably blended in him.
720
00:38:10,163 --> 00:38:12,457
"He's a temple, sacred by birth
721
00:38:12,457 --> 00:38:15,126
and built by hands divine."
722
00:38:15,126 --> 00:38:19,464
♪♪♪
723
00:38:19,464 --> 00:38:21,382
‐ The thing about
George Washington
724
00:38:21,382 --> 00:38:22,801
was his self‐control.
725
00:38:22,801 --> 00:38:24,636
It wasn't as if
he didn't have emotion.
726
00:38:24,636 --> 00:38:27,847
Underneath him were seething
real passions that gave
727
00:38:27,847 --> 00:38:30,934
a crackle, an intensity
to his physical presence.
728
00:38:30,934 --> 00:38:32,852
It added to his charisma.
729
00:38:32,852 --> 00:38:33,812
‐ Thank you.
730
00:38:35,855 --> 00:38:40,109
‐ It doesn't take a lot to see
that this is a human being
731
00:38:40,109 --> 00:38:43,238
who is a compressed spring
that's about ready
732
00:38:43,238 --> 00:38:46,032
to release itself
onto the American scene.
733
00:38:46,032 --> 00:38:49,327
♪♪♪
734
00:38:49,327 --> 00:38:53,748
‐ As the French and Indian War
intensifies on the frontier...
735
00:38:53,748 --> 00:38:55,166
‐ [ yells ]
‐ ...he'll get his chance.
736
00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:57,043
♪♪♪
737
00:38:57,043 --> 00:39:00,213
The Colonies need a leader
to stem the carnage.
738
00:39:00,213 --> 00:39:01,798
♪♪♪
739
00:39:01,798 --> 00:39:03,466
And the name
on everyone's lips...
740
00:39:03,466 --> 00:39:05,176
[ knives slicing ]
741
00:39:05,176 --> 00:39:08,179
‐ ...is George Washington.
742
00:39:32,036 --> 00:39:33,580
[ gunshot ]
743
00:39:33,580 --> 00:39:35,748
‐ [ whooping ]
‐ [ screams ]
744
00:39:35,748 --> 00:39:39,419
‐ By the spring of 1756,
745
00:39:39,419 --> 00:39:42,463
the American frontier
is a war zone,
746
00:39:42,463 --> 00:39:45,758
as the French deploy
their Native American allies
747
00:39:45,758 --> 00:39:49,137
to ramp up attacks
on British settlers.
748
00:39:49,137 --> 00:39:51,306
♪♪♪
749
00:39:51,306 --> 00:39:53,474
‐ The destruction
of Braddock's army is
750
00:39:53,474 --> 00:39:56,477
such a powerful blow that
there's a real skittishness
751
00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:58,354
amongst the British.
752
00:39:58,354 --> 00:40:01,774
‐ So what's happening
is that the British frontier
753
00:40:01,774 --> 00:40:04,402
is being rolled back.
754
00:40:04,402 --> 00:40:08,114
‐ There's a huge highway
into the heart of settlement.
755
00:40:08,114 --> 00:40:10,783
That road that's built
to attack Fort Duquesne
756
00:40:10,783 --> 00:40:12,243
now is unprotected.
757
00:40:12,243 --> 00:40:16,122
There's no troops there,
and so they're unable,
758
00:40:16,122 --> 00:40:18,499
really, to stop
Native American incursions.
759
00:40:18,499 --> 00:40:20,168
♪♪♪
760
00:40:20,168 --> 00:40:21,961
‐ Hundreds of people are dying.
761
00:40:21,961 --> 00:40:23,963
Hundreds of people
are being taken captive.
762
00:40:23,963 --> 00:40:26,049
‐ [ whooping ]
763
00:40:26,049 --> 00:40:29,260
This is just sheer terror.
764
00:40:31,930 --> 00:40:35,099
And that's what Washington
has to deal with.
765
00:40:37,185 --> 00:40:39,812
‐ There is no order,
766
00:40:39,812 --> 00:40:43,775
no way to predict
where they will strike next.
767
00:40:43,775 --> 00:40:45,026
I could have
a thousand more men,
768
00:40:45,026 --> 00:40:46,611
and it would make no difference.
769
00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:51,282
‐ Washington's been lured
back to the frontier
770
00:40:51,282 --> 00:40:53,451
by Governor Dinwiddie
771
00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:56,537
and is now a colonel
in the Virginia Regiment.
772
00:40:56,537 --> 00:40:59,832
He's tasked with protecting
more than 300 miles
773
00:40:59,832 --> 00:41:02,126
of rugged terrain,
774
00:41:02,126 --> 00:41:06,965
and he has fewer than 1,200
untrained and ill‐equipped men
775
00:41:06,965 --> 00:41:09,801
that he now has to make
into soldiers.
776
00:41:09,801 --> 00:41:11,719
‐ Look at them.
777
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,305
No discipline at all.
778
00:41:14,305 --> 00:41:16,599
And we've had
two more desertions last week.
779
00:41:19,936 --> 00:41:23,982
This must change.
780
00:41:23,982 --> 00:41:27,360
‐ After
the Battle of the Monongahela,
781
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,989
Washington begins to think
about the fundamentals
782
00:41:30,989 --> 00:41:33,116
of running a military force.
783
00:41:33,116 --> 00:41:37,161
And the lesson
that we as Americans
784
00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:41,207
need to learn is that we need
to be more professional.
785
00:41:41,207 --> 00:41:42,709
‐ And so he knew what it was
to have discipline
786
00:41:42,709 --> 00:41:44,669
in an organization,
787
00:41:44,669 --> 00:41:47,255
and he was not a softie.
He was a disciplinarian.
788
00:41:47,255 --> 00:41:49,173
He would have people punished.
789
00:41:49,173 --> 00:41:51,884
‐ He's always watching to see
whether you're on time
790
00:41:51,884 --> 00:41:54,512
and whether you're working hard.
791
00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:57,181
If you're in the military unit
and you're a deserter,
792
00:41:57,181 --> 00:41:58,558
even if he knows you
and likes you,
793
00:41:58,558 --> 00:42:00,852
he has no compunction
about stringing you up,
794
00:42:00,852 --> 00:42:01,894
no second thoughts.
795
00:42:01,894 --> 00:42:03,688
♪♪♪
796
00:42:03,688 --> 00:42:06,399
[ drum beating ]
797
00:42:06,399 --> 00:42:09,360
[ beating continues ]
798
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:13,489
‐ "I luckily caught
two deserters.
799
00:42:13,489 --> 00:42:16,284
"James Thomas, one of them,
always behaved himself
800
00:42:16,284 --> 00:42:19,704
"with great sobriety,
honesty, and diligence.
801
00:42:19,704 --> 00:42:23,541
"The other criminal,
Henry Campbell,
802
00:42:23,541 --> 00:42:27,211
"is a most atrocious villain
and richly merits
803
00:42:27,211 --> 00:42:28,755
an ignominious death."
804
00:42:28,755 --> 00:42:31,049
♪♪♪
805
00:42:31,049 --> 00:42:32,925
‐ He can't tolerate desertion.
806
00:42:32,925 --> 00:42:35,011
For the rest of the soldiers
in the unit,
807
00:42:35,011 --> 00:42:35,845
it's a betrayal
of your colleagues
808
00:42:35,845 --> 00:42:37,096
on your left and your right,
809
00:42:37,096 --> 00:42:38,598
'cause then they can't
count on you.
810
00:42:38,598 --> 00:42:41,559
[ drum beating ]
811
00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:43,603
‐ Halt.
812
00:42:43,603 --> 00:42:44,312
[ drum stops beating ]
813
00:42:46,230 --> 00:42:47,982
Thomas.
814
00:42:47,982 --> 00:42:50,860
There will be no more offenses.
815
00:43:04,248 --> 00:43:09,629
‐ Washington tempered those
severe punishments with mercy.
816
00:43:09,629 --> 00:43:11,297
He would often do it
at the last minute
817
00:43:11,297 --> 00:43:12,673
when all the soldiers
of that unit
818
00:43:12,673 --> 00:43:14,133
would be there to witness
the punishment.
819
00:43:14,133 --> 00:43:17,929
‐ Proceed.
820
00:43:17,929 --> 00:43:19,597
‐ You're sending the signal
to the soldiers
821
00:43:19,597 --> 00:43:22,350
who didn't desert
that our commander
822
00:43:22,350 --> 00:43:23,601
is a merciful commander.
823
00:43:23,601 --> 00:43:26,312
Just don't do
this sort of thing.
824
00:43:26,312 --> 00:43:40,868
♪♪♪
825
00:43:40,868 --> 00:43:42,995
‐ [ grunts ]
826
00:43:42,995 --> 00:43:53,005
♪♪♪
827
00:43:53,005 --> 00:44:04,600
♪♪♪
828
00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:06,686
‐ He's a tough taskmaster,
829
00:44:06,686 --> 00:44:08,062
and he tells you
what he wants you to do,
830
00:44:08,062 --> 00:44:09,605
and if you don't do it
831
00:44:09,605 --> 00:44:11,232
just the way
he wants you to do it,
832
00:44:11,232 --> 00:44:12,859
he's not happy.
833
00:44:12,859 --> 00:44:16,195
He's not, um,
hail‐fellow well‐met.
834
00:44:16,195 --> 00:44:18,156
He is a man of high standards
835
00:44:18,156 --> 00:44:19,824
and expects you to meet
those standards,
836
00:44:19,824 --> 00:44:22,660
and if you don't,
it will reflect on him.
837
00:44:22,660 --> 00:44:24,328
♪♪♪
838
00:44:24,328 --> 00:44:25,496
‐ Aim.
839
00:44:25,496 --> 00:44:27,748
♪♪♪
840
00:44:27,748 --> 00:44:29,208
Fire!
[ gunshots ]
841
00:44:29,208 --> 00:44:31,419
Second row, aim!
842
00:44:31,419 --> 00:44:34,005
♪♪♪
843
00:44:34,005 --> 00:44:36,549
Now fire!
[ gunshots ]
844
00:44:36,549 --> 00:44:38,801
‐ Washington is learning
how to lead,
845
00:44:38,801 --> 00:44:41,012
and he's learned
on the battlefield,
846
00:44:41,012 --> 00:44:44,056
and he's applying those lessons
now with the Virginia Regiment.
847
00:44:44,056 --> 00:44:45,516
♪♪♪
848
00:44:45,516 --> 00:44:47,852
‐ This musket is everything
to you.
849
00:44:47,852 --> 00:44:52,398
Lift up, pull back,
and you are ready.
850
00:44:52,398 --> 00:44:53,774
♪♪♪
851
00:44:53,774 --> 00:44:57,028
Now let's see you again.
852
00:44:57,028 --> 00:44:59,155
Faster!
853
00:44:59,155 --> 00:45:02,033
Come on, you rabble, faster!
854
00:45:02,033 --> 00:45:04,160
Aim.
855
00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:06,245
And fire!
[ gunshots ]
856
00:45:06,245 --> 00:45:07,955
Better, but we need
to be quicker!
857
00:45:07,955 --> 00:45:09,248
This is life and death!
858
00:45:09,248 --> 00:45:12,210
♪♪♪
859
00:45:12,210 --> 00:45:13,961
The bayonet.
860
00:45:13,961 --> 00:45:17,924
Detach and fix.
861
00:45:17,924 --> 00:45:25,765
♪♪♪
862
00:45:25,765 --> 00:45:28,059
Right. Let's see it.
863
00:45:29,936 --> 00:45:33,064
‐ His command
of the Virginia Regiment
864
00:45:33,064 --> 00:45:36,484
is the shaping experience
for his role
865
00:45:36,484 --> 00:45:37,985
as a military commander.
866
00:45:37,985 --> 00:45:40,571
It becomes an elite unit
867
00:45:40,571 --> 00:45:44,325
that is like the Rangers
or the Special Forces.
868
00:45:44,325 --> 00:45:53,960
♪♪♪
869
00:45:53,960 --> 00:45:56,170
‐ The British
have to acknowledge‐‐
870
00:45:56,170 --> 00:45:57,630
and they do, openly‐‐
871
00:45:57,630 --> 00:46:01,259
that Washington has created
for the first time
872
00:46:01,259 --> 00:46:03,803
in the history of America
873
00:46:03,803 --> 00:46:07,640
a provincial force
that is worthy of respect,
874
00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:09,016
that's every bit as good
875
00:46:09,016 --> 00:46:12,311
as what the British
put into the field.
876
00:46:12,311 --> 00:46:19,652
♪♪♪
877
00:46:19,652 --> 00:46:21,028
‐ And yet he can't seem
to get them recognized
878
00:46:21,028 --> 00:46:22,989
as a proper regiment.
879
00:46:22,989 --> 00:46:25,116
He can't get them
officers' commissions
880
00:46:25,116 --> 00:46:29,328
in the British established
regiments in North America.
881
00:46:29,328 --> 00:46:30,871
He thinks they've earned this.
882
00:46:30,871 --> 00:46:34,709
That Americans should be treated
as second class subjects
883
00:46:34,709 --> 00:46:37,128
is anathema to him.
884
00:46:37,128 --> 00:46:40,172
‐ Washington wants to prove
to the British
885
00:46:40,172 --> 00:46:43,718
that his regiment is ready
for a bigger mission,
886
00:46:43,718 --> 00:46:48,306
what he sees as the only way
to get control of the frontier‐‐
887
00:46:48,306 --> 00:46:50,599
an attack
on the French stronghold,
888
00:46:50,599 --> 00:46:53,644
Fort Duquesne.
889
00:46:53,644 --> 00:46:56,314
But when his commander
Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie
890
00:46:56,314 --> 00:46:58,899
refuses to give him
the go‐ahead,
891
00:46:58,899 --> 00:47:01,736
Washington's willing
to risk anything,
892
00:47:01,736 --> 00:47:05,031
even insubordination.
893
00:47:05,031 --> 00:47:09,660
♪♪♪
894
00:47:09,660 --> 00:47:12,830
‐ In his early 20s
as a young officer,
895
00:47:12,830 --> 00:47:14,290
he was not at all
896
00:47:14,290 --> 00:47:16,751
the George Washington
we think of.
897
00:47:16,751 --> 00:47:20,921
♪♪♪
898
00:47:20,921 --> 00:47:24,091
He was stubborn.
899
00:47:24,091 --> 00:47:26,510
He was hasty.
900
00:47:26,510 --> 00:47:27,803
‐ He's the kind of guy
901
00:47:27,803 --> 00:47:30,348
you wouldn't want
to go up against
902
00:47:30,348 --> 00:47:32,099
in terms of willpower.
903
00:47:33,726 --> 00:47:36,062
Once he sets his mind
to something,
904
00:47:36,062 --> 00:47:37,563
it's going to happen.
905
00:47:37,563 --> 00:47:55,873
♪♪♪
906
00:47:55,873 --> 00:48:08,761
♪♪♪
907
00:48:08,761 --> 00:48:12,390
‐ Pardon me. Can you tell me
where I might find Lord Loudoun?
908
00:48:12,390 --> 00:48:15,351
♪♪♪
909
00:48:15,351 --> 00:48:20,231
‐ Colonel George Washington's
come to Philadelphia uninvited
910
00:48:20,231 --> 00:48:24,068
to meet the most powerful
military man on the continent.
911
00:48:24,068 --> 00:48:27,863
‐ John Campbell, Lord Loudoun,
the Scotsman‐‐
912
00:48:27,863 --> 00:48:29,865
he has been appointed
commander‐in‐chief
913
00:48:29,865 --> 00:48:31,992
of British forces
in North America,
914
00:48:31,992 --> 00:48:34,912
and he comes to Philadelphia,
and George Washington thinks,
915
00:48:34,912 --> 00:48:36,455
"Aha! This is my moment.
916
00:48:36,455 --> 00:48:37,832
"I'm the colonel
of the Virginia Regiment.
917
00:48:37,832 --> 00:48:39,875
"I need to convince him
918
00:48:39,875 --> 00:48:41,794
"of all the extraordinary work
we've done
919
00:48:41,794 --> 00:48:44,255
and convince him that we need
to go on the offensive."
920
00:48:44,255 --> 00:48:48,300
‐ Washington is looking
for an acknowledgment
921
00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:49,760
from the British
922
00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:53,681
that Americans are equal members
of the empire,
923
00:48:53,681 --> 00:48:57,268
equally worthy of respect.
924
00:48:57,268 --> 00:49:00,271
‐ It's incredibly audacious
for Washington,
925
00:49:00,271 --> 00:49:02,815
this junior officer,
to come in there
926
00:49:02,815 --> 00:49:04,525
and try to speak
to the commander‐in‐chief
927
00:49:04,525 --> 00:49:06,485
about what their strategy
should be.
928
00:49:06,485 --> 00:49:08,779
It would be like
a junior officer
929
00:49:08,779 --> 00:49:10,990
going to speak to the head
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
930
00:49:10,990 --> 00:49:14,285
♪♪♪
931
00:49:14,285 --> 00:49:15,661
‐ My Lord.
932
00:49:20,249 --> 00:49:23,252
‐ Your persistence,
Colonel Washington,
933
00:49:23,252 --> 00:49:24,962
affords you a few moments.
934
00:49:24,962 --> 00:49:26,964
Be brief.
935
00:49:26,964 --> 00:49:30,801
‐ I have come to discuss affairs
in the Ohio country.
936
00:49:30,801 --> 00:49:33,804
‐ With which
I am well acquainted.
937
00:49:33,804 --> 00:49:35,473
‐ Of course, my Lord,
938
00:49:35,473 --> 00:49:37,433
but I do feel we are missing
an opportunity.
939
00:49:37,433 --> 00:49:41,812
‐ And I fear confusion.
From the surface,
940
00:49:41,812 --> 00:49:43,022
it would seem you're about
to question
941
00:49:43,022 --> 00:49:44,815
my military strategy.
942
00:49:44,815 --> 00:49:48,861
‐ I would never dare question
your abilities, my Lord.
943
00:49:48,861 --> 00:49:50,988
But I know these lands.
944
00:49:50,988 --> 00:49:53,157
I have traveled them,
fought upon them.
945
00:49:53,157 --> 00:49:54,533
If we were to launch
a direct attack‐‐
946
00:49:54,533 --> 00:49:56,785
‐ Is it a provincial trait
to say
947
00:49:56,785 --> 00:49:58,787
that you do not question
something
948
00:49:58,787 --> 00:50:01,874
and then proceed
to question it?
949
00:50:01,874 --> 00:50:03,375
‐ No, my Lord.
950
00:50:03,375 --> 00:50:06,504
‐ Then let me ask you.
951
00:50:06,504 --> 00:50:10,007
As a self‐proclaimed expert
on this land,
952
00:50:10,007 --> 00:50:13,177
what is your opinion
of our present strategy‐‐
953
00:50:13,177 --> 00:50:14,762
my strategy?
954
00:50:14,762 --> 00:50:19,058
‐ Sound, my Lord.
955
00:50:19,058 --> 00:50:21,685
‐ Then you would do well
to mind your orders.
956
00:50:21,685 --> 00:50:23,062
Dismissed.
957
00:50:23,062 --> 00:50:24,396
‐ Yes, sir.
958
00:50:24,396 --> 00:50:27,525
♪♪♪
959
00:50:27,525 --> 00:50:30,069
Thank you, my Lord.
960
00:50:30,069 --> 00:50:34,031
♪♪♪
961
00:50:34,031 --> 00:50:37,535
‐ Washington is
an idealistic young man.
962
00:50:37,535 --> 00:50:41,413
He sees things as they
should be.
963
00:50:41,413 --> 00:50:43,541
And he doesn't understand
why other people
964
00:50:43,541 --> 00:50:45,042
don't see things the same way.
965
00:50:45,042 --> 00:50:48,546
♪♪♪
966
00:50:48,546 --> 00:50:50,714
‐ "To Lieutenant Governor
Dinwiddie,
967
00:50:50,714 --> 00:50:54,885
"Honorable sir, we can't
conceive that being American
968
00:50:54,885 --> 00:50:56,136
"should deprive us
969
00:50:56,136 --> 00:50:58,889
"of the benefits
of British subjects.
970
00:50:58,889 --> 00:51:01,433
"We are defending
the King's dominion,
971
00:51:01,433 --> 00:51:02,935
"and there can be
no sufficient reason given
972
00:51:02,935 --> 00:51:05,896
"why we, who spend our blood
and treasure
973
00:51:05,896 --> 00:51:07,064
"in defense of the country,
974
00:51:07,064 --> 00:51:10,276
are not entitled
to equal preferment."
975
00:51:10,276 --> 00:51:15,239
‐ And this isn't the
overambitious George Washington.
976
00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:17,741
This is a long frustration
that had been developing
977
00:51:17,741 --> 00:51:20,953
over a long period of time.
978
00:51:20,953 --> 00:51:22,788
‐ He tries to work his way
979
00:51:22,788 --> 00:51:25,958
through the British political
and military bureaucracy
980
00:51:25,958 --> 00:51:28,294
in order to get
what he believes is right,
981
00:51:28,294 --> 00:51:32,881
and instead, he finds himself
falling into a quicksand pit
982
00:51:32,881 --> 00:51:36,260
as the British stop him
from accomplishing
983
00:51:36,260 --> 00:51:37,928
what he wants to accomplish.
984
00:51:37,928 --> 00:51:40,264
♪♪♪
985
00:51:40,264 --> 00:51:43,309
‐ More than a year later,
the British plot an attack
986
00:51:43,309 --> 00:51:46,437
on Fort Duquesne,
using the exact strategy
987
00:51:46,437 --> 00:51:50,190
Washington suggested to Loudoun.
988
00:51:50,190 --> 00:51:53,319
The campaign pushes France
to finally abandon its claim
989
00:51:53,319 --> 00:51:56,238
to the Ohio country,
ending the fighting
990
00:51:56,238 --> 00:51:59,783
between France and Britain
in the region.
991
00:51:59,783 --> 00:52:02,786
But Washington gets neither
the credit
992
00:52:02,786 --> 00:52:06,498
nor the officer's commission
he was seeking.
993
00:52:06,498 --> 00:52:08,334
‐ His response to that
was not to feel
994
00:52:08,334 --> 00:52:11,879
that he had been rejected,
but that they were stupid.
995
00:52:11,879 --> 00:52:14,632
They were allegedly
his superiors.
996
00:52:14,632 --> 00:52:17,134
He felt superior to them.
997
00:52:17,134 --> 00:52:24,558
♪♪♪
998
00:52:31,148 --> 00:52:33,651
‐ Washington resigns.
999
00:52:33,651 --> 00:52:34,985
♪♪♪
1000
00:52:34,985 --> 00:52:39,490
Never again
to wear British colors.
1001
00:52:39,490 --> 00:52:43,160
Never to become
a British officer.
1002
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:46,997
♪♪♪
1003
00:52:46,997 --> 00:52:50,376
That dream is dead.
1004
00:52:50,376 --> 00:52:53,587
♪♪♪
1005
00:52:53,587 --> 00:52:55,673
‐ If the British government
1006
00:52:55,673 --> 00:52:57,925
had simply said
to George Washington,
1007
00:52:57,925 --> 00:52:59,677
"You want a commission
in the British Army?
1008
00:52:59,677 --> 00:53:01,053
"We'll give you a commission
1009
00:53:01,053 --> 00:53:02,513
in the British Army."
1010
00:53:02,513 --> 00:53:05,349
That might very well
have done it,
1011
00:53:05,349 --> 00:53:09,061
because then
his professional loyalties
1012
00:53:09,061 --> 00:53:12,690
would have been with this
institution of British Arms.
1013
00:53:12,690 --> 00:53:16,026
♪♪♪
1014
00:53:16,026 --> 00:53:18,278
‐ For him,
it was a matter of honor.
1015
00:53:18,278 --> 00:53:23,033
And we can date
from that moment, I think,
1016
00:53:23,033 --> 00:53:25,035
the birth of the rebel
George Washington.
1017
00:53:25,035 --> 00:53:29,540
‐ His military ambitions
behind him,
1018
00:53:29,540 --> 00:53:32,292
Washington forges
a new path forward.
1019
00:53:32,292 --> 00:53:35,671
It begins
with a political win‐‐
1020
00:53:35,671 --> 00:53:38,132
a seat in the Virginia
House of Burgesses.
1021
00:53:38,132 --> 00:53:39,216
[ gavel bangs ]
1022
00:53:39,216 --> 00:53:41,885
And it continues at the altar.
1023
00:53:41,885 --> 00:53:45,055
‐ I will.
1024
00:53:45,055 --> 00:53:49,351
‐ And you, Martha,
wilt thou obey him?
1025
00:53:49,351 --> 00:53:53,564
‐ The marriage to Martha is
the single most important event
1026
00:53:53,564 --> 00:53:57,901
in his early life, and it makes
everything else possible.
1027
00:53:57,901 --> 00:54:00,404
‐ ...love, honor, and keep him
in sickness and in health.
1028
00:54:00,404 --> 00:54:02,573
‐ I will.
1029
00:54:02,573 --> 00:54:05,159
‐ Now I pronounce you
husband and wife.
1030
00:54:05,159 --> 00:54:07,119
You may kiss the bride.
1031
00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:15,294
[ cheers and applause ]
1032
00:54:15,294 --> 00:54:17,504
‐ So not many love stories
start with dysentery,
1033
00:54:17,504 --> 00:54:18,839
but this one does.
1034
00:54:18,839 --> 00:54:22,593
[ strings playing waltz ]
1035
00:54:22,593 --> 00:54:25,554
He needed to go to the capital
to see a doctor
1036
00:54:25,554 --> 00:54:27,890
to get certain medicines,
and through that,
1037
00:54:27,890 --> 00:54:30,184
he was somehow connected
with Martha Custis.
1038
00:54:30,184 --> 00:54:32,102
They met a few times.
It was a few weeks,
1039
00:54:32,102 --> 00:54:33,645
a few months,
and then all of a sudden,
1040
00:54:33,645 --> 00:54:35,606
she's ordering a dress.
1041
00:54:35,606 --> 00:54:37,191
♪♪♪
1042
00:54:37,191 --> 00:54:39,485
At 27 years old,
1043
00:54:39,485 --> 00:54:43,322
Martha was in a unique position
in early America.
1044
00:54:43,322 --> 00:54:47,784
Her first husband had died,
and his male relations had died.
1045
00:54:47,784 --> 00:54:50,662
So she had control
of a huge estate,
1046
00:54:50,662 --> 00:54:52,456
and she didn't have
to report to anyone.
1047
00:54:52,456 --> 00:54:56,210
♪♪♪
1048
00:54:56,210 --> 00:55:00,297
‐ She was a catch because
of the fortune she brought.
1049
00:55:00,297 --> 00:55:03,634
He was a catch
because he was a stud.
1050
00:55:03,634 --> 00:55:07,137
[ song ends,
cheers and applause ]
1051
00:55:07,137 --> 00:55:10,140
‐ The union
of George the folk hero
1052
00:55:10,140 --> 00:55:12,142
and Martha, the wealthy widow,
1053
00:55:12,142 --> 00:55:16,313
transforms Washington's fortunes
overnight.
1054
00:55:16,313 --> 00:55:20,192
He becomes a loving stepfather
to Martha's two children‐‐
1055
00:55:20,192 --> 00:55:24,488
4‐year‐old Jackie
and 2‐year‐old Patsy.
1056
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:28,659
And he expands the estate
he inherited from his family‐‐
1057
00:55:28,659 --> 00:55:32,162
a place called Mount Vernon.
1058
00:55:32,162 --> 00:55:34,915
‐ When he first acquires
Mount Vernon,
1059
00:55:34,915 --> 00:55:36,708
it's about 2,000 acres.
1060
00:55:36,708 --> 00:55:39,044
When he dies,
it's 8,000 acres, contiguous
1061
00:55:39,044 --> 00:55:40,963
along the Potomac River.
1062
00:55:40,963 --> 00:55:44,925
‐ Martha brings to the marriage
several thousand acres of land
1063
00:55:44,925 --> 00:55:50,556
along with 84 enslaved people
who make it all run.
1064
00:55:50,556 --> 00:55:53,517
‐ In Virginia,
the key was to get land,
1065
00:55:53,517 --> 00:55:55,477
but land is worthless
without labor,
1066
00:55:55,477 --> 00:56:00,357
and slavery was
the dominant form of labor
1067
00:56:00,357 --> 00:56:01,775
in the Atlantic world
at that time.
1068
00:56:01,775 --> 00:56:07,197
‐ Washington inherited
his first slaves as a child.
1069
00:56:07,197 --> 00:56:09,866
And over the course
of his lifetime,
1070
00:56:09,866 --> 00:56:14,454
he's buying and selling
enslaved people.
1071
00:56:14,454 --> 00:56:15,872
He's growing his wealth‐‐
1072
00:56:15,872 --> 00:56:19,918
growing as a farmer,
growing as a slaveholder.
1073
00:56:19,918 --> 00:56:24,881
George Washington in the 1760s
was not necessarily thinking
1074
00:56:24,881 --> 00:56:28,218
about posterity
or about the future.
1075
00:56:28,218 --> 00:56:30,679
That would happen
much later in his life.
1076
00:56:30,679 --> 00:56:34,224
I believe that he,
along with many others,
1077
00:56:34,224 --> 00:56:36,560
knew that slavery was wrong.
1078
00:56:36,560 --> 00:56:40,564
Yet it was also crucial
to financial success.
1079
00:56:40,564 --> 00:56:45,611
♪♪♪
1080
00:56:45,611 --> 00:56:49,239
‐ The Washingtons are now
among the Virginia elite.
1081
00:56:49,239 --> 00:56:53,910
It's an exclusive club,
and they're expected to keep up.
1082
00:56:53,910 --> 00:56:56,913
‐ Washington and Martha
dress very well.
1083
00:56:56,913 --> 00:56:58,832
They dress their servants
very well.
1084
00:56:58,832 --> 00:57:02,753
They are doing their very best
to appear to belong
1085
00:57:02,753 --> 00:57:05,797
to Virginia's governing elite,
their top 1%.
1086
00:57:16,391 --> 00:57:19,186
‐ Hello, dearest.
‐ Hello, husband.
1087
00:57:19,186 --> 00:57:21,605
‐ I have something for you.
1088
00:57:21,605 --> 00:57:24,775
‐ Oh, George.
1089
00:57:24,775 --> 00:57:28,820
♪♪♪
1090
00:57:28,820 --> 00:57:30,447
[ chuckles ]
1091
00:57:32,115 --> 00:57:35,285
♪♪♪
1092
00:57:35,285 --> 00:57:37,412
[ exhales deeply ]
1093
00:57:37,412 --> 00:57:41,041
It is exquisite.
1094
00:57:41,041 --> 00:57:47,464
‐ Not as lovely as the woman
who will wear it.
1095
00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:52,469
‐ Thank you.
1096
00:57:52,469 --> 00:57:59,309
♪♪♪
1097
00:57:59,309 --> 00:58:01,978
Now...there are letters
on your desk.
1098
00:58:01,978 --> 00:58:04,147
‐ Always.
‐ Hmm.
1099
00:58:04,147 --> 00:58:06,149
‐ [ chuckles ]
1100
00:58:06,149 --> 00:58:19,663
♪♪♪
1101
00:58:19,663 --> 00:58:24,501
‐ With a new family,
a growing estate,
1102
00:58:24,501 --> 00:58:27,879
and a position
of high social standing,
1103
00:58:27,879 --> 00:58:31,258
Washington's dreams are
beginning to be realized.
1104
00:58:31,258 --> 00:58:32,884
‐ What is it?
1105
00:58:34,886 --> 00:58:37,848
‐ But the life he's building...
1106
00:58:37,848 --> 00:58:42,352
is in jeopardy.
1107
00:58:43,186 --> 00:58:45,188
[ crow cawing ]
1108
00:58:45,188 --> 00:58:57,200
♪♪♪
1109
00:58:57,200 --> 00:59:00,495
‐ "It might possibly answer
very little purpose
1110
00:59:00,495 --> 00:59:03,206
"were I to enter
into a minute detail
1111
00:59:03,206 --> 00:59:06,042
"of the reason that have
caused me to fall so much
1112
00:59:06,042 --> 00:59:07,711
"in arrears to you.
1113
00:59:07,711 --> 00:59:11,381
"Missed chances
rather than misconduct
1114
00:59:11,381 --> 00:59:13,216
have been the causes of it."
1115
00:59:13,216 --> 00:59:16,344
‐ After five years of marriage,
1116
00:59:16,344 --> 00:59:20,348
the Washingtons are deeply
in debt.
1117
00:59:20,348 --> 00:59:22,559
They owe upwards
of a quarter million
1118
00:59:22,559 --> 00:59:24,728
in today's dollars.
1119
00:59:24,728 --> 00:59:26,772
‐ "I shall now beg leave
to inform you
1120
00:59:26,772 --> 00:59:30,901
"in terms equally sincere
and direct
1121
00:59:30,901 --> 00:59:35,405
"that it is not in my power
to make remittances
1122
00:59:35,405 --> 00:59:39,075
"faster than my crops will
furnish me with the means.
1123
00:59:39,075 --> 00:59:43,997
"It is but an irksome thing
to a free mind
1124
00:59:43,997 --> 00:59:48,335
to be any ways hampered
in debt."
1125
00:59:48,335 --> 00:59:52,964
‐ In Virginia society,
the vast majority of planters
1126
00:59:52,964 --> 00:59:54,883
were relatively cash poor.
1127
00:59:54,883 --> 00:59:56,551
They owned their wealth in land.
1128
00:59:56,551 --> 00:59:58,720
They owned their wealth
in enslaved people,
1129
00:59:58,720 --> 01:00:02,432
and then Washington gets paid
basically maybe once a year,
1130
01:00:02,432 --> 01:00:05,101
as an agriculturalist,
maybe twice a year.
1131
01:00:05,101 --> 01:00:07,562
‐ The worst fear he has
is ruining Martha
1132
01:00:07,562 --> 01:00:09,481
and the hopes
of Martha's children.
1133
01:00:09,481 --> 01:00:12,067
‐ That is good, George.
1134
01:00:12,067 --> 01:00:15,612
Calm, measured.
1135
01:00:15,612 --> 01:00:17,113
‐ Thank you.
1136
01:00:17,113 --> 01:00:19,282
‐ Perhaps next year's crop
will fare better.
1137
01:00:19,282 --> 01:00:23,495
‐ I cannot continue
to balance our fortunes
1138
01:00:23,495 --> 01:00:27,749
on a thing as fickle
as tobacco.
1139
01:00:27,749 --> 01:00:30,919
‐ He grows tobacco
and sends tobacco
1140
01:00:30,919 --> 01:00:33,964
to his consignor in London,
1141
01:00:33,964 --> 01:00:35,715
then that person uses
that money
1142
01:00:35,715 --> 01:00:38,635
to purchase the items
that Washington has requested.
1143
01:00:38,635 --> 01:00:40,929
‐ And they charge whatever
they want for it,
1144
01:00:40,929 --> 01:00:42,013
the same way that they pay you
1145
01:00:42,013 --> 01:00:44,099
whatever they want
for the tobacco,
1146
01:00:44,099 --> 01:00:48,144
and so he's stuck in this...
vicious cycle.
1147
01:00:48,144 --> 01:00:49,312
‐ No matter how hard he works,
1148
01:00:49,312 --> 01:00:51,147
no matter how much tobacco
he grows,
1149
01:00:51,147 --> 01:00:54,943
it always turns out
that he's further in debt.
1150
01:00:54,943 --> 01:00:56,987
‐ Even very wealthy planters
like Washington
1151
01:00:56,987 --> 01:00:59,322
chronically were in debt,
and this is critical.
1152
01:00:59,322 --> 01:01:00,824
They weren't in debt
1153
01:01:00,824 --> 01:01:02,659
to Pennsylvania merchants
or New York merchants.
1154
01:01:02,659 --> 01:01:04,327
They were in debt
to English merchants.
1155
01:01:04,327 --> 01:01:06,496
‐ Washington's view is that
1156
01:01:06,496 --> 01:01:09,332
the entire planter class
of Virginia, him included,
1157
01:01:09,332 --> 01:01:12,085
has been caught
in this economic trap
1158
01:01:12,085 --> 01:01:14,462
that these capitalists
over there
1159
01:01:14,462 --> 01:01:16,214
are sucking the blood
of all of us.
1160
01:01:16,214 --> 01:01:18,633
[ fire crackling ]
1161
01:01:22,012 --> 01:01:24,848
♪♪♪
1162
01:01:24,848 --> 01:01:27,517
‐ We rotate in a 7‐year cycle.
1163
01:01:27,517 --> 01:01:30,812
Number one and two will move
from tobacco to wheat.
1164
01:01:30,812 --> 01:01:33,023
‐ Under pressure
from British creditors,
1165
01:01:33,023 --> 01:01:35,692
Washington responds
by revolutionizing
1166
01:01:35,692 --> 01:01:38,320
how Mount Vernon does business.
1167
01:01:38,320 --> 01:01:40,697
‐ He's a man of his era.
He's an Enlightenment figure.
1168
01:01:40,697 --> 01:01:42,991
He thinks that human beings
could make the world
1169
01:01:42,991 --> 01:01:44,367
a better place
than they've inherited,
1170
01:01:44,367 --> 01:01:45,702
that we don't have to do things
1171
01:01:45,702 --> 01:01:47,370
the same way
they've always been done.
1172
01:01:47,370 --> 01:01:49,372
‐ Green manures in number 3.
1173
01:01:49,372 --> 01:01:55,045
Number 4 and 5
will be gourd seed and corn.
1174
01:01:55,045 --> 01:01:57,881
That should produce
two or three ears per stalk.
1175
01:01:57,881 --> 01:02:01,676
‐ We tend to always think
about George Washington
1176
01:02:01,676 --> 01:02:04,512
as a president, as a general,
but I think that if you
1177
01:02:04,512 --> 01:02:07,974
asked him who he was,
especially prior to all of that,
1178
01:02:07,974 --> 01:02:09,392
he would tell us
1179
01:02:09,392 --> 01:02:11,561
he was a Virginian,
and he was a farmer.
1180
01:02:11,561 --> 01:02:13,688
‐ He becomes a great innovator
in agriculture.
1181
01:02:13,688 --> 01:02:15,565
He develops
the rotation of crops.
1182
01:02:15,565 --> 01:02:17,192
He's drawing on a lot
of English methods
1183
01:02:17,192 --> 01:02:19,819
that are cutting edge
at the time,
1184
01:02:19,819 --> 01:02:22,197
and he tries to incorporate
this into Mount Vernon.
1185
01:02:22,197 --> 01:02:25,408
‐ I want all this implemented
by the end of the season.
1186
01:02:25,408 --> 01:02:27,035
Good.
1187
01:02:27,035 --> 01:02:29,537
Now let us check on the progress
of the treading barn.
1188
01:02:29,537 --> 01:02:34,250
‐ Washington also sells grain
and milled flour locally,
1189
01:02:34,250 --> 01:02:38,880
pioneering one of America's
first homegrown industries.
1190
01:02:38,880 --> 01:02:42,384
By the 1770s,
his G. Washington brand
1191
01:02:42,384 --> 01:02:46,054
is considered one
of the finest in the Colonies.
1192
01:02:46,054 --> 01:02:48,473
‐ He's transitioning
to wheat farming
1193
01:02:48,473 --> 01:02:51,267
and ultimately flour production
as a way to get out
1194
01:02:51,267 --> 01:02:53,561
of the British system,
which essentially is stealing
1195
01:02:53,561 --> 01:02:55,313
his profits
from his point of view.
1196
01:02:55,313 --> 01:02:57,273
You know, he imagines
a different future,
1197
01:02:57,273 --> 01:02:59,609
and that's really
the whole experiment
1198
01:02:59,609 --> 01:03:02,779
that we end up being a part of
in the whole Revolutionary era.
1199
01:03:02,779 --> 01:03:07,784
‐ But by far, Washington's
greatest opportunity
1200
01:03:07,784 --> 01:03:11,204
to build wealth is to redouble
his lifelong pursuit
1201
01:03:11,204 --> 01:03:16,835
of America's
most valuable resource‐‐land.
1202
01:03:16,835 --> 01:03:19,587
‐ His ambitions were not
particularly political
1203
01:03:19,587 --> 01:03:21,965
for a very long time
in his life.
1204
01:03:21,965 --> 01:03:24,092
But he always had
a strong sense of himself.
1205
01:03:24,092 --> 01:03:25,343
He wanted to become
a land owner.
1206
01:03:25,343 --> 01:03:27,303
He didn't want to be poor.
1207
01:03:27,303 --> 01:03:29,472
Owning land‐‐
and if you were Southerner,
1208
01:03:29,472 --> 01:03:32,475
sadly, owning people‐‐
1209
01:03:32,475 --> 01:03:34,978
were basically
the indicators of success.
1210
01:03:34,978 --> 01:03:36,980
‐ In Great Britain,
the Washingtons
1211
01:03:36,980 --> 01:03:39,607
could not have owned property.
It went to noblemen.
1212
01:03:39,607 --> 01:03:42,485
And when they came over
in the 1600s,
1213
01:03:42,485 --> 01:03:45,530
they came for land.
They didn't mess around.
1214
01:03:45,530 --> 01:03:49,284
And this is in his blood.
The Washingtons are land‐hungry.
1215
01:03:49,284 --> 01:03:51,286
♪♪♪
1216
01:03:51,286 --> 01:03:52,829
‐ Further back.
1217
01:03:52,829 --> 01:03:55,040
A little more.
1218
01:03:55,040 --> 01:03:57,333
‐ George Washington,
at age 14,
1219
01:03:57,333 --> 01:03:58,501
picks up surveying instruments
1220
01:03:58,501 --> 01:04:01,129
and teaches himself to survey.
1221
01:04:01,129 --> 01:04:05,175
And surveying was
a hugely important job
1222
01:04:05,175 --> 01:04:07,594
in early America.
1223
01:04:07,594 --> 01:04:10,013
George Washington is earning
his own money
1224
01:04:10,013 --> 01:04:13,433
and purchasing his own land
by age 17.
1225
01:04:13,433 --> 01:04:15,518
‐ The whole point
of the West was
1226
01:04:15,518 --> 01:04:17,812
to acquire title to land
1227
01:04:17,812 --> 01:04:20,607
but hold onto it,
and in 10 or 20 years,
1228
01:04:20,607 --> 01:04:22,525
as the American population
grew,
1229
01:04:22,525 --> 01:04:24,194
that land would become
more valuable.
1230
01:04:24,194 --> 01:04:26,654
‐ To your right!
Come on, guys!
1231
01:04:26,654 --> 01:04:28,031
‐ And this was the basis
1232
01:04:28,031 --> 01:04:31,201
for more fortunes
in American history
1233
01:04:31,201 --> 01:04:33,995
than any way of making money.
1234
01:04:33,995 --> 01:04:37,832
‐ If you had land, even if you
are an ordinary person,
1235
01:04:37,832 --> 01:04:40,877
if you have plots of land,
you can grow your own food.
1236
01:04:40,877 --> 01:04:42,754
You had what would be called
independence.
1237
01:04:42,754 --> 01:04:46,925
So for Washington, having
lots of land was important.
1238
01:04:53,139 --> 01:04:57,060
‐ But his goals are
about to be derailed.
1239
01:04:57,060 --> 01:05:00,772
In 1763,
a new royal proclamation
1240
01:05:00,772 --> 01:05:04,567
poses a direct threat
to Washtington's investments.
1241
01:05:04,567 --> 01:05:07,570
To avoid another expensive war
on the frontier,
1242
01:05:07,570 --> 01:05:12,408
King George III bans colonists
from buying or settling land
1243
01:05:12,408 --> 01:05:13,993
in the West.
1244
01:05:13,993 --> 01:05:16,579
[ pages rustle ]
1245
01:05:16,579 --> 01:05:20,333
‐ What it does, essentially,
is to run a boundary
1246
01:05:20,333 --> 01:05:22,752
down the crest of
the Appalachian Mountains.
1247
01:05:22,752 --> 01:05:25,046
Everything west
of the Appalachians
1248
01:05:25,046 --> 01:05:28,091
is Indian country, and that land
1249
01:05:28,091 --> 01:05:31,094
is off‐limits
to British subjects.
1250
01:05:31,094 --> 01:05:33,930
‐ This just upset the plans
of Washington
1251
01:05:33,930 --> 01:05:36,766
and every other American
who was thinking of the West
1252
01:05:36,766 --> 01:05:41,312
as, by this time,
almost an American entitlement.
1253
01:05:41,312 --> 01:05:44,399
‐ He owns about 60,000 acres
of land that he's acquired
1254
01:05:44,399 --> 01:05:47,652
through a service
for the British
1255
01:05:47,652 --> 01:05:50,780
in the French and Indian War,
but in principle, it's saying,
1256
01:05:50,780 --> 01:05:53,741
that all the land you have
out there is worthless.
1257
01:05:53,741 --> 01:05:56,244
‐ So having had his ambition
1258
01:05:56,244 --> 01:05:59,873
to be a great military man
frustrated
1259
01:05:59,873 --> 01:06:02,625
by British prejudice
against the provincials,
1260
01:06:02,625 --> 01:06:05,837
the rules seemed to indicate
that the British
1261
01:06:05,837 --> 01:06:09,966
looked on Americans
as second‐class subjects.
1262
01:06:09,966 --> 01:06:12,427
‐ So if the British Empire
isn't good for you militarily,
1263
01:06:12,427 --> 01:06:13,970
and it's not good
for you economically,
1264
01:06:13,970 --> 01:06:15,513
what else is there?
1265
01:06:15,513 --> 01:06:19,142
‐ This proclamation kicks off
a decade of crackdowns
1266
01:06:19,142 --> 01:06:20,977
on colonists' ambitions.
1267
01:06:20,977 --> 01:06:23,646
It's followed by a slew
of new taxes‐‐
1268
01:06:23,646 --> 01:06:27,317
taxes that will help Britain
pay off its debt
1269
01:06:27,317 --> 01:06:29,944
from the French and Indian War.
1270
01:06:29,944 --> 01:06:32,280
[ drums beating ]
1271
01:06:32,280 --> 01:06:36,159
‐ Boston was at the cutting edge
of opposition
1272
01:06:36,159 --> 01:06:39,871
to British law,
starting with the Stamp Act.
1273
01:06:39,871 --> 01:06:42,749
‐ Everything that's paper‐‐
currency, newspapers,
1274
01:06:42,749 --> 01:06:44,667
all being taxed.
1275
01:06:44,667 --> 01:06:48,630
‐ This was a new kind of tax on
goods that were in the Colonies
1276
01:06:48,630 --> 01:06:51,341
as opposed to things
that were being imported.
1277
01:06:51,341 --> 01:06:53,968
That shift,
it alarmed Americans.
1278
01:06:53,968 --> 01:06:56,221
‐ [ chanting ]
No more taxes! No more taxes!
1279
01:06:56,221 --> 01:06:58,014
‐ The colonists adopted
boycotts
1280
01:06:58,014 --> 01:06:59,515
in which they would not
consume British goods.
1281
01:06:59,515 --> 01:07:01,017
♪♪♪
1282
01:07:01,017 --> 01:07:04,020
‐ The colonists
are sending petitions.
1283
01:07:04,020 --> 01:07:05,688
♪♪♪
1284
01:07:05,688 --> 01:07:08,024
There's troops sent up
to Boston.
1285
01:07:08,024 --> 01:07:11,527
♪♪♪
1286
01:07:11,527 --> 01:07:12,904
‐ [ yelling ]
1287
01:07:12,904 --> 01:07:15,323
‐ Will the Americans come
to blows over this?
1288
01:07:15,323 --> 01:07:18,034
‐ [ shouting indistinctly ]
1289
01:07:18,034 --> 01:07:19,369
[ gunfire ]
1290
01:07:19,369 --> 01:07:21,412
‐ The Boston Massacre.
‐ [ yelling ]
1291
01:07:21,412 --> 01:07:25,667
[ gunfire, knives stabbing ]
1292
01:07:25,667 --> 01:07:29,379
‐ American colonists killed
by British fire.
1293
01:07:29,379 --> 01:07:31,547
‐ We then have events
like the Boston Tea Party,
1294
01:07:31,547 --> 01:07:33,216
which is a protest
against a tax on tea.
1295
01:07:33,216 --> 01:07:37,762
♪♪♪
1296
01:07:37,762 --> 01:07:39,055
‐ And then
the Intolerable Acts...
1297
01:07:39,055 --> 01:07:40,723
‐ Punishment
for the Boston Tea Party...
1298
01:07:40,723 --> 01:07:43,893
‐ ...strike America like
the blow of a hammer.
1299
01:07:43,893 --> 01:07:48,481
♪♪♪
1300
01:07:48,481 --> 01:07:50,066
‐ [ crowd shouting
indistinctly ]
1301
01:07:50,066 --> 01:07:52,902
‐ The British have revoked
the charter of Massachusetts.
1302
01:07:52,902 --> 01:07:56,239
They've closed
the Port of Boston.
1303
01:07:56,239 --> 01:07:58,908
‐ People in other colonies
are very much watching
1304
01:07:58,908 --> 01:08:00,118
what's going on there,
and they're thinking,
1305
01:08:00,118 --> 01:08:01,577
"That could happen here."
1306
01:08:03,454 --> 01:08:04,872
‐ The cause of Boston now
1307
01:08:04,872 --> 01:08:06,749
becomes the cause
of all America.
1308
01:08:09,252 --> 01:08:11,004
‐ And that's when we see
George Washington
1309
01:08:11,004 --> 01:08:13,256
become
a reluctant revolutionary.
1310
01:08:13,256 --> 01:08:15,925
‐ Washington considered himself
to be British.
1311
01:08:15,925 --> 01:08:19,053
He wanted to be a part
of that Imperial world.
1312
01:08:19,053 --> 01:08:21,723
But when that fell apart,
it's the kind of thing
1313
01:08:21,723 --> 01:08:23,182
where you could only
hate something
1314
01:08:23,182 --> 01:08:25,518
that you had loved a lot.
1315
01:08:25,518 --> 01:08:27,854
‐ You could argue
that the British Empire
1316
01:08:27,854 --> 01:08:32,567
slowly built the man
who would destroy them
1317
01:08:32,567 --> 01:08:36,821
from the inside out.
1318
01:08:37,530 --> 01:08:51,252
♪♪♪
1319
01:08:51,252 --> 01:08:52,670
‐ Thank you for coming.
1320
01:08:52,670 --> 01:08:54,714
It is so great
everybody's here.
1321
01:08:54,714 --> 01:08:58,384
Thank you. We need all
the support we can get.
1322
01:08:58,384 --> 01:09:02,388
‐ More than 50 delegates
from 12 of the 13 colonies
1323
01:09:02,388 --> 01:09:04,474
are gathering
for the first time
1324
01:09:04,474 --> 01:09:06,893
to plan resistance
to the British crackdown
1325
01:09:06,893 --> 01:09:08,561
on their rights.
1326
01:09:11,356 --> 01:09:14,484
‐ The Colonies had never been,
before this period,
1327
01:09:14,484 --> 01:09:16,152
very good at doing things
together.
1328
01:09:16,152 --> 01:09:17,987
I mean, they really are
independent units.
1329
01:09:17,987 --> 01:09:19,989
They only manage to act
in concert
1330
01:09:19,989 --> 01:09:21,407
when they're threatened.
1331
01:09:21,407 --> 01:09:23,493
‐ And the idea is if we
coordinate our response,
1332
01:09:23,493 --> 01:09:25,036
it will be more effective.
1333
01:09:25,036 --> 01:09:27,330
The British won't be able
to pick us off one by one.
1334
01:09:27,330 --> 01:09:30,958
‐ Billed as
the First Continental Congress,
1335
01:09:30,958 --> 01:09:34,087
it's a who's who of
future revolutionaries,
1336
01:09:34,087 --> 01:09:39,342
including Sam Adams,
John Jay, Patrick Henry,
1337
01:09:39,342 --> 01:09:42,178
and Massachusetts' own
John Adams.
1338
01:09:44,347 --> 01:09:47,975
[ indistinct chatter ]
1339
01:09:47,975 --> 01:09:50,353
‐ Mr. Washington.
1340
01:09:50,353 --> 01:09:52,688
We're all glad
you made the journey.
1341
01:09:52,688 --> 01:09:54,399
John Adams.
1342
01:09:54,399 --> 01:09:57,902
‐ Mr. Adams, your fine work
and reputation precede you.
1343
01:09:57,902 --> 01:09:59,570
It is a pleasure to make
your acquaintance.
1344
01:09:59,570 --> 01:10:02,281
‐ I'm sure you're well aware,
1345
01:10:02,281 --> 01:10:05,702
but your presence here
does carry a great weight.
1346
01:10:05,702 --> 01:10:07,870
‐ I'm honored
to represent Virginia.
1347
01:10:07,870 --> 01:10:10,039
‐ We in Massachusetts
are gratified
1348
01:10:10,039 --> 01:10:12,875
to have the Colonies
assembled for our cause.
1349
01:10:12,875 --> 01:10:16,087
‐ Now we shall see if all are
ready to speak with one voice.
1350
01:10:16,087 --> 01:10:18,089
‐ I'm well acquainted
with the British disregard
1351
01:10:18,089 --> 01:10:19,424
for their own laws.
1352
01:10:19,424 --> 01:10:22,552
These unjust policies
cannot stand.
1353
01:10:22,552 --> 01:10:25,972
‐ We are agreed upon that,
Mr. Washington.
1354
01:10:25,972 --> 01:10:28,474
I look forward to discussing
these matters.
1355
01:10:28,474 --> 01:10:31,227
‐ And I look forward
to taking action.
1356
01:10:31,227 --> 01:10:33,229
‐ Order.
1357
01:10:35,940 --> 01:10:40,445
‐ Washington is a believer
that the British Empire
1358
01:10:40,445 --> 01:10:44,532
intends to enslave
the American population.
1359
01:10:44,532 --> 01:10:47,452
He sees an orchestrated plot
in the sense that
1360
01:10:47,452 --> 01:10:52,290
we no longer have control
over our own domestic policy.
1361
01:10:52,290 --> 01:10:56,836
‐ The delegates are divided
on how to proceed.
1362
01:10:56,836 --> 01:10:59,464
While some want to keep
petitioning Parliament,
1363
01:10:59,464 --> 01:11:04,218
others are pushing
for more radical action.
1364
01:11:04,218 --> 01:11:06,596
‐ The colonists are demanding
their rights,
1365
01:11:06,596 --> 01:11:10,099
and actually initially,
trying to use the system
1366
01:11:10,099 --> 01:11:12,310
that's in place
to get their rights...
1367
01:11:12,310 --> 01:11:16,439
sending petitions,
traditional protests,
1368
01:11:16,439 --> 01:11:18,775
doing the things
you do as a colonist
1369
01:11:18,775 --> 01:11:22,195
to express your needs
and your demands.
1370
01:11:22,195 --> 01:11:27,200
‐ Finally, the Congress agrees
to an all‐colony boycott
1371
01:11:27,200 --> 01:11:31,204
of British goods‐‐a move
designed to pressure Britain
1372
01:11:31,204 --> 01:11:35,041
to repeal their taxes
and remove troops from Boston.
1373
01:11:35,041 --> 01:11:39,170
Though "revolution" is still
not a word uttered publicly,
1374
01:11:39,170 --> 01:11:44,467
Washington is not convinced
it can be avoided.
1375
01:11:44,467 --> 01:11:46,719
‐ "More blood will be spilt
on this occasion
1376
01:11:46,719 --> 01:11:50,640
"if the Ministry are determined
to push matters to extremity.
1377
01:11:50,640 --> 01:11:53,559
"No such thing is desired
by any thinking man
1378
01:11:53,559 --> 01:11:57,063
in all North America."
1379
01:11:57,063 --> 01:12:01,192
‐ It became pretty clear
early on
1380
01:12:01,192 --> 01:12:02,568
that Great Britain was not
going to back down,
1381
01:12:02,568 --> 01:12:05,905
and that they were not
going to meet the demands
1382
01:12:05,905 --> 01:12:09,116
that the colonists put forth,
and although that was
1383
01:12:09,116 --> 01:12:13,120
always a frightful prospect,
to go to war,
1384
01:12:13,120 --> 01:12:15,540
it's pretty clear that that was
likely to be the answer.
1385
01:12:15,540 --> 01:12:19,252
♪♪♪
1386
01:12:19,252 --> 01:12:25,675
[ gunfire ]
1387
01:12:25,675 --> 01:12:29,303
‐ The following spring,
Washington's fears are realized
1388
01:12:29,303 --> 01:12:32,139
at Lexington and Concord.
1389
01:12:32,139 --> 01:12:35,184
‐ Lexington and Concord
shocked Americans.
1390
01:12:35,184 --> 01:12:38,729
That really stunned them.
What does that mean
1391
01:12:38,729 --> 01:12:42,900
if your own government
now is firing upon you?
1392
01:12:42,900 --> 01:12:46,988
‐ Until this point,
most colonists
1393
01:12:46,988 --> 01:12:50,032
were willing to say, "If you
could just wind back the clock,
1394
01:12:50,032 --> 01:12:53,160
then all will be well."
1395
01:12:53,160 --> 01:12:55,913
‐ All these people,
including Washington,
1396
01:12:55,913 --> 01:12:58,875
reached some point
when they thought,
1397
01:12:58,875 --> 01:13:02,837
"You know,
we just cannot remain part
1398
01:13:02,837 --> 01:13:04,338
"of the British Empire.
1399
01:13:04,338 --> 01:13:06,591
We can't do it."
1400
01:13:06,591 --> 01:13:09,677
‐ By the time
the Second Continental Congress
1401
01:13:09,677 --> 01:13:12,430
convenes three weeks later,
1402
01:13:12,430 --> 01:13:15,224
the time has come
to put down the quill
1403
01:13:15,224 --> 01:13:17,560
and pick up the sword.
1404
01:13:17,560 --> 01:13:21,689
The question is,
who will lead the charge?
1405
01:13:21,689 --> 01:13:25,860
‐ We need a military figure
to go up to corral events
1406
01:13:25,860 --> 01:13:27,987
and really become a commander
of some kind of an army,
1407
01:13:27,987 --> 01:13:30,156
whatever that army is gonna be.
1408
01:13:30,156 --> 01:13:31,824
‐ And they need somebody
1409
01:13:31,824 --> 01:13:34,076
who will both be reliable
politically,
1410
01:13:34,076 --> 01:13:37,079
somebody who won't be at risk
of trying to make himself
1411
01:13:37,079 --> 01:13:39,206
a military dictator,
1412
01:13:39,206 --> 01:13:42,001
but somebody who has
the basic skills and knowledge
1413
01:13:42,001 --> 01:13:43,586
to lead an army.
1414
01:13:43,586 --> 01:13:46,631
It's a pretty short list
of men in North America
1415
01:13:46,631 --> 01:13:49,258
who meet both
of those requirements.
1416
01:13:49,258 --> 01:13:51,802
‐ The most eager
of the candidates
1417
01:13:51,802 --> 01:13:53,846
is John Hancock,
1418
01:13:53,846 --> 01:13:57,433
a prominent Boston businessman
turned politician.
1419
01:13:57,433 --> 01:14:00,269
‐ In many ways,
he's the anti‐Washington.
1420
01:14:00,269 --> 01:14:03,105
John Hancock
is a very vain man.
1421
01:14:03,105 --> 01:14:06,233
He's somebody
who is pretty shallow,
1422
01:14:06,233 --> 01:14:09,570
somebody who is a showboat,
1423
01:14:09,570 --> 01:14:13,115
somebody who does not
understand his limitations.
1424
01:14:13,115 --> 01:14:17,745
‐ One of the most experienced
is Horatio Gates,
1425
01:14:17,745 --> 01:14:21,207
a British‐born veteran
who'd served on the frontier,
1426
01:14:21,207 --> 01:14:25,294
married an American
and decided to stay.
1427
01:14:25,294 --> 01:14:28,339
‐ He has held
the king's commission.
1428
01:14:28,339 --> 01:14:30,716
He has been
a commissioned officer.
1429
01:14:30,716 --> 01:14:32,385
He's seen fighting,
1430
01:14:32,385 --> 01:14:34,387
perhaps even more
than Washington has.
1431
01:14:34,387 --> 01:14:37,807
‐ But Gates was not a Virginian,
1432
01:14:37,807 --> 01:14:40,768
and a lot of people,
including John Adams,
1433
01:14:40,768 --> 01:14:42,895
understood that Virginia,
which was the largest colony
1434
01:14:42,895 --> 01:14:47,817
at the time, needed to be
invested in the war cause,
1435
01:14:47,817 --> 01:14:49,902
and the best way to get
Virginia invested
1436
01:14:49,902 --> 01:14:51,362
was to put a Virginian
at the very top.
1437
01:14:51,362 --> 01:14:53,823
♪♪♪
1438
01:14:53,823 --> 01:14:57,702
‐ It's important to Washington
to be able to tell himself
1439
01:14:57,702 --> 01:14:59,704
that he's not ambitious.
1440
01:14:59,704 --> 01:15:04,125
It's important for him
to be able to say,
1441
01:15:04,125 --> 01:15:07,920
"I'm not campaigning
for this job."
1442
01:15:07,920 --> 01:15:12,341
‐ That complicated cocktail
of public projection,
1443
01:15:12,341 --> 01:15:16,429
of balancing private ambition
with the greater good,
1444
01:15:16,429 --> 01:15:18,180
was something that Washington
did as brilliantly
1445
01:15:18,180 --> 01:15:21,058
as any American ever did.
1446
01:15:21,058 --> 01:15:24,020
‐ I mean, there wasn't
a large number of folks
1447
01:15:24,020 --> 01:15:26,147
with the kind of stature
that he had.
1448
01:15:26,147 --> 01:15:27,898
If not him, who?
1449
01:15:27,898 --> 01:15:35,823
♪♪♪
1450
01:15:35,823 --> 01:15:37,700
‐ Washington,
one of Virginia's delegates
1451
01:15:37,700 --> 01:15:39,535
to the Second
Continental Congress,
1452
01:15:39,535 --> 01:15:41,495
shows up wearing
a military uniform.
1453
01:15:41,495 --> 01:15:45,708
It reminds people
he has military experience.
1454
01:15:45,708 --> 01:15:48,419
If you need a commander,
look no farther.
1455
01:15:48,419 --> 01:15:51,380
He is going to have to
build this army
1456
01:15:51,380 --> 01:15:54,925
in effect from himself down
1457
01:15:54,925 --> 01:15:59,096
by appearing to be
a man of confidence
1458
01:15:59,096 --> 01:16:02,975
even when almost nobody else
has confidence in the cause.
1459
01:16:02,975 --> 01:16:05,269
♪♪♪
1460
01:16:05,269 --> 01:16:07,813
‐ Washington fell in love
with the country
1461
01:16:07,813 --> 01:16:09,690
that was being created,
1462
01:16:09,690 --> 01:16:13,277
and he was prepared
to fight for it and die for it.
1463
01:16:13,277 --> 01:16:25,956
♪♪♪
1464
01:16:25,956 --> 01:16:30,127
♪♪♪
1465
01:16:30,127 --> 01:16:31,837
That is all for now.
1466
01:16:31,837 --> 01:16:38,135
♪♪♪
1467
01:16:38,135 --> 01:16:42,348
‐ "My dearest, I am now sat down
to write you on a subject
1468
01:16:42,348 --> 01:16:47,103
"which fills me
with inexpressible concern
1469
01:16:47,103 --> 01:16:49,522
"when I reflect upon
the uneasiness
1470
01:16:49,522 --> 01:16:50,940
I know it will give you."
1471
01:16:53,818 --> 01:16:56,570
"It has been determined
in Congress
1472
01:16:56,570 --> 01:16:58,531
"that the whole army raised
for the defense
1473
01:16:58,531 --> 01:17:03,244
"of the American cause
shall be put under my care
1474
01:17:03,244 --> 01:17:05,955
"and that is necessary for me
to proceed immediately
1475
01:17:05,955 --> 01:17:09,500
to Boston
to take command of it."
1476
01:17:09,500 --> 01:17:11,669
‐ Some two decades
after he was denied
1477
01:17:11,669 --> 01:17:14,296
a British officer's rank,
1478
01:17:14,296 --> 01:17:17,633
George Washington
becomes commander‐in‐chief
1479
01:17:17,633 --> 01:17:22,221
of an army in revolt against
the empire he once served.
1480
01:17:22,221 --> 01:17:26,642
‐ He passionately believes
in the cause.
1481
01:17:26,642 --> 01:17:28,894
He believes
that as a virtuous man,
1482
01:17:28,894 --> 01:17:32,189
he must set all of his skills,
all of his abilities,
1483
01:17:32,189 --> 01:17:33,649
all of his resources
1484
01:17:33,649 --> 01:17:36,527
at the service
of his countrymen,
1485
01:17:36,527 --> 01:17:39,864
but he recognizes
whoever leads this army
1486
01:17:39,864 --> 01:17:43,409
is more likely than not
to lose his life,
1487
01:17:43,409 --> 01:17:46,996
to lose his fortune,
and to lose his reputation.
1488
01:17:46,996 --> 01:17:50,207
This is not a position of glory.
1489
01:17:50,207 --> 01:17:52,001
‐ Washington always
defined greatness
1490
01:17:52,001 --> 01:17:54,712
as a willingness to do things
not for yourself
1491
01:17:54,712 --> 01:17:57,423
but for others, and so every
fiber of his being
1492
01:17:57,423 --> 01:18:00,050
said he must do this.
1493
01:18:00,050 --> 01:18:03,888
‐ "I shall rely confidently
on that providence
1494
01:18:03,888 --> 01:18:08,184
"which has heretofore preserved
and been bountiful to me,
1495
01:18:08,184 --> 01:18:13,063
"not doubting but that I shall
return safe to you in the fall.
1496
01:18:13,063 --> 01:18:14,607
"I shall feel no pain
from the toil
1497
01:18:14,607 --> 01:18:17,401
or the danger of the campaign."
1498
01:18:17,401 --> 01:18:19,862
‐ He knows his whole life
is gonna change,
1499
01:18:19,862 --> 01:18:23,115
and the letters he writes home
shows his own emotion.
1500
01:18:23,115 --> 01:18:27,119
This is a moment
when the normal screen
1501
01:18:27,119 --> 01:18:29,872
or the curtain
around Washington opens
1502
01:18:29,872 --> 01:18:31,707
and you get to see
who he really is.
1503
01:18:31,707 --> 01:18:36,253
‐ "My unhappiness will flow
from the uneasiness I know
1504
01:18:36,253 --> 01:18:39,381
"you will feel at being
left alone.
1505
01:18:39,381 --> 01:18:42,176
"I beg of you to summon
your whole fortitude
1506
01:18:42,176 --> 01:18:45,221
"and resolution
and pass your time
1507
01:18:45,221 --> 01:18:47,973
"as agreeably as possible.
1508
01:18:47,973 --> 01:18:51,143
"I shall add nothing more
at the present
1509
01:18:51,143 --> 01:18:56,023
"but to assure you that I am
with the most unfeigned regard,
1510
01:18:56,023 --> 01:18:58,734
your affectionate George."
1511
01:18:58,734 --> 01:19:08,786
♪♪♪
1512
01:19:08,786 --> 01:19:14,291
♪♪♪
1513
01:19:14,291 --> 01:19:16,961
[ wheels rattling ]
1514
01:19:16,961 --> 01:19:22,174
‐ When Washington arrives
in Boston in July 1775,
1515
01:19:22,174 --> 01:19:24,468
there's little fanfare.
1516
01:19:24,468 --> 01:19:27,263
With him is the man who will
serve alongside him
1517
01:19:27,263 --> 01:19:28,847
for the duration of the war.
1518
01:19:28,847 --> 01:19:31,976
His name is William Lee,
1519
01:19:31,976 --> 01:19:34,645
though Washington
calls him Billy.
1520
01:19:34,645 --> 01:19:37,064
Lee doesn't have
an official military rank.
1521
01:19:37,064 --> 01:19:40,943
He's Washington's
enslaved valet.
1522
01:19:40,943 --> 01:19:45,072
‐ Washington purchased
William Lee in 1768.
1523
01:19:45,072 --> 01:19:47,449
He's probably someone
that knew Washington
1524
01:19:47,449 --> 01:19:49,493
better than almost anybody.
1525
01:19:49,493 --> 01:19:52,621
‐ Billy and Washington
had an intimate relationship
1526
01:19:52,621 --> 01:19:54,873
in that Billy would comb
his hair in the morning
1527
01:19:54,873 --> 01:19:56,458
and put out his clothes
and all this other stuff.
1528
01:19:56,458 --> 01:19:57,835
‐ He's known for organizing
1529
01:19:57,835 --> 01:20:01,463
George Washington's life,
his papers.
1530
01:20:01,463 --> 01:20:04,341
William Lee,
unlike the majority
1531
01:20:04,341 --> 01:20:06,802
of other 18th century
enslaved people,
1532
01:20:06,802 --> 01:20:10,139
has been in some ways given
1533
01:20:10,139 --> 01:20:13,183
a little more than a footnote
in history.
1534
01:20:13,183 --> 01:20:15,894
‐ Billy Lee, as we've come
to think about him,
1535
01:20:15,894 --> 01:20:17,479
is one of the heroes
of the American Revolution.
1536
01:20:19,857 --> 01:20:22,359
‐ My belongings arrive
from Mount Vernon, Billy?
1537
01:20:22,359 --> 01:20:24,278
‐ Yes, sir.
1538
01:20:30,326 --> 01:20:40,794
♪♪♪
1539
01:20:40,794 --> 01:20:43,547
‐ They promised me an army.
1540
01:20:43,547 --> 01:20:45,549
Does this look like an army
to you?
1541
01:20:45,549 --> 01:20:46,842
‐ No, sir.
1542
01:20:46,842 --> 01:20:48,218
It does not.
1543
01:20:48,218 --> 01:20:51,972
[ laughter ]
1544
01:20:51,972 --> 01:20:55,893
It's been a long journey, sir.
Perhaps you should rest.
1545
01:20:55,893 --> 01:20:58,604
‐ No, Billy, this is no time
for a rest.
1546
01:20:58,604 --> 01:21:01,023
See to the horse.
‐ Yes, sir.
1547
01:21:03,025 --> 01:21:06,236
‐ Washington's orders
from the Continental Congress
1548
01:21:06,236 --> 01:21:09,948
are to force the occupying
British troops out of Boston.
1549
01:21:09,948 --> 01:21:11,950
‐ When he gets up
to Massachusetts, it confirms
1550
01:21:11,950 --> 01:21:15,954
it confirms all of his most
desperate thoughts
1551
01:21:15,954 --> 01:21:18,207
about the militias‐‐
they come and go as they please,
1552
01:21:18,207 --> 01:21:19,166
they don't want to be
under the discipline
1553
01:21:19,166 --> 01:21:20,876
of a regular army.
1554
01:21:20,876 --> 01:21:23,462
‐ I mean,
they're guys with guns.
1555
01:21:23,462 --> 01:21:25,798
It was not a trained army.
It was a militia.
1556
01:21:25,798 --> 01:21:28,759
‐ We have this vision
of the American Revolution
1557
01:21:28,759 --> 01:21:30,386
as we had an army
and they had an army.
1558
01:21:30,386 --> 01:21:32,721
We didn't have an army.
We had a lot of state militias.
1559
01:21:32,721 --> 01:21:34,807
‐ Washington's major problem
is to recognize
1560
01:21:34,807 --> 01:21:38,102
that he's inherited a mob,
1561
01:21:38,102 --> 01:21:41,313
and that he wants to do for it
what he had done for the‐‐
1562
01:21:41,313 --> 01:21:44,024
the Virginia Regiment during
the French and Indian War‐‐
1563
01:21:44,024 --> 01:21:46,735
make them into a real corps
of professional soldiers.
1564
01:21:46,735 --> 01:21:49,780
‐ He has to figure out how
to join these people together
1565
01:21:49,780 --> 01:21:52,366
in some kind of a way
in which they can fight
1566
01:21:52,366 --> 01:21:54,243
this great empire.
1567
01:21:54,243 --> 01:21:57,830
‐ Washington was expecting
20,000 men
1568
01:21:57,830 --> 01:22:01,083
and 10 tons of gunpowder.
1569
01:22:01,083 --> 01:22:03,335
There is a fraction of both.
1570
01:22:03,335 --> 01:22:06,255
‐ Trying to put together an army
overnight is impossible.
1571
01:22:06,255 --> 01:22:08,424
It took the British Army
a century.
1572
01:22:08,424 --> 01:22:10,384
I mean, like, where do you dig
the latrines?
1573
01:22:10,384 --> 01:22:12,344
Where do the hospitals go?
1574
01:22:12,344 --> 01:22:14,138
These are all, like, things
that are routinized
1575
01:22:14,138 --> 01:22:17,266
inside a British manual.
We have none of that.
1576
01:22:17,266 --> 01:22:20,185
And we just got a bunch of guys
who basically showed up to fight
1577
01:22:20,185 --> 01:22:22,938
for a few days and figure
they're gonna go home.
1578
01:22:22,938 --> 01:22:24,940
‐ Where is
your commanding officer?
1579
01:22:27,067 --> 01:22:29,361
Get me
your commanding officer now!
1580
01:22:29,361 --> 01:22:33,031
‐ Once a headstrong
and untested young soldier,
1581
01:22:33,031 --> 01:22:36,160
Washington now takes command
of his army
1582
01:22:36,160 --> 01:22:40,247
21 years to the day
after his crushing defeat
1583
01:22:40,247 --> 01:22:41,415
at Fort Necessity.
1584
01:22:41,415 --> 01:22:43,041
‐ Hold your lines!
1585
01:22:43,041 --> 01:22:45,335
[ gunfire ]
1586
01:22:45,335 --> 01:22:49,131
‐ He's taken on a task
that he knows is going to be
1587
01:22:49,131 --> 01:22:51,717
perhaps impossible to defeat
the British Army and Navy,
1588
01:22:51,717 --> 01:22:55,137
and he's there to do it,
and he's committed.
1589
01:22:58,098 --> 01:23:00,893
‐ And if you command the army
that declares war on the Empire,
1590
01:23:00,893 --> 01:23:02,686
you better win.
1591
01:23:02,686 --> 01:23:04,855
Because if you don't,
1592
01:23:04,855 --> 01:23:06,231
there's no telling
what's gonna become of you.
1593
01:23:06,231 --> 01:23:11,820
♪♪♪
1594
01:23:11,820 --> 01:23:15,782
‐ Next time on "Washington"...
1595
01:23:15,782 --> 01:23:17,910
‐ If they captured him
in New York,
1596
01:23:17,910 --> 01:23:19,661
they would have put his head
on a spit,
1597
01:23:19,661 --> 01:23:21,497
and that's all
you would remember
1598
01:23:21,497 --> 01:23:23,081
about George Washington.
1599
01:23:23,081 --> 01:23:26,793
‐ We have therefore to resolve
to conquer or die.
1600
01:23:26,793 --> 01:23:28,670
‐ Are these the men with whom
I'm to defend America?
1601
01:23:30,714 --> 01:23:33,675
‐ "We hold these truths
to be self‐evident."
1602
01:23:33,675 --> 01:23:36,220
‐ The Declaration
is a rallying cry,
1603
01:23:36,220 --> 01:23:38,013
but it was an act of treason.
1604
01:23:38,013 --> 01:23:41,767
‐ Life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.
1605
01:23:41,767 --> 01:23:42,935
‐ Bloody fools.
1606
01:23:42,935 --> 01:23:46,438
♪♪♪
1607
01:23:46,438 --> 01:23:49,066
‐ Washington really needed to
convince the American people
1608
01:23:49,066 --> 01:23:51,193
that they could fight
the British.
1609
01:23:51,193 --> 01:23:52,361
‐ We must go on the offense.
1610
01:23:52,361 --> 01:23:55,364
There are a great many risks.
1611
01:23:55,364 --> 01:23:59,910
‐ This night will become one
of our great national myths.
1612
01:23:59,910 --> 01:24:01,036
♪♪♪
1613
01:24:01,036 --> 01:24:03,372
‐ Charge!
1614
01:24:03,372 --> 01:24:05,832
‐ This is our land,
and we will defend it.
1615
01:24:05,832 --> 01:24:07,084
‐ [ sword slices ]
1616
01:24:07,084 --> 01:24:09,002
‐ This was found hidden
in his boot.
1617
01:24:09,002 --> 01:24:12,589
‐ Arnold has betrayed
not only Washington
1618
01:24:12,589 --> 01:24:13,382
but his country.
1619
01:24:13,382 --> 01:24:15,551
‐ Go.
1620
01:24:15,551 --> 01:24:18,095
Get him.
1621
01:24:18,095 --> 01:24:19,137
Now.
123003
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