Seven books published in 2020 by the country’s most prominent historians have been named finalists for the George Washington Prize. The annual award recognizes the past year’s best works on the nation’s founding era, especially those that have the potential to advance a broad public understanding of early American history.

“Every day we see evidence that Americans care deeply about the history of the founding of the United States,” commented Doug Bradburn, President of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. “Each of these books provides a window into that transformational era, and sheds light as well on the world we are all making together… all worthy finalists in a very competitive field.”

Created by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and Washington College, the $50,000 George Washington Prize is one of the nation’s largest and most notable literary awards.

“At a time when questions about America’s past are so central to discussions of our nation’s present and future, books like these are essential reading,” said Adam Goodheart, Director of Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

Written to engage a wide public audience, the selected books provide a “go-to” reading list for anyone interested in learning more about George Washington, his contemporaries, and the founding of the United States of America.

The 2021 George Washington Prize finalists are (in alphabetical order):

• Mark Boonshoft, Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press)
• Vincent Brown, Tacky’s Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War (Cambridge: Harvard University Press)
• Peter Cozzens, Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation (New York: Alfred A. Knopf)
• Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, The Age of Phyllis (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press)
• Michael W. McConnell, The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power under the Constitution (Princeton: Princeton University Press)
• Mary Beth Norton, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution (New York: Alfred A. Knopf)
• William G. Thomas III, A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War (New Haven: Yale University Press)

The prize will be awarded to the 2021 winner at a ceremony held at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home in Virginia, on October 20, 2021.  The ceremony will also recognize past winner, Rick Atkinson, for his book The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (Henry Holt), as it was not possible to hold the event in person last year.

More information about the George Washington Prize is available at www.mountvernon.org/gwprize

ABOUT THE SPONSORS OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON PRIZE

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Now celebrating its twenty-fifth year, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is supported through the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization of American Historians, and the Council of Independent Colleges. Learn more at gilderlehrman.org.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Since 1860, more than 85 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon the most popular historic home in America. Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. In 2013, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association opened the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, which safeguards original books and manuscripts and serves as a center for research, scholarship, and leadership development. Learn more at mountvernon.org.

Washington College

Washington College was founded in 1782, the first institution of higher learning established in the new republic. George Washington was not only a principal donor to the college, but also a member of its original governing board. He received an honorary degree from the college in June 1789, two months after assuming the presidency. The college’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Learn more at www.washcoll.edu.

Washington College will host the 238^th Commencement Exercises on the Campus Green beginning at 10:30 AM on Saturday, May 22. This in-person event is open only to the 306 graduates and their registered guests.  For all others, the event will be live-streamed here, beginning at 10:25 AM on graduation day.

Katie Hood, the chief executive officer of the One Love Foundation, will deliver the keynote address during the ceremony. Under her leadership since 2014, this high-profile organization created in honor of Yeardley Love has become the nation’s leading educator of young people on the topic of relationship abuse. Hood will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

Paris Young ‘21 was selected as the senior class speaker and will offer her remarks immediately following Interim President Wayne Powell’s welcome. Young is a Political Science major who also has a double minor in Black studies and justice, law and society. Young worked for the Starr Center for the past three years and interned at the National Museum for African American History in her hometown of Washington, D.C. She is currently a team leader for the Chesapeake Heartland’s oral history program.

The highlight of the ceremony is the public conferral of degrees on over 300 Washington College graduates. Wayne B. Powell, Interim President, will officially confer the degrees earned and Interim Provost and Dean Michael Harvey will individually present each graduate. A small number of graduates elected to participate virtually via a prepared slide that will be presented on the large video screens.

Harvey will also present the College’s faculty and student awards, as well as the senior honors and prizes. These include the Alumni Association’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Jane Huston Goodfellow Memorial Prize, the Sophie Kerr Prize and the George Washington Medal and Award, among others.

This week there are also numerous events and celebrations leading up to Commencement, to include various Departmental Receptions hosted by faculty, the Senior Awards Ceremony (May 20 from 10 AM – 11:30 AM) which can be viewed here, and the announcement of the Sophie Kerr Prize (May 21 at 7:30 PM), which can be viewed here. The six finalists for this prestigious prize were just announced – see full release.

Over the past few weeks, the College has been sharing the voices of members of the Class of 2021 through a series of Senior Spotlights. These stories can be viewed here.

Graduates and their guests are required to abide by the College’s COVID protocols, which includes producing a negative COVID test result. Masks are required. Each graduate could invite two guests. For more information about the schedule of events or general information about commencement, visit the Commencement webpage.

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu. 

The 2020 election “map daddy” and #chartthrob Steve Kornacki joins the Starr Center this week for a conversation on political tribalism and more. Jointly presented by Washington College’s Starr Center and the Rose O’Neil Literary House, the event is scheduled for 5 PM on April 1.

Kornacki will talk about the 1990’s historical roots of our present-day politics from his book The Red and the Blue, as well as how our current tribalism mentality came to be. In addition to gaining fame recently as NBC’s electoral map guru who barely took a break during election night coverage, Kornacki’s articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, and Daily Beast, among others.

Kornacki’s marathon election coverage and his sensible khakis both earned national attention, as he famously stayed awake for 45 straight hours (fueled by Diet Coke), always appearing in his signature outfit. He was recently named to People’s Sexiest Man Alive list.

To join the discussion with Steve Kornacki, register here.  Registration is free and open to the public.

This event is part of the Harwood Lecture Series on American Journalism.

Thursdays with the Starr Center Series

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience has launched this new series of free virtual events every Thursday, bringing best-selling authors, respected journalists, renowned scholars, talented performers, and a variety of other guests to a wide audience during Washington College’s spring semester.

“Thursdays with the Starr Center” is eclectic, conversational, and informal. Events will occur Thursdays at 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted. In addition to original events, the series will also feature the events of campus partners like the Black Studies Program at Washington College.

“These weekly events will capture the energy and diversity of the Washington College community,” said Goodheart. “You can come join a lively discussion on history and politics — or just quietly eavesdrop while you’re starting to fix dinner. We hope you’ll return for a regular date with us each Thursday.”

For more information about the “Thursdays with the Starr Center” event series and upcoming events, including registration and access, please visit https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr/news_and_events.php.

About the Starr Center

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

Acclaimed documentarian Stanley Nelson is joining a virtual discussion about Freedom Riders, his 2010 documentary about the hundreds of civil rights activists who challenged segregation in interstate transport in the American South during the spring and summer of 1961.

Nelson’s documentary earned three Primetime Emmy Awards — among other honors — and is available to be screened virtually prior to the 7 PM start to the discussion and Q&A. This year marks the 60^th anniversary of this bold and dangerous experiment by both Black and white Americans.

To join the discussion with Stanley Nelson, register here.  Registration is free and open to the public.  To watch Freedom Riders, click here.

Stanley Nelson is today’s leading documentarian of the African American experience. His films combine compelling narratives with rich historical detail to shine new light on the under-explored American past.

In a rave review of “Freedom Riders” from 2011, The New York Times said, “It is hard to imagine a feature film conveying the events with a more vivid sense of drama or suspense. The commentators — the riders themselves, historians, politicians, civil rights leaders — have mostly been chosen for an uncanny ability to convey the tension in a present-tense reconstruction. Blowhards and professors of the obvious have been excised, and the archival photographs and news clips have been edited down to those most affecting and lyrical.”

Thursdays with the Starr Center Series

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience has launched this new series of free virtual events every Thursday, bringing best-selling authors, respected journalists, renowned scholars, talented performers, and a variety of other guests to a wide audience during Washington College’s spring semester.

“Thursdays with the Starr Center” is eclectic, conversational, and informal. Events will occur Thursdays at 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted. In addition to original events, the series will also feature the events of campus partners like the Black Studies Program at Washington College.

“These weekly events will capture the energy and diversity of the Washington College community,” said Goodheart. “You can come join a lively discussion on history and politics — or just quietly eavesdrop while you’re starting to fix dinner. We hope you’ll return for a regular date with us each Thursday.”

Upcoming Events:

April 1 brings political author, journalist, television host, and 2020 election sensation Steve Kornacki virtually to the Starr Center. Kornacki will talk about the 1990’s historical roots of our present-day politics from his book The Red and the Blue, as well as how our current tribalism mentality came to be. In addition to gaining fame recently as NBC’s electoral map guru who barely took a break during election night coverage, Kornacki’s articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, and Daily Beast, among others.

For more information about the “Thursdays with the Starr Center” event series, including registration and access, please visit https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr.

About the Starr Center

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience has launched a new series of free virtual events every Thursday, bringing best-selling authors, respected journalists, renowned scholars, talented performers, and a variety of other guests to a wide audience during Washington College’s spring semester.

“Thursdays with the Starr Center” will be eclectic, conversational, and informal. Events will occur Thursdays at 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted. In addition to original events, the series will also feature the events of campus partners like the Black Studies Program at Washington College.

“These weekly events will capture the energy and diversity of the Washington College community,” said Goodheart. “You can come join a lively discussion on history and politics — or just quietly eavesdrop while you’re starting to fix dinner. We hope you’ll return for a regular date with us each Thursday.”

On March 4 at 5 p.m., the Starr Center invites participants to virtually sit down with Starr Center Director Adam Goodheart and acclaimed biographer Neal Gabler, a former Patrick Henry History Fellow at the Starr Center. Gabler will discuss his new book, Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour. A gripping book of human drama and political history, Catching the Wind does not portray Kennedy as he is so often viewed in popular culture: a reckless hedonist who rode his father’s fortune and his brothers’ coattails to a Senate seat at the age of thirty. Instead, Gabler shows a man racked by and driven by insecurity, a man so doubtful of himself that he sinned in order to be redeemed.

Later in the month, Starr is co-sponsoring two events – March 11 and March 18 at 5 p.m. – with the Black Studies Program at Washington College. March 11 will bring virtual discussions on “Leading While Black,” as alumna Joyell Arvella ’10 fuses her experience of race and gender equity facilitation and reproductive justice in order to disrupt misogynoir and unlearn global narratives that perpetuate colorism, rape culture, and reproductive harm. On March 18, Bucknell University’s Spanish and Africana Studies Professor Nick R. Jones analyzes “black speech” in Spanish theater from the 1500’s through the 1700’s to show how black Africans and their descendants were rendered legible in performative literary texts in the remote event “Speaking While Black.”

April 1 brings political author, journalist, television host, and 2020 election sensation Steve Kornacki virtually to the Starr Center. Kornacki will talk about the 1990’s historical roots of our present-day politics from his book The Red and the Blue, as well as how our current tribalism mentality came to be. In addition to gaining fame recently as NBC’s electoral map guru who barely took a break during election night coverage, Kornacki’s articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, and Daily Beast, among others.

For more information about the “Thursdays with the Starr Center” event series, including registration and access, please visit https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr.

About the Starr Center

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. It enrolls approximately 1,450 undergraduates from more than 35 states and a dozen nations. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.

The Hodson Trust, whose generosity has benefitted Washington College students over 84 years, this year has made a gift of $3,667,204 to endow student scholarships awarded by the College and student internships offered by the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. Representatives of the Trust presented the gift in a letter to Interim President Wayne B. Powell on Dec. 14.

“We are exceedingly grateful to The Hodson Trust for the unwavering support of Washington College,” said Powell. “In the midst of this challenging year, this gift and the continued belief in our College and the liberal arts experience are more meaningful than ever before. We thank the trustees for their faith and their generosity.”

This year’s donation provides $3,167,204 to The Hodson Trust Merit Scholarship endowment and $500,000 to partially endow the Starr Center’s Explore America Summer Internship program. The Explore America program matches dozens of students with full-time, fully paid summer internships reserved for Washington College undergraduates at an array of leading cultural institutions and nonprofits. Those locations include five different Smithsonian museums, the National Archives, the National Constitution Center, the Library of Congress, the Apollo Theater, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the LGBTQ National History Archives, the U.S. House of Representatives, and many others. In addition to providing paid jobs and valuable experience, Explore America introduces Washington College students to mentors who sometimes change the course of their lives. Quite a few recipients have been hired upon graduation at the places where they interned.

“This program makes Washington College unique, since I don’t know of any other small liberal arts college that offers anything similar,” said Adam Goodheart, the Starr Center’s Hodson Trust-Griswold Director. “Over the past decade, Explore America has flourished to the point that last summer, we were able to award almost 30 internships, at 23 partner institutions, to students from a wide range of majors. We’re grateful for The Hodson Trust’s generosity, which will fund at least five internships when fully vested and builds a foundation for the program to thrive and grow.”

The Hodson Trust is the College’s largest single benefactor. Starting with a grant of $18,191.12 in 1935, the Trust has given Washington College more than $80 million. The Trust that was established in 1920 by the family of Col. Clarence Hodson benefits four Maryland educational institutions:  Washington College, Hood College, St. John’s College of Annapolis, and The Johns Hopkins University. Hodson, who received the honorary degree Doctor of Laws from Washington College in 1922, served on the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors from 1920 until his death in 1928.

Hodson, who grew up in Somerset County, Maryland, founded the Beneficial Loan Society to make small loans available to working-class Americans at affordable interest rates. This groundbreaking business grew into the Beneficial Corporation, one of the largest consumer finance companies in the United States. An initial investment of $100 grew over the ensuing decades into a trust that has awarded more than $250 million to the four beneficiary institutions. For more information, visit www.hodsontrust.org.

This story can also be found here: https://www.washcoll.edu/live/news/the-hodson-trust-grants-3.6-million-to-Washington-College.php

About Washington College

Founded in 1782, Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the nation and the first chartered under the new Republic. With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning in the arts and sciences, and more than 40 multidisciplinary areas of study, the College is home to nationally recognized academic centers in the environment, history, and writing. Learn more at washcoll.edu.