16. The Importance of George Washington

The American Revolution (HIST 116)
This lecture focuses on George Washington and the combined qualities that made him a key figure in Revolutionary America, arguing that the most crucial reason for his success as a national leader was that he proved repeatedly that he could be trusted with power - a vital quality in a nation fearful of the collapse of republican governance at the hands of a tyrant.
00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: The Importance of George Washington
03:36 - Chapter 2. The Many Merits of Washington from the Letters of Hamilton and Adams
15:42 - Chapter 3. Ingredients of the Washington Phenomenon: Self-Presentation, Fortune, and the Need for a King
25:07 - Chapter 4. Balancing Solemnity with Humility: Washington as the Reluctant Leader
30:13 - Chapter 5. Washington's Symbolic Gestures as Commander-in-Chief of a Republican Army
43:08 - Chapter 6. Washington's Legacy as a Leader
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Spring 2010.