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The Strange Greatness of George Washington

The Rest Is History

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Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: Founding Fathers
Washington: The Strange Greatness of George Washington
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Where did George Washington come from, and what was he like? How did he come to take on such a pivotal role in the American Revolution? And, was he really central to America’s triumphant struggle for independence?

Join Dominic and Tom as they launch into the extraordinary life and origins of George Washington.

Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations.

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0:00 Lloyd’s
1:49 Reagan, American exceptionalism, and the myth of Valley Forge
5:34 George Washington: the Founding Father behind the marble statue
10:01 Washington’s early life, weak voice, bad teeth, and terrifying self-control
14:19 Washington, the Seven Years’ War, and his resentment of Britain
17:01 Why the American colonies rebelled over taxes and western expansion
20:04 Washington becomes commander of the Continental Army
21:50 Why Britain struggled to defeat the American rebellion
25:56 1777: Saratoga, Philadelphia, and Washington’s nightmare year
28:07 Valley Forge: why Washington chose it, and why it became sacred
31:39 Starvation, disease, fire cakes, and the horrors of the camp
36:24 Washington’s dignity and the fake story of him praying in the snow
41:04 TikTok
42:15 Christmas at Valley Forge and the army close to collapse
45:30 Martha Washington arrives, and Washington comes under pressure
49:57 Black soldiers, slavery, and Washington’s changing views
55:18 Baron von Steuben arrives and transforms the Continental Army
1:00:55 The French alliance changes the course of the war
1:05:18 Monmouth, the global war, and why Washington mattered
1:08:06 Washington resigns command and becomes America’s Cincinnatus
1:10:30 Washington’s teeth, his final image, and what made him indispensable
1:12:34 Rest Is History Festival / outro

Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
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20 Comments

@restishistorypod Creator 3 months ago Pinned

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@jeditor9687 3 months ago

George Washington wasn’t a great man of action. He was a much rarer breed, a great man of restraint.

@harrybenson9983 3 months ago

Gentlemen, have you tried digging a hole big enough for a dead horse in frozen ground?

@senwod70 3 months ago

The fact that washington refused to do what Cromwell (and later Napoleon) did by marching his army on Congress during the Newburgh conspiracy is his greatest gift to The United States.

@chillinvibin6057 3 months ago

Dominic explaining the fairness of parliament for their global subjects might be one of the most hypocritical British things I’ve heard 😂. Love you guys

@MatthewEgan-op2ej 1 month ago

I love hearing the thoughtful, slightly confused british perspective of the American revolution where I imagine the British almost viewing the American patriots like the child screaming in the back of the car in the Babadook

@jameswaller5676 3 months ago

Love a new episode of the Rest is Dysentery

@mr.rubicon1193 3 months ago

An episode on John Adams would be welcomed.

@mackattack9671 2 months ago

I have had an obsession with George Washington since I was about 11 years old. What made him great was his ability and willingness to learn from his failures. I think, unfortunately, this is a rare quality in politicians and leaders currently. Thanks for covering my hero!

@maryjamesbreen 3 months ago

As an American listening to this, I find it both hilarious and thought-provoking. Always good to hear a different take on history, especially history we tend to hold rather sacred.

@troidva 3 months ago (edited)

The battles of Trenton and Princeton were not a “PR exercise.” Trenton was an astounding victory in which Washington surprised and captured nearly a thousand Hessians without a single rebel lost. At Princeton, Washington staged a night march around the British army that thought it had trapped him in Trenton and defeated another British force at Princeton. As a result, the British had to fall back to New York, losing all of New Jersey and their best chance to crush the rebellion.

@jacoblongbrake8230 3 months ago (edited)

George Washington was great not because of the Revolutionary War but for giving up total power Not once but twice first as the commander-in-chief of the military second was his presidency after two terms Everybody in Europe was shocked thought he would become like a dictator or a king. After the war, when the King was told by American artist Benjamin West that Washington planned to give up his military power and return to his private farm in Virginia, the King was astonished. Because most military conquerors historically held onto power, George III allegedly stated that if Washington did this, he would be "the greatest man in the world".Upon hearing that Washington had also stepped down as President, the King remarked that this act placed Washington in "a light the most distinguished of any man living," calling him the "greatest character of the age".Despite the Revolutionary War, the Royal Navy showed deep respect by lowering all flags on its ships to half-mast. Additionally, British governmental offices followed suit as a mark of respect. Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul, ordered 10 days of official national mourning and organized a grand memorial service where a requiem was held at the Invalides in Paris.

@OMEddie 3 months ago

I'm 81 now. Before the "President's Day" holiday we had two holidays in February: Lincoln's birthday on Feb 12th and Washington's on Feb 22nd. When I look back to being a child of seven in 1951, I remember being off from school and my mother buying me a cardboard hatchet filled with hard cherry candy in the hollow handle to celebrate the "I cannot tell a lie" story. Today, you succeeded in destroying that memory 😢

@dennispepperack2973 3 months ago

Sorry to hear of Gordon Wood's passing, he was one of my fave authors of the era. Others include: Joseph Ellis, David McCullough (sadly also gone, but glad I got to see him speak in Nashville TN), Thomas Fleming & Walter Isaacson (loved his bio of Franklin).

@milo8425 2 months ago

This PoV certainly explains the state of the UK

@armyveteran101st 3 months ago (edited)

My 5th great grandfather was a member of the Continental Army who was present at the winter encampment in Valley Forge… Thank you gentlemen for this excellent episode!
🇺🇸🇬🇧

@MartinSolomon 3 months ago

Talking about the superiority of British over American dental hygiene with straight faces is peak Rest is History irony. Well done.

@joebobjenkins7837 2 months ago

For starters, it wasnt a tax rebellion. That was down on the list of greivances. Taxes were 17th on the list.

@cherylhiggins4205 3 months ago

"Turn" is a really good revolutionary war series. Obstensibly about "washingtons's spies" but has some really good local history of CT, NY and Long Island in the war. I found some of my own family's history represented in it fairly accurately. Seen on Amazon