July 1, 2026 – How should we remember George Washington’s involvement in slavery? In this lecture, historian John Garrison Marks will share how Americans have argued over this questions for nearly 250 years. More than any other “Founding Father,” Washington’s ties to slavery have vexed us. He enslaved more people than any of his fellow Founders, yet he was the only one of them to emancipate the people he held in bondage. Since his death, Americans have grappled with this contradiction, shaping and re-shaping our collective memory of Washington and slavery—along with our understanding of the nation.

Drawing on research from his new book, Marks traces how politicians, abolitionists, educators, activists, Washington’s former slaves and their descendants, and others have remembered, forgotten, and manipulated slavery’s place in Washington’s story, wielding it in the political and cultural fights of their time. He reveals how Americans’ conflicts over our collective memory of the past have always been part of a much broader struggle to define the nation—and ourselves.

This is a FREE hybrid event. Registration is required.
All participants are welcome to join us to meet the speaker at the pre-reception at 6:30 pm with light refreshments.

Register to Attend In-Person

Register to Attend Virtually

John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer who explores history, museums, and the ways Americans engage with the past. He is the author or editor of three books, and his work has appeared in The Atlantic, Washington Post, TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, and elsewhere. His latest book, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (2026), explores how generations of Americans have thought, and fought, about slavery’s place in George Washington’s legacy over the past 250 years. Marks also serves as a senior staff member for the American Association for State and Local History, where he leads research, leadership development, and special projects, including nine years of thinking, writing, and speaking about the U.S. Semiquincentennial. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Rice University.