"If History Is Boring, It's the Historian's Fault"

"There's a lot of magical thinking when it comes to Washington's road to emancipating his slaves upon Martha's death. The declaration that's usually made is that Washington began to think differently during the Revolution, which I challenge. It's not that he began to think differently. It's that he became the most famous person in the world and was exposed to people who he respected, like the Marquis of Lafayette, who were telling him, 'Listen, this is terrible and you could change the world and everyone would love you for it.' He was well aware from that moment forward that it did affect his legacy. Let's be realistic about this, and let's also talk about the times that he could've emancipated them.

Karin Wulf at Smithsonian Magazine talks with Alexis Coe, author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.