Lecture Date: February 6, 2024
The Roxanne M. Kaufman Lecture
(Archived video recording available through March 15th, 2024)
Young George Washington was raised by a struggling single mother, demanded military promotions, caused an international incident, and never backed down--even when his dysentery got so bad he had to ride with a cushion on his saddle. But after he married Martha, everything changed. Washington became the kind of man who named his dog Sweetlips and hated to leave home. He took up arms against the British only when there was no other way, though he lost more battles than he won.
After an unlikely victory in the Revolutionary War cast him as the nation's hero, he was desperate to retire, but the founders pressured him into the presidency--twice. When he retired years later, no one talked him out of it. He left the highest office heartbroken over the partisan nightmare his backstabbing cabinet had created.
Back on his plantation, the man who fought for liberty must confront his greatest hypocrisy--what to do with the men, women, and children he owns--before he succumbs to death.
Speaker: Alexis Coe
Presidential historian and The New York Times bestselling author Alexis Coe invites audiences to take a closer look at history – revealing its complexity in new, fresh ways. Coe is the author of Alice+Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis and her instant New York Times bestselling biography of George Washington, You Never Forget Your First – which was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Books To Read and an NPR Concierge “Best Book of the Year.”
Sought after for speaking engagements at Columbia, West Point, Georgetown, NYU, and many others, Coe has also given talks sponsored by Hulu, Chanel, and Madewell – and is frequently asked back by hosts for additional events. In her talks – which are in-demand with startups, businesses, and universities alike – Coe offers a deeply researched and totally delightful lens on political history, making the lessons of the past feel more relevant than ever.