Virtual Lecture on George Washington

This year the Friends of Sulgrave Manor are excited to coordinate with the Washington DC Dames Society on a virtual lecture with Cyrus Ansary, author of the new book George Washington, Dealmaker in Chief.

Over 300 Dames tuned in to hear the speaker. Before discussing George Washington, Mr.Ansary talked about a wonderful history teacher he had in high school. She said “It is less important where you stand than where you started from. History tells you where you started from.” He described the process of writing his book about George Washington. His manuscript was over 900 pages, and the final book is 380 pages. There is much, therefore, that did not make the cut! He talked about the difficult conditions colonists endured when trying to deal with England, which he attributed to corruption. To start a business was risky - a person who incurred a debt that could not be paid went to debtors prison no matter the circumstances, and conditions were deplorable. He credits George Washington with removing barriers to launching a business. While Hamilton was a brilliant technician, Ansary considers Washington the impresario leading the effort.

A favorite part of the talk was his description of the colorful characters related to Martha Washington’s first husband and her inheritance, debunking the idea that Washington “married into money” rather than earning it. Ansary hopes that some of the 900 discarded pages will become the basis for his next book. We are grateful to the Friends of Sulgrave Manor and the NSCDA-DC for inviting our participation.