mount vernon partnership
With the generous support of the Reynolds Foundation, Mount Vernon and the Fairfax Network have partnered to provide schools with engaging and FREE satellite-delivered distance learning broadcasts.
Previously broadcast programs are available on DVD—free of charge—to educational institutions.
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
George Washington’s
Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
When George Washington lived here, Mount Vernon was an 8,000-acre plantation divided into five farms. Each farm was a complete unit, with its own overseers, work force of slaves, livestock, equipment, and buildings.
Take a virtual tour of the Estate.
Through dedication and determination, George Washington accomplished the impossible by leading the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution. Our panel of historians explore how Washington’s leadership was instrumental in securing American independence. Discussion topics include Washington’s relationship with his generals as well as the common soldier, the British perspective of the war, the turning point at Valley Forge, and the quelling of a rebellion at Newburgh. Key themes include leadership, perseverance, and teamwork and cooperation to achieve a goal.
Panelists include:
Caroline Cox, professor of history, the University of the Pacific, author of Proper Sense of Honor: Service and Sacrifice in George Washington’s Army.
William Fowler, professor of history, Northeastern University, and the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati George Washington Distinguished Professor, author of Rebels Under Sail: The Navy in the Revolution, Samuel Adams: Puritan Radical, and Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763.
Ed Lengel, associate professor of history at the University of Virginia and associate editor of the papers of George Washington, author of General George Washington: A Military Life and This Glorious Struggle: George Washington's Revolutionary War Letters.
Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Saunders director, Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, author of An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean.
Suggested Resources
Mount Vernon's Education Department Lesson Plans
Exploring George Washington’s Leadership
This lesson plan uses primary documents to explore the relationship between the many roles in Washington's life and his leadership characteristics.
George Washington Crossing the Delaware
In this lesson, students explore and describe Emmanuel Leutze's painting, "George Washington Crossing the Delaware".
George Washington’s Revolutionary Journeys
In this lesson, students use activities to discover various journeys George Washington made during the Revolutionary War, create 18th century maps, and compare them to modern maps.
What Makes a Good General?
This lesson explores George Washington’s leadership and character as commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary War.
Additional Lesson Plans
George Washington as Military Leader
Students use primary sources to evaluate Washington as a military leader—from the PBS program, Rediscovering George Washington.
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Three lessons, from the Library of Congress’ Learning Page, examine George Washington's leadership.