With the generous support of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Mount Vernon and the Fairfax Network partnered to provide schools with engaging distance learning broadcasts. Selected programs are available on DVD—free of charge—to educational institutions. The free DVDs are in limited supply and were provided via limited grant funding from our partnership with George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum & Gardens. You may request any two (2) free DVDs by sending your request on school, agency, or organization letterhead. Please indicate which two DVDs you are requesting, and include your telephone number and e-mail address.  Send your request to:

Fairfax Network
Fairfax County Public Schools
Sprague Technology Center
4414 Holborn Avenue
Annandale, VA 22003

Selected programs are also available on the Fairfax Network YouTube Channel and are available for download as MP4 videos.

The Challenges of Nationhood: Presidential Perspectives — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video 

• Historical interpreters — portraying the founding fathers Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison — talk about the sometimes tumultuous relationships that they formed while founding the nation.

The Constitution and Executive Power — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video 

• Students and educators joined host Julie Silverbrook, executive director of The Constitutional Sources Project, and historians Joseph Ellis and Carol Berkin for an exploration of executive powers.

Creating george WASHINGTON — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video 

• Students get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of george WASHINGTON, an orchestral work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds.

First in War: George Washington and the American Revolution — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12

• A panel of historians explores how Washington’s leadership was instrumental in securing American independence. —  

Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video

• Cokie Roberts hosts this fascinating discussion of the struggles to establish a nation as seen through the eyes of our nation's first First Ladies: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison.

Fractured Union — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video 

• Historical interpreters — portraying Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Mason — offer high school students a close look at the statesmen engaged in heated discussions.

Funding a Nation: Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton — Audience: Educators. Watch the Video

• Our first president and two members of his cabinet discuss and debate the ways and means of financing the government of our fledgling nation. —  

History Notes: The Music of Washington's World — Audience: Students in Grades 6-9. Watch the Video

• Students discover the music of Pre-Revolutionary America including music written about George Washington, music heard on the battlefields and in the ballroom, and the traditional songs of African slaves. Resources from Mount Vernon include American Colonist Protest Song, writing a protest song; and George Washington in Song, investigating the significance of “Yankee Doodle.

Inaugural Visions: Presidents Washington to Obama — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12. Watch the Video

• Our panel of guests looks at the presidential inaugurations from George Washington to Barack Obama and lead students in discussions on how Americans choose leaders.

Nation to Nation — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12

• Recorded at the Oklahoma History Center, this program explores whether Washington’s Indian diplomacy and policies set the stage for 19th century American policy.

Primarily George — Audience: Educators

• Educators from Mount Vernon, the National Archives, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Papers of George Washington highlight online primary sources.

The Real George Washington — Audience: Students in Grades 9-12

• Hosted by award-winning journalist, Cokie Roberts, this program features Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough who shares his insights into George Washington’s significance in the founding of our nation.

The Real Martha Washington — Audience: Students in Grades 3-5.  Watch the Video

• Mrs. Washington’s incredibly full and vibrant life is portrayed by historical interpreters. The interpreters answers questions posed by the student audience and from e-mails.

Shaping the Presidency — Audience: Students in Grades 8-12. Watch the Video

• Our panel of guests looks back at how Washington had a profound impact on defining the office of the president. Shaping the Presidency Teacher Guide

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