What made George Washington the profoundly effective leader that he was? That’s the question we asked Doug Bradburn, the founding director of Mount Vernon’s Fred W. Smith National Library.

In this episode of the Grateful American™ TV Show, co-hosts David Bruce Smith and Hope Katz Gibbs interview the specialist on GW, and you’ll be fascinated by the insights that Bradburn provides about the man behind the myth.

In this video you’ll learn:

1. A brief history of Washington’s early days. Washington’s father died when he was just 11 years old and because he his mother had two other sons at the time — Lawrence and Augustine — there wasn’t enough money to send him to school in Europe. How do you think that impacted him?

2. About Washington’s character. For instance, Martha’s first husband, Daniel Custis died after they had been married for just seven years. She had four children with him, but only 2 lived — Martha (Patsy) and John (Jacky). Was George Washington a good father to them? And what kind of husband was he?

3. Insight into Washington’s leadership skills. In addition to being a visionary who believed in the ideal of true independence, and some of the systems he put into place that are still in existence today.

4. The facts behind Washington’s reputation as an incredibly honest man.

5. The shocking truth about Washington’s masterful spy skills. Doug tells us about the secret Culper Ring, and the special invisible ink (invented by British doctor John Jay) called Sypathetic Stain.

For additional information, click here to watch our video starring Doug Bradburn on the Grateful American™ TV Show: http://www.GratefulAmericanTV.com.

And be sure to check out our website, packed with fascinating facts, in-depth interviews, and more: GratefulAmericanFoundation.com.