Ep10 The David O. Stewart Show, Season 1 The Democracy We Must Keep: This month, George Washington is our subject as David interviews Doug Bradburn, Founding Director of The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
March 2027 — This month, David takes us inside the mind and heart of George Washington and shares the essential role he played throughout the Founding era. Don’t miss this important interview with Douglas Bradburn, Ph.D., who became the 11th Director of George Washington’s Mount Vernon on January 1, 2018.
Of Washington, David explains: “He is in the audience at St. John’s Church to hear Patrick Henry and votes to fight the British; he embraces Thomas Paine and places him in the army as Official Propagandist; he’s already fighting the British when Congress approves the Declaration, which he has read to the Continental Army. Washington is also the most important figure ensuring the Constitutional Convention happens and succeeds; he endorses and supports The Federalist essays, and he offers essential behind-the-scenes support for the Bill of Rights. Then, at his own First Inaugural Address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson articulates his political principles (not Jefferson’s) in his First Inaugural Address in 1801.”
About this month’s guest: Doug Bradburn joined Mount Vernon in 2013 as Founding Director of The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. He is an award-winning author and well-known scholar of early American history.
Bradburn is the author of The Citizenship Revolution: Politics and the Creation of the American Union, 1774-1804, and three anthologies, including Early Modern Virginia: Reconsidering the Old Dominion, the most significant book produced to mark the 400th anniversary of the English founding of Jamestown. He is the co-founder and editor of the award-winning book series, Early American Histories, at the University of Virginia Press, and the winner of numerous awards, grants, and fellowships, including the yearlong Gilder Lehrman Research Fellowship at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.
He is the recipient of five Telly awards for his work on animated documentaries for use in the classroom and a “Thea” award for the popular Be Washington interactive educational game. Bradburn has appeared on C-SPAN, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, and was most recently featured in the History Channel’s docudrama, WASHINGTON.
Before coming to Mount Vernon, Bradburn served as Chair of the History Department at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago and his B.A. in history and economics from the University of Virginia.
Learn more about Doug and Mount Vernon: mountvernon.org
Author and historian David O. Stewart
Meet David O. Stewart: A trial and appellate lawyer for many years, David writes history and historical novels. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Independent Review of Books, was a reporter for the Staten Island Advance, and for 10 years wrote the monthly Supreme Court column for the American Bar Association Journal. He has also done on-air commentary for CNN, C-SPAN, Bloomberg News, and MSNBC.
About his newest book, The Democracy We Must Keep:
What did America’s founders say about democracy—and can we remain true to their vision for America? Two hundred fifty years ago, passionate men attempted to create something the world had never seen before: a nation built not on kings or armies, but on ideas where the people ruled. In The Democracy We Must Keep, historian David O. Stewart takes readers inside the nine key documents that shaped the formation of the United States—from Patrick Henry’s thunderous cry for liberty to the carefully crafted design of a government chosen by the people, with limits on all officials holding power under the Constitution.
Through the words of seven visionary founders—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, and others—Stewart shows how a fragile experiment in self-government took shape. These men were not saints. They argued passionately. They worried that the new nation might fall apart. Yet together, they forged the principles that must still define American democracy: That power must be limited. That leaders must answer to the people. That individual rights must be protected by law.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, The Democracy We Must Keep urges readers to rediscover core ideas that built the nation—and to consider what it will take to protect them. Accessible, engaging, and timely, this book is for anyone who wants to understand how American democracy started and why it still matters. Learn more: davidostewart.com • Click here to buy David’s books
