In this episode, Kate is joined by Dr. John Garrison Marks, whose new book is Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory. This is a fantastic book that takes a careful, and often surprising look, at how generations of Americans have remembered and forgotten George Washington's relationship to slavery and used that memory to bolster their own arguments. John Garrison Marks is the vice president of research and engagement at the American Association for State and Local History, so he is steeped in the role of public history across the country. He is the author of a previous book, Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery, and co-editor of an anthology. John has written essays and op-eds for outlets including TIME and Smithsonian Magazine. Recently, his expertise on the memory of Washington's relationship to slavery became particularly relevant when the National Park Service removed an exhibit about the history of slavery at the President's House in Philadelphia, and John was ready to jump into the fray and offer vital historical context. I asked John about the relationship between his work with public historians and how he thinks about writing history, as well as how he manages to write while having a busy day job and a young family. Note: Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. If you purchase books through these links, Drafting the Past gets a small percentage at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting our guests and the podcast! Mentioned in this episode: John Garrison Marks, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory John Garrison Marks, Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery: Race, Status, and Identity in the Urban Americas John's website American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) John Garrison Marks, "We've Never Agreed About George Washington and Slavery," TIME Write Now with Scrivener Episode 60: John Garrison Marks, Historian Mary V. Thompson, The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon Bill Hader's excellent writing advice John Vaillant, Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World David Grann, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder Megan Greenwell, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream Amanda Mull, "Do You Want a Boring Floor Lamp or an Ugly Floor Lamp?,"The Atlantic Sign up for the Drafting the Past newsletter for updates on the show and more.
