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Profs and Pints DC presents: “The Mind of George Washington,” with Denver Brunsman, associate professor of history at George Washington University, lecturer at Mount Vernon, and co-author of Leading Change: George Washington and Establishing the Presidency.
[Under current District of Columbia regulations attendees will be required to be vaccinated and to wear a mask except while eating or drinking. The Bier Baron will be requiring event attendees to purchase a minimum of two items, which can be food or beverages, including soft drinks.]
The annual arrival of Presidents’ Day—officially the federal observance of George Washington’s birthday—means that it’s time for another fantastic talk on George Washington by Dr. Denver Brunsman, who has earned himself a substantial following among Profs and Pints fans.
In this, his 5th Presidents’ Day talk, Dr. Brunsman is looking past Washington’s accomplishments in governance and on the battlefield and exploring this founding father’s intellectual life.
Although celebrated for many things, particularly his military and political leadership, Washington rarely gets enough credit for is intellect. Yet, contrary to Washington’s reputation as a man of action over ideas, he was a dedicated lifelong learner who crafted his own Enlightenment.
Washington amassed a library of over 1,200 titles by the end of his life, with concentrations of “practical” subjects such as horticulture, government, and military arts. At the same time, he displayed a broad intellectual curiosity, and he also engaged with anti-slavery pamphlets, classical literature, and the works of numerous women writers.
Washington also learned a thing or two about distilling. Fittingly, in what has become a Presidents’ Day tradition, Professor Brunsman will close his lecture with historic toasts and odes to America’s first president. This is a holiday celebration not to be missed. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
