Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Why George Washington gave up power
Posted
July 3, 2026
Views
5,655
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291
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July 3, 2026
5,655
291
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1:17Now PlayingGeorge Washington had no desire to become the democratic equivalent of a monarch, says historian Lindsay Chervinsky.
While he wrote that a civilian government is what it means to be a republic, "that decision must have been a hard one because he knew he was returning power to a government that didn't work," she told Judy Woodruff.
"So it must have been incredibly difficult to give up power to a government that he knew was failing," she added.
Chervinsky spoke to Woodruff for the PBS News' podcast, "In Pursuit of Happiness," about Washington's achievements, contradictions and enduring influence on the American presidency.
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