Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: How George Washington was a 'control freak'
Posted
July 4, 2026
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8,371
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July 4, 2026
8,371
688
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1:53Now PlayingGeorge Washington was "extremely regimented in everything" he did in life, says historian Lindsay Chervinsky.
"He was ambitious for his plantation, for his economic prospects. He was ambitious about his political career, his military career," she told Judy Woodruff. "And that led to, sometimes, an element of control about what he did on a daily basis, what the enslaved population did on a daily basis, and what sort of records were kept to monitor all of that progress. So his farm records are almost immaculate."
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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