Historian: What George Washington Would Think of America Today — H.W. Brands

George Washington didn't just win the American Revolution; he invented what it means to lead with honor, and my guest today, award-winning historian H.W. Brands, is going to tell you exactly why this man, who could have been king, chose to walk away. On this episode of Open Book, we're going back 250 years to find out what Washington got right, and what we owe it to him to protect. H.W Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written more than a dozen biographies and histories, including The General vs. the President, a New York Times bestseller. Two of his biographies, The First American and Traitor to His Class, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. I am a massive fan of Professor Brands and think you should all pick up a copy of his new book "American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington" today: https://amzn.to/4d5L6UQ Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewron... Timestamps 0:00 H.W Brands Introduction 1:37 Why George Washington matters 250 years later 2:28 The making of Washington's character 8:18 Washington & Hamilton: the shapers of America's financial system 13:11 How Washington's contemporaries actually saw him 15:13 Washington's slavery chapter 19:48 How Washington quietly tried to dismantle slavery 21:52 If Washington walked into the Oval Office today, what would horrify him 24:16 Five Words