Total run time:
3h 30m
In order to understand the founding documents of the United States, you need to know something about the men who wrote them. What books or thinkers influenced the Founders? Why were there disagreements at the Constitutional Convention? How did people who talked about freedom allow slavery to continue? What is the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?
Can you imagine Julius Caesar willingly turning back power? History is littered with examples of military men who seized power and were reluctant to give it up. Yet two remarkable individuals, separated by 2,000 years, both made the decision to give
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Can you imagine Julius Caesar willingly turning back power? History is littered with examples of military men who seized power and were reluctant to give it up. Yet two remarkable individuals, separated by 2,000 years, both made the decision to give up near-absolute authority in favor of life as a citizen. George Washington, America’s first president, and Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, an early Roman statesman, lived dramatically different lives, but both understood the nature and importance of civic virtue. Washington’s decision to not seek a third term as president set a lasting precedent for the peaceful transition of power that endures today.
In this short film, three experts, Dr. Matthew Spalding of Hillsdale College, Judge Andrew Oldham of the Fifth Circuit, and Dr. Jeffry Morrison of Christopher Newport University, tell the story of George Washington—The American Cincinnatus.
As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.
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Chapters:
00:00 Opening
01:44 Act 1: America's First President
04:02 Act 2: A Roman Farmer
06:09 Act 3: The American Cincinnatus
09:31 Act 4: Republican Virtue
11:28 Credits
* * * * *
Learn more about Dr. Jeffry Morrison:
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Learn more about Judge Andrew Oldham:
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Learn more about Dr. Matthew Spalding:
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
* * * * *
Credits:
Directed by: Matt Wood & Daniel T. Richards
Written by: Daniel T. Richards, Ann Hartley. & Matt Wood
Executive Producers: Matt Wood & Daniel T. Richards
Produced by: Matt Wood, Samantha Schroeder, Alex Yershov, & Ann Hartley
Line Producer: Alex Yershov
Filmed & Edited by: Matt Wood
Creative Director: Matt Wood
Art Director: Samantha Schroeder
Illustration & Animation by: Handshake Studios
Camera Operators: Jacob Schwartz & Dominic Sterett
Research by: Ann Hartley
Narration by: Niamh Marnell
Production Assistant: Chris Mannix
Associate Producers: Niamh Marnell & Aaron Bacus
Statue Footage: Horatio Greenough's "George Washington" at The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History
* * * * *
Related Links & Differing views:
Washington's Farewell Address [U.S. Senate]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
FDR’s third-term election and the 22nd amendment [National Constitution Center]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
George Washington [Bill of Rights Institute]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus [Britannica]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Cincinnatus [Mount Vernon]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
About the Name [The Society of the Cincinnati]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Cincinnatus [Ancient History]
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Full poem: “Occasioned by General Washington’s Arrival in Philadelphia, On His Way to His Residence in Virginia” by Philip Freneau
https://cnu.edu/people/jeffrymorrison/
Total run time:
3h 30m
Course:
Total videos:
15
Difficulty:
Elective
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