W&M Writers of Washington Presents
Thy Will be Done by John Garrison Marks
Hosted by the W&M Washington Center
Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 | 6:00-7:30pm
901 4th ST NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20001
How should we remember George Washington's entanglement in slavery? Americans have argued over that question for nearly 250 years. More than any other Founding Father, Washington's ties to slavery have vexed us. He enslaved more people than any of his fellow founders, yet he was the only one of them to emancipate the people he held held in bondage. Since his death, Americans have grappled with this contradiction, shaping and reshaping our collective memory of Washington and slavery -- along with our understanding of the nation.
In this talk, historian John Garrison Marks tells the story of Americans' long, fraught struggle to come to terms with Washington's legacy of slavery. He traces how politicians, abolitionishts, educators, activists, Washington's former slaves and their descendants, and others have remembered, forgotten, and manipulated slavery's place in Washington's story, and how they have wielded versions of that story in the political and cultural fights of their time. Marks shows how generational struggles over our collective memory of Washington and Slavery have always been part of a bigger conversation about defining the United States and its people.
As debates about the founders' participation in the system of slavery continue to roil public discourse, Marks shows with new clarity that Americans have never collectively reconciled Washington's conflicted legacy - but by truly grappling with Washington's role as enslaver and emancipator, we may come to better understand the nation and ourselves.
John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer whose work explores history, museums, and the ways Americans engage with the past. He is the author or editor of three books, and his work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, and elsewhere. His latest book, They Will be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (2026), explores how generations of Americans have though, and fought, about slavery's place in George Washington's legacy over the past 250 years. Marks is also a leader in the public history field, directing research, leadership development, and special projects for the American Association for State and Local History. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Rice University.
This event will be in person with an option to attend virtually.
Heavy hors d'oeuvres and beer/wine are included with registration.