S8 Ep172: Power Dynamics in Boston and the Paradox of Slavery — Nathaniel Philbrick — In Boston, Washington asserted the supreme constitutional authority of the presidency over state governors by refusing John Hancock's dinner invitation until Hancock paid his resp
Update: 2025-12-08
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Power Dynamics in Boston and the Paradox of Slavery — Nathaniel Philbrick — In Boston, Washington asserted the supreme constitutional authority of the presidency over state governors by refusing John Hancock's dinner invitation until Hancock paid his respects by visiting Washington first, establishing hierarchical political precedent. Despite this political victory establishing executive supremacy, Washington suffered from the "Washington flu" and appeared physically diminished during his public appearances. Philbrick transitions to examining America's "tortured beginning" regarding slavery, detailing Washington's relentless pursuit of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who courageously fled to New Hampshire. This historical episode exposes the fundamental contradiction between Washington's theoretical opposition to slavery and his actual conduct as a slaveholder, a paradox that foreshadowed the American Civil War and influenced subsequent historical figures like Robert E. Lee.
1789
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