Programs

Historian and author John Marks joins the New York State Museum for a thought-provoking talk in connection with the exhibition George Washington: An American Paradox. Drawing from his forthcoming book Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (University of North Carolina Press, April 2026), Marks explores how generations of Americans have remembered, forgotten, and contested George Washington’s involvement with slavery. For over two centuries, Washington’s legacy has been interpreted through shifting lenses. Marks will trace this complex history of memory and mythmaking, revealing how the debates that shape our understanding of Washington’s life are part of a much longer American story—one that continues to influence the way we wrestle with questions of freedom, justice, and national identity today. 

This discussion will be moderated by Aaron Noble, Senior Historian and Curator of Political and Military History at the New York State Museum.