Uploaded October 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
George Washington in Retirement, by Professor William B. Allen. This short video describes the “retirements” of George Washington. He threatened to retire while serving in the colonial militia, but did walk away from the military in 1783 and from the Presidency in 1796. Professor William B. Allen notes that Washington’s life-long involvement with Mount Vernon enabled him, in 1796, to immediately resume efforts to provide for his family and for the enslaved people who would be freed upon his death.
Professor William B. Allen is an emeritus professor Political Philosophy and the former Dean of the James Madison College at Michigan State University. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities 1984–87, and Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989.
American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the general public learn more about America's founding and the Constitution of the United States. www.jamesmadison.gov.
George Washington in Retirement, by Professor William B. Allen. This short video describes the “retirements” of George Washington. He threatened to retire while serving in the colonial militia, but did walk away from the military in 1783 and from the Presidency in 1796. Professor William B. Allen notes that Washington’s life-long involvement with Mount Vernon enabled him, in 1796, to immediately resume efforts to provide for his family and for the enslaved people who would be freed upon his death.
Professor William B. Allen is an emeritus professor Political Philosophy and the former Dean of the James Madison College at Michigan State University. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities 1984–87, and Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989.
American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the general public learn more about America's founding and the Constitution of the United States. www.jamesmadison.gov.
