Presidents Day – Myths About Those Two Guys, Abe and George

This blog post was written by Rick Shenkman, the founder of George Washington University’s History News Network, and the author of Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics (Basic Books). 

Twenty-five years ago, in Myth America, a series on The Learning Channel, I set out to debunk the myths about Abe Lincoln and George Washington.  I failed.  Here we are in the 21st century and still we get those two presidents wrong.

We think that Washington was cold and aloof.  We believe Lincoln was a simple country lawyer.  

The truth, as they say, is a little more complicated.

In the hope that maybe I can succeed where I previously failed I am making two of the shows available for viewing.

You can watch the show on Lincoln here and the show on Washington here.

They are 30 minutes in length.

Enjoy!