Acknowledgements

About the Cover; Special Thanks to our Editorial Assistant

July 2026

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Fall 2020 George Washington Prize

5 years ago By Edwin S. Grosvenor

Volume

65

Issue

8

bunker hill — *Museum of Fine Arts, Boston*

Our cover image comes from John Trumball's dramatic 1786 painting, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775. Trumball, of course, was one of the most prolific painters of the Revolutionary War, in which he himself served.

This special issue wouldn't have been possible without the help of Matthew Palatnik, our Editorial Assistant. Matthew is a promising young historian and three-time winner of the National History Day competition.

Stories published from "Fall 2020 George Washington Prize"

The British Are Coming

Authored by: Rick Atkinson

When rebellion broke out in the American colonies, British royals—including King George III and Lord Frederick North—moved quickly. Their actions would change the course of history.

Stolen into Slavery

Authored by: Richard Bell

While the Underground Railroad helped enslaved black people escape north, another version ran in reverse, sending free men, women, and children back into bondage.

Property of the Nation: Washington's Tomb

Authored by: Matthew R. Costello

Following Washington's death in 1799, cultural and intellectual agents in early America began to transform the first president into a national symbol through books, poems, and artwork.

Heirs of an Honored Name

Authored by: Douglas R. Egerton

After his father's death in 1848, Charles Francis Adams, Sr. became the last great hope of America's first—and, at the time, only—political dynasty.

In A World of Trouble

Authored by: Richard Godbeer

The British are often cast as the tyrannical power in the Revolutionary War. But American patriots could also be ruthless in demanding fealty to their cause, as many Quaker families learned while attempting to remain neutral.

A Crisis of Peace

Authored by: David Head

At the end of the War for Independence, Philadelphia nationalists, together with disgruntled officers in the Continental Army at Newburgh, began a plot to challenge congress' authority. But can we really call it a conspiracy?

The Widow Washington

Authored by: Martha Saxton

Denigrated as "crude," "illiterate," "self-centered," and "slovenly," Mary Washington had the singular destiny to have a son whose potential for being idealized seems to have been even greater than that for motherhood.

Acknowledgements

About the Cover; Special Thanks to our Editorial Assistant

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