|
Top headlines
Lead story
Most history books focus on George Washington’s triumphs, but there’s one chapter of his life that casts him in a different light – as a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel in over his head, who committed a series of costly mistakes that helped ignite the French and Indian War. University of Tennessee historian Christopher Magra writes that the “indispensable man” Washington became was forged by youthful blunders in this military campaign that nearly ended his career before it began.
The episode highlights a side of Washington rarely seen: an impulsive, status-seeking young officer who unknowingly signed a confession for an assassination because he couldn’t read French. Examining the disastrous experiences Washington had in the Pennsylvania wilderness, Magra explores how these humiliations taught Washington the strategic patience and diplomatic nuance that would prove vital to winning the Revolution.
The key point, Magra writes, is that Washington’s greatest leadership quality wasn’t innate brilliance, but his ability to survive and learn from catastrophic failure. It leaves one wondering: if Washington hadn’t faced those early humiliations in Pennsylvania, would he have had the temperament to lead a fledgling nation?
[ Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter. ]
|
A young George Washington was thrust into the dense, contested wilderness of the Ohio River Valley as a land surveyor for real estate development companies in Virginia.
Henry Hintermeister/Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Christopher Magra, University of Tennessee
Washington’s fundamental character as a military leader was forged in the Ohio River Valley, where he also inadvertently helped ignite the French and Indian War.
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Mariah Meek, Michigan State University
Caribou, migrating birds and many other types of wildlife rely on this expanse of wetlands and tundra. But about 5.5 million acres are being put up for oil and gas leases in March 2026.
-
Alan Jenn, University of California, Davis
The American public agrees that vehicle emissions are harmful and should be regulated, and has indicated strong preferences for cars that pollute less.
|
|
International
|
-
David Cingranelli, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Skip Mark, University of Rhode Island
Forty years of data suggests atrocities are on the rise globally.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Graeme Mack, University of Richmond
Americans have looked to the Declaration of Independence when they sought to remedy contemporary problems and create new visions for the country’s future.
-
Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino
For the nation’s first president, friendliness was strategy, not concession: the republic would treat other nations with civility in order to remain independent of their appetites and quarrels.
-
Donald T. Tomaskovic-Devey, UMass Amherst; Steven Boutcher, UMass Amherst
Research shows that white men who file discrimination charges experience employer retaliation at similar rates as other racial groups.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Greg Edwards, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Some people seem to be born to excel at certain activities. But having opportunities to try new things and get better at them can lead to lifelong passions.
|
|
