@pbsnews: George Washington had no desire to become the democratic equivalent of a monarch, says historian Lindsay Chervinsky. While he wrote that a civilian government is what it means to be a republic, "that decision must have been a hard one because he knew he was returning power to a government that didn't work," she told Judy Woodruff. "So it must have been incredibly difficult to give up power to a government that he knew was failing," she added. Chervinsky spoke to Woodruff for the PBS News' podcast, "In Pursuit of Happiness," about Washington's achievements, contradictions and enduring influence on the American presidency. #pbsnews #news #pursuitofhappiness #podcast #georgewashington #mountvernon #president #presidency #monarch #foundingfathers #History

pbsnews

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Friday 03 July 2026 13:00:00 GMT

20588

736

Music

Download

No Watermark .mp4 (3.91MB) No Watermark(HD) .mp4 (2.39MB) Watermark .mp4 (3.55MB) Music .mp3

Comments

ameliaqueerhart :

These guys were in their 20s and 30s when they signed the declaration, btw

2026-07-03 13:04:34

MAB :

Thank God for GW. I think he would be so proud. I know we have our issues as a country, but he helped give us the right to argue/discuss issues! ❤️💙🇺🇸

2026-07-06 16:15:29

Dink n Flicka :

To be fair, how well did a “republic” work out for us?

2026-07-04 05:24:02

midwesterngrammy 🇵🇷 🇵🇷 :

I've been a fan of Judy Woodruff forever. She defines journalism. 👏

2026-07-06 02:04:54

Patrick :

he was sooo over it....

2026-07-05 02:35:57

Emily :

😁😁😁

2026-07-05 09:56:38

Smoke :

Funny watching anti American News Propaganda try to talk about the founding fathers.

2026-07-06 23:14:48

To see more videos from user @pbsnews, please go to the Tikwm homepage.