This is an in-person event taking place at the Anderson Theatre at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. This event is free to attend, but registration is required.
As we reflect on 250 years of America’s history, we invite you to join us for an impactful and important conversation with historian and author John Garrison Marks.
Marks will discuss his newest work, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (2026), where he tells the story of Americans’ long, fraught struggle to come to terms with Washington’s legacy of slavery.
The program will lead with a question Americans have reflected on for nearly 250 years: How should we remember George Washington’s entanglement in slavery?
Using research foundational to Thy Will Be Done, Marks will speak to Washington’s ties to slavery, and how the actions seen in his life’s work have shaped and reshaped Americans’ collective memory of Washington and slavery — along with their understanding of the nation.
The program will include a discussion with Heather Bruegl (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee), Curator of Political and Civic Engagement at The Henry Ford, and be followed by a brief audience Q&A and book signing, with the opportunity to purchase a copy of Thy Will Be Done.
The Henry Ford is committed to being a welcoming place for curiosity, learning and the open exchange of ideas. Programs featuring guest speakers are intended to encourage thoughtful conversation and exploration. The views shared at these events do not necessarily reflect those of The Henry Ford.
About The Book
In Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory, historian John Garrison Marks tells the story of Americans’ long, fraught struggle to come to terms with Washington’s legacy of slavery. He traces how politicians, abolitionists, educators, activists, Washington’s former slaves and their descendants, and others have remembered, forgotten, and manipulated slavery’s place in Washington’s story, and how they have wielded versions of that story in the political and cultural fights of their time. Marks shows how generational struggles over our collective memory of Washington and slavery have always been part of a bigger conversation about defining the United States and its people. As debates about the founders’ participation in the system of slavery continue to roil public discourse, Marks shows with new clarity that Americans have never collectively reconciled Washington’s conflicted legacy. By truly grappling with Washington’s role as enslaver and emancipator, we may come to better understand the nation and ourselves.
Registration Information:
The event is free to the public, but registration is required. Seats are limited.
There is a maximum of six registrants per entry. Registrants will receive confirmation and event reminders via email. Please show these confirmations upon entry to the event.
Registration will close if capacity is reached.
About The Author:
John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer whose work explores race, slavery, memory, and public history in the United States. He is the author or editor of three books, most recently Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory. His writing has appeared in TIME, Washington Post, and Smithsonian Magazine. Marks also serves as the Director of the Public History Research Lab at the American Association for State and Local History leading research, leadership initiatives, and special projects. He earned his Ph.D. in History from Rice University. He is a native of New Jersey and currently lives outside of Washington, D.C.
