are in a visible role, that people are looking at how you do things, how you execute it and then hopefully you are setting a standard they can strive to meet. >> thank you for setting a high standard. thank you for being with us. ms. ifill: thank you. that weh ellis argues must first confront the founding fathers and humanity before we can appreciate their great achievements. finally, he talks to the own isders -- founders and what thought about them. >> he lets his hair down. allegiance they will never talk and they never did. >> they would have all talk now. and would have gone on over

made $1 million. we know that he was behaving in ways that don't fit the iconic -- his iconic depiction . what is the name of the artist -- no. gilbert stuart. it is not the one on the dollar bill. washington is in your wallet all the time. when he is painting washington in 1796, he writes a letter the moment he is doing it.

it and says he has eyesidest set of ours -- i've ever seen. and what he paints is exactly the opposite. what he paints is exactly the controlled thing. what not what he saw, but we needed to leave. portraits are misrepresentations of the real character of washington because that is who he he thinks we need to believe. >> the writings from some of the soldiers describe the physical washington. was.ize, how imposing he he had a charisma or presence, also a power or muscularity that

when he walked and everyone knew he was in charge. formerd to one of the members of the mount vernon ladies association and she reminded me of something i said. i said when he is young -- remember, all the portraits are of an old guy. we were only known -- what if we were known only of the portraits when we are old? i can make it easy for you. dong washington, think wayne -- john wayne, 1939 stagecoach. next that is not bad. >> that is what he looks like. >> i'm going to borrow that by the way.

program the entire >> watch c-span as donald trump addresses congress. >> this is going to be the busiest congress we've had in decades. listen live on the free c-span radio app. >> you are watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span 3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook at c-span history. war, craigivil simons and history professor john marshall at talk about the meeting between william sherman and joseph johnston