George Washington University

Denver Brunsman

In celebration of Constitution Day Tuesday, Sept. 17, Marshall’s long-running political lecture series will foster conversations about our nation’s first leader, George Washington.

Denver Brunsman, historian and chair of the history department at George Washington University, will be discussing his book “Neither to Stretch, nor Relax: George Washington, Executive Power, and the Constitution.”

Brunsman served on the College Board Advanced Placement U.S. History Development Committee from 2021-2023, as well as winning teaching awards and authoring other books about United States History.

Patricia Proctor, professor and founding director of the Simon Perry Center, said Brunsman will talk about George Washington and how he led the country with added context.

“Dr. Brunsman can bring to life the perspective of our first president, who held strong views regarding the Constitution and how the executive should be defined,” she said in a news release. “I look forward to hearing this issue discussed in historical context, to thinking about how the history impacts our world today and considering what Washington has to teach us on the topic.”  

The lecture, which is sponsored by the Simon Perry Center for Constitutional Democracy and the West Virginia Humanities Council, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall and is open and free to the public.