By — Judy Woodruff Judy Woodruff By — Sam Weber Sam Weber By — Sarah Clune Hartman Sarah Clune Hartman Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/george-washingtons-vision-for-american-identity-tested-250-years-later Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Audio As the country observes the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Judy Woodruff is starting a new chapter of America at a Crossroads. She’ll explore what it means to be an American, how that idea has evolved since the nation’s founding and where we might be headed. She begins by looking at how closely our identity as Americans adheres to the template created by George Washington. Listen to this Segment Watch Watch the Full Episode PBS NewsHour from Jan 28, 2026 By — Judy Woodruff Judy Woodruff Judy Woodruff is a senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS News Hour. She has covered politics and other news for five decades at NBC, CNN and PBS. @judywoodruff By — Sam Weber Sam Weber Sam Weber has covered everything from living on minimum wage to consumer finance as a shooter/producer for PBS NewsHour Weekend. Prior joining NH Weekend, he previously worked for Need to Know on PBS and in public radio. He’s an avid cyclist and Chicago Bulls fan. @samkweber By — Sarah Clune Hartman Sarah Clune Hartman