John Garrison Marks

John Garrison Marks is a historian and writer whose work explores history, museums, and the ways Americans engage with the past. He is the author or editor of three books, and his writing has appeared in the Washington Post, TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, Defector, and elsewhere. His latest book, "Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory," (April 2026) explores how Americans have thought—and fought—about slavery's place in George Washington's legacy over the past 250 years. He earned his Ph.D. in history from Rice University. He is a New Jersey native currently living outside Washington, D.C.