Do you know all the ways that America’s first presidential elections look like today’s? We sure didn’t! In this episode of Transition Lab, historian Lindsay Chervinsky tells us the story of America’s first two presidential transitions and how George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson established a tradition for the peaceful transition of power while navigating extreme partisanship, foreign interference and questions of democratic legitimacy. 

Lindsay Chervinsky is a scholar at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University and focuses on early American history and the institution of the presidency. She’s the author of, “The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution,” and the upcoming book, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic.” She is a former White House historian at the White House Historical Association, publishes a weekly newsletter, “Imperfect Union,” and is a frequent contributor to numerous publications. Starting in July, Lindsay will be the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library.

A complete transcript of the episode can be found here.