George Washington is perhaps the most familiar figure in American history. But most people really know his image only as they see it in marble statues and patriotic paintings. Behind those symbols was a real man: ambitious, self-taught, deeply concerned with respectability, and constantly grappling with the enormous responsibilities placed on his shoulders by history.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, we’re taking a detailed look at the life of the man who is more responsible than anyone else for the country’s founding. Here to uncover that life for us is HW Brands, a historian and author of a new biography of Washington, American Chancellor. Brands traces Washington’s journey from a young Virginia surveyor to military commander, Founding Father, and first President. Plus, we discuss how Washington’s upbringing shaped his character, why he became a surprisingly effective military leader despite losing more battles than he won, how he put together a fragile Revolutionary army, how he shaped the presidency through the precedents he set, and whether a leader like Washington could still be successful today.