AllMovie

It seems that even American History must sometimes succumb to Hollywood "sequel mania." The 4-hour TV movie George Washington: The Forging of a Nation was a follow-up to the successful 1984 miniseries George Washington (see entry 82308). Barry Bostwick is back as Washington, as is Patty Duke as Martha. Whereas the first film covered the years 1743 through 1783, The Forging of the Nation concerns itself with the events of 1788 through 1797. The film begins with the ratification of the Constitution, and concludes with Washington ending his second term as the first President of the United States. The drama intensifies as Washington tries to handle the often diametrically opposed viewpoints of such firebrands as Thomas Jefferson (Jeffrey Jones), Alexander Hamilton (Richard Bekins) and John Adams (Paul Collins). Filmed on location in the New England locales where the story originally took place, George Washington: The Forging of a Nation debuted on September 21 and 22, 1986.