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Meet
George Washington
 George
Washington was born February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
His father was
Augustine Washington and his mother was Mary Ball. She was Augustine's
second wife.
He had two older
half brothers, three younger brothers, and a younger sister.
His father
died when George was 11 years old but his mother lived to be 82
years old.
George went
to live with his half brother, Lawrence, at Mount Vernon.
He was educated
by private tutors.
George was taught
to shoot and hunt by his half brother, Lawrence.
George learned
how to be a gentleman by copying The Rules of Civility.
At age 16, George
helped survey land in the Shenandoah Valley and liked it very much.
When George
was 20, his half brother, Lawrence died, so George was on his own.
In 1754, George
was commissioned a lieutenant and fought in the French and Indian
War.
During the war,
two horses were shot from under him and four bullets tore his coat
but he escaped injury.
After the French
and Indian War, George returned to Mount Vernon and became a farmer.
He married Martha
Dandridge Custis in 1759.
He became a
devoted stepfather to her two children, Jacky and Patsy.
He remodeled
Mount Vernon and added rooms to accommodate his new family.
George and Martha
did not have children of their own.
Like many people
in America, George Washington felt the trade restrictions and taxes
imposed by England (the mother country) were a burden.
He was a delegate
to the Second Continental Congress that met in Philadelphia in May
of 1775.
When war seemed
inevitable, George Washington was made Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army on July 3, 1775.
He refused to
accept a salary.
Under Washington's
command, the Continental Army drove the British out of Boston, and
they prepared to defend New York.
The British
forced Washington and his men to give up New York City and retreat
to New Jersey.
George did not
give up. He led his men across the Delaware River to attack at dawn
the sleeping enemy forces on Christmas Day at Trenton, New Jersey.
The British
surrendered.
After defeating
the British at the battle of Princeton, Washington lost near Philadelphia
and was forced to retreat to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Washington and
his men endured the brutally harsh winter at Valley Forge. They
did not have enough food, clothes, or shoes.
They survived.
Help came from
France who recognized America as an independent country and sent
soldiers and supplies to help us win our independence from Great
Britain.
With help from
the French, in 1781, Washington surprised the British at Yorktown,
Virginia, and forced the surrender of the British.
Washington took
more than 7,000 prisoners and the American Revolution was over.
As happy as
he was over the success of the victory, he was saddened over the
death of his stepson, Jacky. Jacky was a soldier. He caught a high
fever and died.
Many people
were very impressed with George Washington's leadership during the
American Revolution and thought that he should be King of the United
States.
He flatly refused.
He said good-bye to his officers and retired to Mount Vernon.
He loved being
a farmer and running his plantation.
Every day there
were many visitors to Mount Vernon.
He and Martha
took care of and raised Jacky's two youngest children.
His years of
retirement were short. The young country was not doing well under
the plan of government in place at the time, the Articles of Confederation.
George Washington
was one of the leaders in a call for a meeting to be held in 1787
in Philadelphia-the Constitutional Convention.
Representatives
from all 13 states met to write a new plan of government.
George Washington
was President of the convention.
The outcome
of the convention was the United States Constitution which called
for a president who would serve four years.
The electors
in each state all agreed that there was only one person who could
get the new government off to a great start-George Washington!
Washington was
inaugurated as our first President on April 30, 1787. He served
two terms. He left office to retire once more to Mount Vernon on
March 3, 1797.
As President,
Washington was called "Mr. President". Many folks wanted
to address him as "His Highness." He would not allow that
custom to get started. All of America's Presidents have been addressed
as "Mr. President" since the time of George Washington.
As President,
Washington felt that the United States was too young and not strong
enough to become involved in the problems of foreign countries.
So when England and France went to war, President Washington made
the decision that America would not take any sides. We would be
neutral. This decision set the tone for U.S. foreign policy for
many decades to come.
As Washington's
second term neared its end, a new capital city was being built on
the banks of the Potomac. It would be called Washington, D.C.
Vermont, Kentucky,
and Tennessee had become states and Americans were moving in a westward
direction into the Ohio River Valley.
George Washington
was happy to return to his beloved Mount Vernon. The plantation
had five working farms covering 8,000 acres of land.
He loved riding
the fields, walking in the gardens, entertaining visitors, and spending
time with his wife and grandchildren.
On December
14, 1799, George Washington died at Mount Vernon. He was buried
there on December 18, 1799.
Americans mourned
for months the passing of their first president.
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