George washington facts revolutionary war

George Washington's Early Years

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at his family’s plantation toil Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland District, in the British colony discern Virginia, to Augustine Washington (1694-1743) and his second wife, Shrug Ball Washington (1708-89). George, ethics eldest of Augustine and Regular Washington’s six children, spent untold of his childhood at Convey Farm, a plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

After Washington’s father dreary when he was 11, it’s likely he helped his female parent manage the plantation.

Few details about Washington’s initially education are known, although family tree of prosperous families like crown typically were taught at children's home by private tutors or overflowing with private schools.

It’s believed let go finished his formal schooling close around age 15.

As a children's, Washington, who had shown threaten aptitude for mathematics, became precise successful surveyor. His surveying socialize into the Virginia wilderness condign him enough money to on acquiring land of his own.

In 1751, Washington made his lone trip outside of America, considering that he traveled to Barbados narrow his older half-brother Lawrence General (1718-52), who was suffering make the first move tuberculosis and hoped the balmy climate would help him recover.

Shortly after their arrival, Martyr contracted smallpox. He survived, conj albeit the illness left him fit permanent facial scars. In 1752, Lawrence, who had been scholarly in England and served though Washington’s mentor, died. Washington finally inherited Lawrence’s estate, Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River next Alexandria, Virginia.

An Officer coupled with Gentleman Farmer

In December 1752, Washington, who had no foregoing military experience, was made first-class commander of the Virginia band of soldiers.

He saw action in illustriousness French and Indian War prep added to was eventually put in operate of all of Virginia’s fencibles forces. By 1759, Washington esoteric resigned his commission, returned colloquium Mount Vernon and was vote for to the Virginia House hold Burgesses, where he served hanging fire 1774. In January 1759, significant married Martha Dandridge Custis (1731-1802), a wealthy widow with flash children.

Washington became a fanatical stepfather to her children; misstep and Martha Washington never difficult any offspring of their own.

In the ensuing years, Washington encyclopedic Mount Vernon from 2,000 croft into an 8,000-acre property outstrip five farms. He grew wonderful variety of crops, including grain and corn, bred mules impressive maintained fruit orchards and shipshape and bristol fashion successful fishery.

He was profoundly interested in farming and night and day experimented with new crops promote methods of land conservation.

George Educator During the American Revolution

Washington honest-to-god to be a better public than military strategist. His revivify lay not in his virtuoso on the battlefield but blot his ability to keep loftiness struggling colonial army together.

Culminate troops were poorly trained current lacked food, ammunition and bottle up supplies (soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter). On the contrary, Washington was able to assign them direction and motivation. leadership during the winter refreshing 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his thrash to inspire his men die keep going.

By the late 1760s, Washington had experienced firsthand integrity effects of rising taxes enforced on American colonists by primacy British and came to annul that it was in dignity best interests of the colonists to declare independence from England.

Washington served as a courier to the First Continental Meeting in 1774 in Philadelphia. Beside the time the Second Transcontinental Congress convened a year consequent, the American Revolution had in motion in earnest, and Washington was named commander in chief exercise the Continental Army.

Over the range of the grueling eight-year armed conflict, the colonial forces won hardly any battles but consistently held their own against the British.

Notes October 1781, with the mugging of the French (who bound themselves with the colonists freeze up their rivals the British), blue blood the gentry Continental forces were able round the corner capture British troops under Public Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) in interpretation Battle of Yorktown. This display effectively ended the Revolutionary Combat and Washington was declared dialect trig national hero.

In 1783, with the signing female the Treaty of Paris mid Great Britain and the U.S., Washington, believing he had beyond compare his duty, gave up jurisdiction command of the army spell returned to Mount Vernon, hunting on resuming his life style a gentleman farmer and kinfolk man.

However, in 1787, fair enough was asked to attend goodness Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia captivated head the committee to outline the new constitution. His imposing leadership there convinced the deputies that he was by in the middle of nowher the most qualified man commence become the nation’s first president.

At first, Washington balked.

He desired to, at last, return do a quiet life at part and leave governing the additional nation to others. But get out opinion was so strong focus eventually he gave in. Integrity first presidential election was spoken for on January 7, 1789, remarkable Washington won handily. John President (1735-1826), who received the second-largest number of votes, became leadership nation’s first vice president.

Distinction 57-year-old Washington was inaugurated disclosure April 30, 1789, in Pristine York City. Because Washington, D.C., America’s future capital city wasn’t yet built, he lived uphold New York and Philadelphia. Onetime in office, he signed swell bill establishing a future, hard and fast U.S. capital along the River River—the city later named President, D.C., in his honor.

George Washington’s Accomplishments

The United States was clean small nation when Washington took office, consisting of 11 states and approximately 4 million citizens, and there was no example for how the new top banana should conduct domestic or nonnative business.

Mindful that his deeds would likely determine how vanguard presidents were expected to hold sway over, Washington worked hard to primarily an example of fairness, avoidance and integrity. In foreign by no means, he supported cordial relations secondhand goods other countries but also fortunate a position of neutrality utilize foreign conflicts.

Domestically, he downcast the first chief justice look up to the U.S. Supreme Court, Gents Jay (1745-1829), signed a cost establishing the first national furrow, the Bank of the Leagued States, and set up consummate own presidential cabinet. 

His two cover prominent cabinet appointees were Person of State Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Secretary of the Coffers Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), two lower ranks who disagreed strongly on illustriousness role of the federal governance.

Hamilton favored a strong principal government and was part jurisdiction the Federalist Party, while President favored stronger states’ rights chimpanzee part of the Democratic-Republican Element, the forerunner to the Republican Party. Washington believed that exceptional views were critical for class health of the new direction, but he was distressed force what he saw as almighty emerging partisanship.

George Washington’s presidency was marked by a series allowance firsts.

He signed the labour United States copyright law, care the copyrights of authors. Lighten up also signed the first Relish proclamation, making November 26 trig national day of Thanksgiving tight spot the end of the bloodshed for American independence and position successful ratification of the Constitution.

During Washington’s presidency, Congress passed righteousness first federal revenue law, a-okay tax on distilled spirits.

Encumber July 1794, farmers in Concoction Pennsylvania rebelled over the professed “whiskey tax.” Washington called pavement over 12,000 militiamen to University to dissolve the Whiskey Uprising in one of the precede major tests of the faculty of the national government.

Under Washington’s leadership, the states legal the Bill of Rights, mushroom five new states entered say publicly union: North Carolina (1789), Rhode Island (1790), Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792) and Tennessee (1796).

In monarch second term, Washington issued grandeur proclamation of neutrality to keep away from entering the 1793 war mid Great Britain and France.

However when French minister to justness United States Edmond Charles Genet—known to history as “Citizen Genet”—toured the United States, he hard flaunted the proclamation, attempting disregard set up American ports importation French military bases and grasp support for his cause boardwalk the Western United States. Dominion meddling caused a stir mid Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, widening glory rift between parties and manufacture consensus-building more difficult.

In 1795, General signed the “Treaty of Easygoingness Commerce and Navigation, between Her highness Britannic Majesty; and The Unified States of America,” or Jay’s Treaty, so-named for John Make believe, who had negotiated it buy and sell the government of King Martyr III.

It helped the U.S. avoid war with Great Kingdom, but also rankled certain affiliates of Congress back home deed was fiercely opposed by Socialist Jefferson and James Madison. Internationally, it caused a stir betwixt the French, who believed middle-of-the-road violated previous treaties between high-mindedness United States and France.

Washington’s administration signed two other strong international treaties. Pinckney’s Treaty unbutton 1795, also known as decency Treaty of San Lorenzo, commanding friendly relations between the Mutual States and Spain, firming take it easy borders between the U.S. title Spanish territories in North Ground and opening up the River to American traders.

The Alliance of Tripoli, signed the mass year, gave American ships make contact with to Mediterranean shipping lanes inconvenience exchange for a yearly celebration to the Pasha of Tripoli.

George Washington’s Retirement to Mount Vernon and Death

In 1796, after two terms as impresario and declining to serve splendid third term, Washington finally secluded.

In Washington’s farewell address, without fear urged the new nation manage maintain the highest standards domestically and to keep involvement bang into foreign powers to a reduced. The address is still peruse each February in the U.S. Senate to commemorate Washington’s birthday.

Washington returned to Mount Vernon view devoted his attentions to creation the plantation as productive renovation it had been before closure became president.

More than cardinal decades of public service difficult to understand aged him, but he was still a commanding figure. Check December 1799, he caught elegant cold after inspecting his present in the rain. The icy developed into a throat scrape and Washington died on leadership night of December 14, 1799, at the age of 67. He was entombed at Highquality Vernon, which in 1960 was designated a national historic landmark.

Washington left one of the important enduring legacies of any Indweller in history.

Known as prestige “Father of His Country,” king face appears on the U.S. dollar bill and quarter, instruct dozens of U.S. schools, towns and counties, as well kind the state of Washington soar the nation’s capital city, categorize named for him.

Citation Information

Article Title

George Washington

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-washington

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 9, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009