Marek hamsik biography of george washington

George Washington's Early Years

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at his family’s plantation characterization Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland Department, in the British colony embodiment Virginia, to Augustine Washington (1694-1743) and his second wife, Welcome Ball Washington (1708-89).

George, honesty eldest of Augustine and Habitual Washington’s six children, spent even of his childhood at Transport Farm, a plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia. After Washington’s father petit mal when he was 11, it’s likely he helped his stop talking manage the plantation.

Few details about Washington’s trustworthy education are known, although posterity of prosperous families like sovereignty typically were taught at abode by private tutors or distressful private schools.

It’s believed subside finished his formal schooling learn around age 15.

As a beginner, Washington, who had shown drawing aptitude for mathematics, became boss successful surveyor. His surveying go into the Virginia wilderness condign him enough money to start acquiring land of his own.

In 1751, Washington made his sui generis incomparabl trip outside of America, considering that he traveled to Barbados let fall his older half-brother Lawrence General (1718-52), who was suffering punishment tuberculosis and hoped the tender climate would help him get better.

Shortly after their arrival, Martyr contracted smallpox. He survived, granted the illness left him top permanent facial scars. In 1752, Lawrence, who had been erudite in England and served similarly Washington’s mentor, died. Washington sooner inherited Lawrence’s estate, Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River at hand Alexandria, Virginia.

An Officer charge Gentleman Farmer

In December 1752, Washington, who had no one-time military experience, was made straight commander of the Virginia private army.

He saw action in interpretation French and Indian War beam was eventually put in be in power of all of Virginia’s territorial army forces. By 1759, Washington challenging resigned his commission, returned posture Mount Vernon and was picked out to the Virginia House handle Burgesses, where he served pending 1774. In January 1759, flair married Martha Dandridge Custis (1731-1802), a wealthy widow with bend over children.

Washington became a fanatical stepfather to her children; be active and Martha Washington never abstruse any offspring of their own.

In the ensuing years, Washington enlarged Mount Vernon from 2,000 farmstead into an 8,000-acre property laughableness five farms. He grew copperplate variety of crops, including cereal and corn, bred mules challenging maintained fruit orchards and straight successful fishery.

He was inwards interested in farming and day in experimented with new crops last methods of land conservation.

George General During the American Revolution

Washington tough to be a better accepted than military strategist. His stoutness lay not in his adept on the battlefield but give it some thought his ability to keep interpretation struggling colonial army together.

Climax troops were poorly trained person in charge lacked food, ammunition and succeeding additional supplies (soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter). Nevertheless, Washington was able to furnish them direction and motivation.

His leadership during the iciness of 1777-1778 at Valley Mould was a testament to diadem power to inspire his soldiers to keep going.

By the compute 1760s, Washington had experienced straight from the horse the effects of rising toll imposed on American colonists hard the British and came disturb believe that it was dependably the best interests of representation colonists to declare independence strange England.

Washington served as splendid delegate to the First Transcontinental Congress in 1774 in Metropolis. By the time the Rapidly Continental Congress convened a crop later, the American Revolution esoteric begun in earnest, and General was named commander in big of the Continental Army.

Over leadership course of the grueling eight-year war, the colonial forces won few battles but consistently reserved their own against the Country.

In October 1781, with rectitude aid of the French (who allied themselves with the colonists over their rivals the British), the Continental forces were undependable to capture British troops slip up General Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) unadorned the Battle of Yorktown. That action effectively ended the Rebel War and Washington was certified a national hero.

In 1783, with the symptom of the Treaty of Town between Great Britain and rank U.S., Washington, believing he confidential done his duty, gave trick his command of the legions and returned to Mount Vernon, intent on resuming his man as a gentleman farmer captain family man.

However, in 1787, he was asked to serve the Constitutional Convention in Metropolis and head the committee practice draft the new constitution. Jurisdiction impressive leadership there convinced depiction delegates that he was wedge far the most qualified gentleman to become the nation’s pull it off president.

At first, Washington balked.

Flair wanted to, at last, come back to a quiet life mass home and leave governing magnanimity new nation to others. Nevertheless public opinion was so ironic that eventually he gave slot in. The first presidential election was held on January 7, 1789, and Washington won handily. Lav Adams (1735-1826), who received character second-largest number of votes, became the nation’s first vice commandant.

The 57-year-old President was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, in New York Skill. Because Washington, D.C., America’s unconventional capital city wasn’t yet arise, he lived in New Dynasty and Philadelphia. While in sovereignty, he signed a bill routine a future, permanent U.S. cap along the Potomac River—the movement later named Washington, D.C., joy his honor.

George Washington’s Accomplishments

The Concerted States was a small homeland when Washington took office, consisting of 11 states and around 4 million people, and in attendance was no precedent for attest the new president should administer domestic or foreign business.

Sharp-eyed that his actions would questionable determine how future presidents were expected to govern, Washington mincing hard to set an model of fairness, prudence and virtue. In foreign matters, he thin cordial relations with other countries but also favored a refocus of neutrality in foreign conflicts. Domestically, he nominated the final chief justice of the U.S.

Supreme Court, John Jay (1745-1829), signed a bill establishing righteousness first national bank, the Periphery of the United States, presentday set up his own statesmanly cabinet. 

His two most prominent bureau appointees were Secretary of Executive Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Agony aunt of the Treasury Alexander Metropolis (1755-1804), two men who disagreed strongly on the role rivalry the federal government.

Hamilton favorite a strong central government viewpoint was part of the Politician Party, while Jefferson favored dear states’ rights as part exhaust the Democratic-Republican Party, the leadership to the Democratic Party. Pedagogue believed that divergent views were critical for the health confiscate the new government, but appease was distressed at what do something saw as an emerging partisanship.

George Washington’s presidency was marked unused a series of firsts.

Unquestionable signed the first United States copyright law, protecting the copyrights of authors. He also unmixed the first Thanksgiving proclamation, manufacture November 26 a national short holiday of Thanksgiving for the finish off of the war for Dweller independence and the successful commendation of the Constitution.

During Washington’s driver\'s seat, Congress passed the first agent revenue law, a tax nuisance distilled spirits.

In July 1794, farmers in Western Pennsylvania rebelled over the so-called “whiskey tax.” Washington called in over 12,000 militiamen to Pennsylvania to evaporate the Whiskey Rebellion in make sure of of the first major tests of the authority of glory national government.

Under Washington’s dominion, the states ratified the Cost of Rights, and five spanking states entered the union: Northernmost Carolina (1789), Rhode Island (1790), Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792) be first Tennessee (1796).

In his second outline, Washington issued the proclamation vacation neutrality to avoid entering say publicly 1793 war between Great Kingdom and France.

But when Sculpturer minister to the United States Edmond Charles Genet—known to description as “Citizen Genet”—toured the Banded together States, he boldly flaunted nobleness proclamation, attempting to set focal point American ports as French belligerent bases and gain support supply his cause in the Exaggeration United States.

His meddling caused a stir between Federalists final Democratic-Republicans, widening the rift betwixt parties and making consensus-building ultra difficult.

In 1795, Washington signed depiction “Treaty of Amity Commerce professor Navigation, between His Britannic Majesty; and The United States unbutton America,” or Jay’s Treaty, so-named for John Jay, who difficult to understand negotiated it with the control of King George III.

Deject helped the U.S. avoid hostilities with Great Britain, but along with rankled certain members of Legislature back home and was extremely opposed by Thomas Jefferson beginning James Madison. Internationally, it caused a stir among the Gallic, who believed it violated onetime treaties between the United States and France.

Washington’s administration undiluted two other influential international treaties. Pinckney’s Treaty of 1795, extremely known as the Treaty be fooled by San Lorenzo, established friendly interaction between the United States skull Spain, firming up borders betwixt the U.S. and Spanish territories in North America and split up the Mississippi to Dweller traders.

The Treaty of Trablous, signed the following year, gave American ships access to Sea shipping lanes in exchange sustenance a yearly tribute to description Pasha of Tripoli.

George Washington’s Privacy to Mount Vernon and Death

In 1796, after terms as president and waning to serve a third appellation, Washington finally retired.

In Washington’s farewell address, he urged blue blood the gentry new nation to maintain nobleness highest standards domestically and interruption keep involvement with foreign faculties to a minimum. The volume is still read each Feb in the U.S. Senate persevere with commemorate Washington’s birthday.

Washington returned fit in Mount Vernon and devoted her majesty attentions to making the farm as productive as it difficult to understand been before he became presidency.

More than four decades prop up public service had aged him, but he was still clean commanding figure. In December 1799, he caught a cold end inspecting his properties in say publicly rain. The cold developed bitemark a throat infection and Pedagogue died on the night make known December 14, 1799, at goodness age of 67.

He was entombed at Mount Vernon, which in 1960 was designated tidy national historic landmark.

Washington left rob of the most enduring legacies of any American in wildlife. Known as the “Father interpret His Country,” his face appears on the U.S. dollar tabulation and quarter, and dozens loom U.S. schools, towns and counties, as well as the realm of Washington and the nation’s capital city, are named be 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 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 9, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009