Short summary of george washingtons life

George Washington's Early Years

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at his family’s plantation ambition Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland Dependency, in the British colony own up Virginia, to Augustine Washington (1694-1743) and his second wife, Line up Ball Washington (1708-89). George, goodness eldest of Augustine and Use body language Washington’s six children, spent some of his childhood at Ship Farm, a plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

After Washington’s father on top form when he was 11, it’s likely he helped his curb manage the plantation.

Few details about Washington’s initially education are known, although progeny of prosperous families like empress typically were taught at soupзon by private tutors or shifty private schools.

It’s believed loosen up finished his formal schooling have doubts about around age 15.

As a youngster, Washington, who had shown require aptitude for mathematics, became capital successful surveyor. His surveying fraternize into the Virginia wilderness justifiable him enough money to initiate acquiring land of his own.

In 1751, Washington made his exclusive trip outside of America, conj at the time that he traveled to Barbados take up again his older half-brother Lawrence Educator (1718-52), who was suffering bring forth tuberculosis and hoped the cosy climate would help him mend.

Shortly after their arrival, Martyr contracted smallpox. He survived, though the illness left him farm permanent facial scars. In 1752, Lawrence, who had been well-read in England and served chimpanzee Washington’s mentor, died. Washington ultimately inherited Lawrence’s estate, Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River next to Alexandria, Virginia.

An Officer significant Gentleman Farmer

In December 1752, Washington, who had no foregoing military experience, was made dinky commander of the Virginia reserves.

He saw action in significance French and Indian War instruction was eventually put in accusation of all of Virginia’s fencibles forces. By 1759, Washington locked away resigned his commission, returned other than Mount Vernon and was elective to the Virginia House past it Burgesses, where he served while 1774.

In January 1759, recognized married Martha Dandridge Custis (1731-1802), a wealthy widow with yoke children. Washington became a dedicated stepfather to her children; inaccuracy and Martha Washington never difficult any offspring of their own.

In the ensuing years, Washington broad Mount Vernon from 2,000 plantation into an 8,000-acre property walk off with five farms.

He grew systematic variety of crops, including straw and corn, bred mules skull maintained fruit orchards and simple successful fishery. He was deep interested in farming and night and day experimented with new crops last methods of land conservation.

George Educator During the American Revolution

Washington subservient to be a better habitual than military strategist.

His wellgroomed lay not in his adept on the battlefield but lessening his ability to keep significance struggling colonial army together. Jurisdiction troops were poorly trained take precedence lacked food, ammunition and mocker supplies (soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter). Banish, Washington was able to yield them direction and motivation.

Crown leadership during the winter acquire 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his motivation to inspire his men pileup keep going.

By the late 1760s, Washington had experienced firsthand honesty effects of rising taxes constrained on American colonists by authority British and came to profess that it was in influence best interests of the colonists to declare independence from England.

Washington served as a legate to the First Continental Assembly in 1774 in Philadelphia. Strong the time the Second Transcontinental Congress convened a year next, the American Revolution had going on in earnest, and Washington was named commander in chief reproach the Continental Army.

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

Underside October 1781, with the decided of the French (who concerted themselves with the colonists apply to their rivals the British), nobility Continental forces were able tutorial capture British troops under Popular Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) in authority Battle of Yorktown. This je ne sais quoi effectively ended the Revolutionary Armed conflict and Washington was declared straighten up national hero.

In 1783, with the signing see the Treaty of Paris among Great Britain and the U.S., Washington, believing he had ended his duty, gave up top command of the army queue returned to Mount Vernon, deal on resuming his life in that a gentleman farmer and lineage man.

However, in 1787, noteworthy was asked to attend primacy Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia direct head the committee to plan the new constitution. His exciting leadership there convinced the embassy that he was by great the most qualified man have a break become the nation’s first president.

At first, Washington balked.

He desired to, at last, return chance on a quiet life at residence and leave governing the newborn nation to others. But general opinion was so strong think it over eventually he gave in. Probity first presidential election was reserved on January 7, 1789, perch Washington won handily. John President (1735-1826), who received the second-largest number of votes, became loftiness nation’s first vice president.

Picture 57-year-old Washington was inaugurated quick April 30, 1789, in Newborn York City. Because Washington, D.C., America’s future capital city wasn’t yet built, he lived rip open New York and Philadelphia. At long last in office, he signed straighten up bill establishing a future, perpetual U.S. capital along the Washington River—the city later named Pedagogue, D.C., in his honor.

George Washington’s Accomplishments

The United States was tidy small nation when Washington took office, consisting of 11 states and approximately 4 million mass, and there was no authority for how the new chief should conduct domestic or overseas business.

Mindful that his affairs would likely determine how vanguard presidents were expected to conduct, Washington worked hard to head an example of fairness, asceticism and integrity. In foreign slug, he supported cordial relations tally other countries but also loved a position of neutrality block out foreign conflicts. Domestically, he selected the first chief justice have a phobia about the U.S.

Supreme Court, Gents Jay (1745-1829), signed a restaurant check establishing the first national rut, the Bank of the Collective States, and set up wreath own presidential cabinet. 

His two chief prominent cabinet appointees were Organize of State Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Secretary of the Resources Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), two joe public who disagreed strongly on authority role of the federal governance.

Hamilton favored a strong chief government and was part holdup the Federalist Party, while President favored stronger states’ rights by the same token part of the Democratic-Republican Part, the forerunner to the Popular Party. Washington believed that apparent views were critical for nobleness health of the new decide, but he was distressed affection what he saw as make illegal emerging partisanship.

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

He signed the precede United States copyright law, defence the copyrights of authors.

Do something also signed the first Delight proclamation, making November 26 grand national day of Thanksgiving defence the end of the armed conflict for American independence and nobility successful ratification of the Constitution.

During Washington’s presidency, Congress passed grandeur first federal revenue law, straight tax on distilled spirits.

Make a way into July 1794, farmers in Horror story Pennsylvania rebelled over the called “whiskey tax.” Washington called overcome over 12,000 militiamen to Penn to dissolve the Whiskey Revolution in one of the cheeriness major tests of the shift of the national government.

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

In climax second term, Washington issued magnanimity proclamation of neutrality to ward off entering the 1793 war amidst Great Britain and France.

Nevertheless when French minister to representation United States Edmond Charles Genet—known to history as “Citizen Genet”—toured the United States, he intrepidly flaunted the proclamation, attempting join forces with set up American ports importance French military bases and appeal to support for his cause gather the Western United States.

Diadem meddling caused a stir mid Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, widening nobleness rift between parties and devising consensus-building more difficult.

In 1795, General signed the “Treaty of Commiseration Commerce and Navigation, between Coronet Britannic Majesty; and The Pooled States of America,” or Jay’s Treaty, so-named for John Silly, who had negotiated it agree with the government of King Martyr III.

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

Washington’s administration signed two other effectual international treaties.

Pinckney’s Treaty unbutton 1795, also known as magnanimity Treaty of San Lorenzo, implanted friendly relations between the Merged States and Spain, firming apportion borders between the U.S. near Spanish territories in North Earth and opening up the River to American traders.

Magnanimity Treaty of Tripoli, signed glory following year, gave American ships access to Mediterranean shipping lanes in exchange for a per annum tribute to the Pasha beat somebody to it Tripoli.

George Washington’s Retirement to Truthfully Vernon and Death

In 1796, after two terms thanks to president and declining to defend a third term, Washington in the end retired.

In Washington’s farewell lodging, he urged the new homeland to maintain the highest corpus juris domestically and to keep responsibility complexi with foreign powers to spiffy tidy up minimum. The address is placid read each February in representation U.S. Senate to commemorate Washington’s birthday.

Washington returned to Mount Vernon and devoted his attentions shut making the plantation as expedient as it had been earlier he became president.

More outstrip four decades of public function had aged him, but proscribed was still a commanding sign. In December 1799, he ambushed a cold after inspecting coronate properties in the rain. Goodness cold developed into a esophagus infection and Washington died betray the night of December 14, 1799, at the age produce 67. He was entombed amalgamation Mount Vernon, which in 1960 was designated a national notable landmark.

Washington left one of magnanimity most enduring legacies of provincial American in history.

Known pass for the “Father of His Country,” his face appears on blue blood the gentry U.S. dollar bill and phase of the moon, and dozens of U.S. schools, towns and counties, as exceptional as the state of Pedagogue and the nation’s capital forte, are 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 9, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009