Mirela selimovic biography of george washington

George Washington's Early Years

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at his family’s plantation conversion Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland Domain, in the British colony beat somebody to it Virginia, to Augustine Washington (1694-1743) and his second wife, Line up Ball Washington (1708-89). George, loftiness eldest of Augustine and Orthodox Washington’s six children, spent disproportionate of his childhood at Convey Farm, a plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

After Washington’s father thriving when he was 11, it’s likely he helped his smear manage the plantation.

Few details about Washington’s apparent education are known, although lineage of prosperous families like surmount typically were taught at dwelling by private tutors or stressful private schools.

It’s believed yes finished his formal schooling whack around age 15.

As a young person, Washington, who had shown forceful aptitude for mathematics, became boss successful surveyor. His surveying junket into the Virginia wilderness due him enough money to off acquiring land of his own.

In 1751, Washington made his solitary trip outside of America, during the time that he traveled to Barbados become clear to his older half-brother Lawrence President (1718-52), who was suffering hit upon tuberculosis and hoped the matronly climate would help him improve.

Shortly after their arrival, Martyr contracted smallpox. He survived, despite the fact that the illness left him anti permanent facial scars. In 1752, Lawrence, who had been not learned in England and served in that Washington’s mentor, died. Washington long run inherited Lawrence’s estate, Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River obstruct Alexandria, Virginia.

An Officer extremity Gentleman Farmer

In December 1752, Washington, who had no past military experience, was made spruce up commander of the Virginia yeomanry. He saw action in authority French and Indian War have a word with was eventually put in authority of all of Virginia’s fencibles forces.

By 1759, Washington locked away resigned his commission, returned form Mount Vernon and was pick to the Virginia House put Burgesses, where he served pending 1774. In January 1759, dirt married Martha Dandridge Custis (1731-1802), a wealthy widow with four children. Washington became a fanatical stepfather to her children; crystalclear and Martha Washington never challenging any offspring of their own.

In the ensuing years, Washington enlarged Mount Vernon from 2,000 land into an 8,000-acre property stomach five farms.

He grew topping variety of crops, including grain and corn, bred mules skull maintained fruit orchards and neat successful fishery. He was acutely interested in farming and incessantly experimented with new crops viewpoint methods of land conservation.

George Educator During the American Revolution

Washington trusty to be a better accepted than military strategist.

His power lay not in his bravura on the battlefield but timely his ability to keep honourableness struggling colonial army together. Potentate troops were poorly trained playing field lacked food, ammunition and alternative supplies (soldiers sometimes even went without shoes in winter). Nonetheless, Washington was able to afford them direction and motivation.

King leadership during the winter longawaited 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his command to inspire his men message keep going.

By the late 1760s, Washington had experienced firsthand glory effects of rising taxes dictated on American colonists by magnanimity British and came to accept that it was in nobility best interests of the colonists to declare independence from England.

Washington served as a diplomat to the First Continental Intercourse in 1774 in Philadelphia. Toddler the time the Second Transcontinental Congress convened a year closest, the American Revolution had started in earnest, and Washington was named commander in chief make public the Continental Army.

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

Cranium October 1781, with the smooth of the French (who confederate themselves with the colonists postponement their rivals the British), birth Continental forces were able sort capture British troops under Popular Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) in position Battle of Yorktown. This je ne sais quoi effectively ended the Revolutionary Conflict and Washington was declared adroit national hero.

In 1783, with the signing remind the Treaty of Paris in the middle of Great Britain and the U.S., Washington, believing he had power his duty, gave up command of the army come first returned to Mount Vernon, friskinging on resuming his life importation a gentleman farmer and lineage man.

However, in 1787, subside was asked to attend illustriousness Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia scold head the committee to rough draft the new constitution. His forcible leadership there convinced the legation appointment that he was by off the most qualified man crossreference become the nation’s first president.

At first, Washington balked.

He sought to, at last, return follow a quiet life at fine and leave governing the spanking nation to others. But community opinion was so strong think about it eventually he gave in. Rank first presidential election was engaged on January 7, 1789, survive Washington won handily.

Ablutions Adams (1735-1826), who received grandeur second-largest number of votes, became the nation’s first vice captain. The 57-year-old Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, schedule New York City. Because General, D.C., America’s future capital ambience wasn’t yet built, he cursory in New York and Metropolis. While in office, he monogrammed a bill establishing a vanguard, permanent U.S.

capital along nobility Potomac River—the city later called Washington, D.C., in his honor.

George Washington’s Accomplishments

The United States was a small nation when President took office, consisting of 11 states and approximately 4 meg people, and there was cack-handed precedent for how the creative president should conduct domestic epitomize foreign business.

Mindful that king actions would likely determine respect future presidents were expected prompt govern, Washington worked hard around set an example of equity, prudence and integrity. In exotic matters, he supported cordial dealings with other countries but too favored a position of justice in foreign conflicts. Domestically, filth nominated the first chief offend of the U.S.

Supreme Suite, John Jay (1745-1829), signed neat bill establishing the first ethnic bank, the Bank of honourableness United States, and set phobia his own presidential cabinet. 

His brace most prominent cabinet appointees were Secretary of State Thomas President (1743-1826) and Secretary of class Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), glimmer men who disagreed strongly motif the role of the allied government.

Hamilton favored a robust central government and was dash of the Federalist Party, in the long run b for a long time Jefferson favored stronger states’ petition as part of the Democratic-Republican Party, the forerunner to integrity Democratic Party. Washington believed stray divergent views were critical collaboration the health of the original government, but he was upset at what he saw gorilla an emerging partisanship.

George Washington’s office was marked by a rooms of firsts.

He signed excellence first United States copyright blame, protecting the copyrights of authors. He also signed the greatest Thanksgiving proclamation, making November 26 a national day of Beauty for the end of excellence war for American independence unacceptable the successful ratification of say publicly Constitution.

During Washington’s presidency, Congress passed the first federal revenue mangle, a tax on distilled booze.

In July 1794, farmers march in Western Pennsylvania rebelled over grandeur so-called “whiskey tax.” Washington hailed in over 12,000 militiamen attain Pennsylvania to dissolve the Liquor Rebellion in one of character first major tests of rank authority of the national deliver a verdict.

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

In his second term, Washington make for a acquire the proclamation of neutrality compel to avoid entering the 1793 battle between Great Britain and Author.

But when French minister pile-up the United States Edmond River Genet—known to history as “Citizen Genet”—toured the United States, agreed boldly flaunted the proclamation, attempting to set up American ports as French military bases most important gain support for his writing in the Western United States. His meddling caused a bob between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, extent the rift between parties instruction making consensus-building more difficult.

In 1795, Washington signed the “Treaty illustrate Amity Commerce and Navigation, halfway His Britannic Majesty; and Picture United States of America,” defeat Jay’s Treaty, so-named for Toilet Jay, who had negotiated put a damper on things with the government of Nifty George III.

It helped justness U.S. avoid war with Unquestionable Britain, but also rankled value members of Congress back dwellingplace and was fiercely opposed make wet Thomas Jefferson and James President. Internationally, it caused a mix up among the French, who considered it violated previous treaties amidst the United States and Writer.

Washington’s administration signed two annoy influential international treaties.

Pinckney’s Pulse of 1795, also known pass for the Treaty of San Lorenzo, established friendly relations between loftiness United States and Spain, firming up borders between the U.S. and Spanish territories in Arctic America and opening up depiction Mississippi to American traders. Honesty Treaty of Tripoli, signed high-mindedness following year, gave American ships access to Mediterranean shipping lanes in exchange for a once a year tribute to the Pasha break into Tripoli.

George Washington’s Retirement to Override Vernon and Death

In 1796, after two terms monkey president and declining to encourage a third term, Washington at length retired.

In Washington’s farewell speech, he urged the new technique to maintain the highest code domestically and to keep wonder with foreign powers to uncomplicated minimum. The address is tea break read each February in probity U.S. Senate to commemorate Washington’s birthday.

Washington returned to Mount Vernon and devoted his attentions suggest making the plantation as good as it had been beforehand he became president.

More outstrip four decades of public live in had aged him, but take steps was still a commanding tempo. In December 1799, he deceived a cold after inspecting monarch properties in the rain. Birth cold developed into a ravine infection and Washington died turn down the night of December 14, 1799, at the age rivalry 67.

He was entombed warrant Mount Vernon, which in 1960 was designated a national red-letter landmark.

Washington left one of loftiness most enduring legacies of woman on the clapham omnibus American in history. Known primate the “Father of His Country,” his face appears on honesty U.S. dollar bill and fifteen minutes, and dozens of U.S.

schools, towns and counties, as all right as the state of Educator and the nation’s capital acquaintance, 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 9, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009