BIOGRAPHY:

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed commander of the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and served as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention that created and ratified the United States Constitution and the American federal government. Washington has been called the “father of his country” for his multifaceted leadership in the founding of the country. First public office Washington was Surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia from 1749 to 1750. He subsequently received his first military training and was appointed commander of a Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War. He was later elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was appointed a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he was appointed commander of the Continental Army and led American forces allied with France to victory over the British at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. The Revolutionary War, which paved the way for American independence. He retired in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris was signed. Washington played an indispensable role in the adoption and ratification of the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1789 and remains to this day the oldest written and the world’s codified national constitution. He was then twice unanimously elected president by the Electoral College. As the first president of the United States, Washington created a strong, well-funded national government while maintaining impartiality in the bitter rivalry between cabinet ministers Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. During the French Revolution, he proclaimed a policy of neutrality by authorizing the Jay Treaty. He established strong precedents for the office of the President, including the use of the title “Mr. President” and taking the oath of office with his hand on the Bible. His farewell address of September 19, 1796 is widely considered the greatest statement of republicanism.

BIRTH AND YOUTH:

The Washington family was a wealthy planter family from Virginia who made a fortune through land speculation and tobacco farming. Washington’s great-grandfather John Washington emigrated in 1656 from Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England to the English colony of Virginia, where he amassed 5,000 acres of land, including Little Hunting -Creek on the Potomac River. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 at Pop’s Creek in Westmoreland County, in the British Colony of Virginia, the first of six children of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. His father was a justice of the peace and a prominent public figure who there were four more children from his first marriage to Jane Butler. The family moved to Little Hunting Creek in 1735. In 1738, they moved to Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia, on the Rappahannock River. When Augustine died in 1743, Washington inherited the Ferry farm and ten slaves; his older half-brother Lawrence inherited Little Hunting Creek and renamed it Mount Vernon. Washington did not have the formal education that his older brothers received at Appleby Grammar School in England, but he attended Lower Church School in Hartfield. He studied mathematics, trigonometry and surveying and became a talented draftsman and cartographer. By early adulthood he wrote with “considerable force” and “precision”. In his pursuit of admiration, status and power, there was little wit or humor in his letters.

COUNTY SURVEYOR:

Washington frequently visited Mount Vernon and Belvoir, a plantation owned by Lawrence’s father-in-law William Fairfax. Fairfax became Washington’s patron and surrogate father, and in 1748 Washington spent a month with a team surveying Fairfax’s property in the Shenandoah Valley. The following year, he received a surveyor’s license from College of William and Mary when he was 17 years old. Even though Washington had not completed the usual apprenticeship, Fairfax appointed him surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia, and he appeared in Culpeper County to take the oath of office on July 20, 1749. He subsequently became familiar with the border region, and although he resigned. after working in 1750, he continued to explore west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. By 1752, he had purchased nearly 1,500 acres in the Valley and owned 2,315 acres.

In 1751, Washington made his only trip abroad when he accompanied Lawrence to Barbados, hoping the climate would cure his brother of tuberculosis. Washington contracted smallpox during this trip, which inoculated him and left him with slight scars on his face. Lawrence died. in 1752, and Washington leased Mount Vernon from his widow Anne.

MAJOR WASHINGTON:

Lawrence Washington’s service as Adjutant General of the Virginia Militia inspired his half-brother George to seek a commission. Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie appointed George Washington as a major and commander of one of four militia districts. The British and French fought for control of the Ohio Valley. While the British built forts along the Ohio River, the French were doing the same thing—building forts between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. In October 1753, Dinwiddie appointed Washington as special envoy. He sent George to demand that French troops liberate lands claimed by the British. Washington was also tasked with make peace with the Iroquois Confederacy and gather more information on the French forces. Washington met with Half-King Tanaharison and other Iroquois chiefs at Logstown and gathered information on the number and location of French forts, as well as intelligence on persons taken prisoner by the French. Washington received the nickname from Tanaharison Konotocaurus (city destroyer or village devourer). This nickname was previously given to his great-grandfather John Washington in the late seventeenth century Susquehannock. Washington’s party reached the Ohio River in November 1753 and was intercepted by a French patrol. The party was escorted to Fort Le Boeuf, where Washington was met friendly. He conveyed the British demand for release to the French commander, St. Pierre, but the French refused to leave. St. Pierre gave Washington his official response in a sealed envelope, after a delay of several days, as well as food and additional winter clothing for his group’s return trip to Virginia .Washington completed the dangerous mission in 77 days in difficult winter conditions, achieving some distinction when his report was published in Virginia and London.

FRANCO INDIAN WAR:

In February 1754, Dinwiddie promoted Washington to lieutenant colonel and second-in-command of the 300th Virginia with orders to confront French forces at the Forks of the Ohio. Washington traveled to Forks with half the regiment in April and soon learned that a French force of 1,000 had begun construction of Fort Duquesne. In May, after taking a defensive position at Great Meadows, he learned that the French were camped seven miles (11 km) away; he decided to go on the offensive. The French force numbered only about 50 men, so Washington set out with a small force on May 28 Virginians and Indian allies to ambush them. What happened, known as the Battle of Jumonville Glen or the “Jumonville Affair”, was disputed and the French troops were killed on the spot with muskets and hatchets. French commander Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, who delivered diplomatic message to the British for evacuation, was killed. French troops found Jumonville and some of his men dead and scalped and assumed that Washington was responsible. Washington accused his interpreter of not communicating the French intentions. Dinwiddie congratulated Washington on victory over the French. This incident sparked the French and Indian War, which later became part of the larger Seven Years’ War. The full Virginia Regiment joined Washington at Fort Necessity the following month with the news that he had been promoted to regimental commander and colonel following the commander’s death regiment. The regiment was reinforced by an independent company of one hundred South Carolinians led by Captain James Mackay, whose royal commission was superior to Washington’s command, and a conflict of command ensued. On July 3, a French force of 900 men attacked, and the ensuing battle ended with Washington’s surrender. After this, Colonel James Innes took command of the intercolonial force, the Virginia regiment was divided, and Washington was offered the position of captain, which he refused, along with his resignation from his commission.

VIRGINIA REGIMENT:

In 1755, Washington volunteered to serve as an aide to General Edward Braddock, who led the British expedition to drive the French from Fort Duquesne and the Ohio Country. On Washington’s recommendation, Braddock divided the army into one main column and a lightly equipped “flying column.” Suffering from severe dysentery, Washington was left behind, and when he joined Braddock at the Monongahela, the French and their Indian allies ambushed the divided army. Two-thirds of the British troops became casualties, including the mortally wounded Braddock. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage, Washington, still very ill, assembled survivors and formed a rearguard, allowing the remnants of the force to disengage and retreat. During the battle, two horses were killed from under him, and his hat and coat were pierced by bullets. His behavior under fire redeemed his reputation among critics of his command at the Battle of the Fort Necessity, but the next commander (Colonel Thomas Dunbar) did not include him in the planning of subsequent operations. The Virginia Regiment was re-established in August 1755, and Dinwiddie appointed Washington as its commander, again with the rank of colonel. Almost immediately, Washington clashed over seniority, on this time with John Dugworthy, another captain of the highest royal rank, who commanded a detachment of Marylanders at regimental headquarters at Fort Cumberland. Washington, impatient to advance on Fort Duquesne, was convinced that Braddock would grant him a royal commission, and pressed his case in February 1756 with Braddock’s successor as Commander-in-Chief, William Shirley, and then again in January 1757. with Shirley’s successor, Lord Loudoun. Shirley ruled in Washington’s favor only in the Dagworthy case; Loudoun humiliated Washington, refused him a royal commission, and agreed only to relieve him of responsibility for manning Fort Cumberland. In 1758, the Virginia Regiment was sent to Forbes’ British expedition to capture Fort Duquesne. Washington did not agree with the tactics and chosen route of General John Forbes. Nevertheless, Forbes appointed Washington as a brevet brigadier general and gave him command of one of the three brigades that were to storm the fort. The French abandoned the fort and valley before the assault began; Washington suffered only a friendly fire incident that left 14 dead and 26 wounded. The war continued for four more years, and Washington resigned and returned to Mount Vernon.

VIRGINIA HOUSE OF BURGESS:

Washington’s political activities included supporting the candidacy of his friend George William Fairfax in his 1755 bid to represent the region in the Virginia House of Burgesses. This support led to a dispute that led to a physical altercation between Washington and another Virginia planter, William Paine. Washington defused the situation, including ordering the officers of the Virginia Regiment to resign. Washington apologized to Paine the next day at the tavern. Paine expected to be challenged to a duel. A respected military hero and large landowner, Washington held local offices and was elected to the legislature body of the Province of Virginia, representing Frederick County in the House of Burgesses for seven years beginning in 1758. He treated voters to beer, brandy and other drinks. although he was absent while working on the Forbes expedition. He won the election with approximately 40 percent of the vote, defeating three other candidates with the help of several local supporters. He spoke rarely early in his legislative career, but became a prominent critic of British taxation and mercantilist policies in regarding the American colonies starting in the 1760s.

GENTLEMAN FARMER:

Washington was a planter by occupation, and he imported luxury goods and other goods from England, paying for them by exporting tobacco. His extravagant spending, coupled with low tobacco prices, left him £1,800 in debt by 1764 , prompting him to diversify his holdings. In 1765, due to erosion and other soil problems, he changed Mount Vernon’s main cash crop from tobacco to wheat and expanded operations to include cornmeal grinding and fishing. Washington also found time for recreation: fox hunting, fishing, dancing, theater, cards, backgammon and billiards. Washington was soon ranked among Virginia’s political and social elite. From 1768 to 1775, he invited about 2,000 guests to his Mount Vernon estate, mostly those he considered men of high rank, and was known to be exceptionally hospitable to his guests. He became more politically active in 1769, introducing a bill in the Virginia Assembly to establish an embargo on goods from Great Britain.

WEDDING:

On January 6, 1759, Washington, at the age of 26, married Martha Dandridge Custis, the 27-year-old widow of wealthy planter Daniel Parke Custis. The marriage took place on Martha’s estate; she was intelligent, gracious, and experienced in managing the planter’s estate, and the couple created a happy marriage. They raised John Parke Custis (Jackie) and Martha Parke Custis (Patsy), children from her previous marriage, and then the children of Jackie Eleanor Parke Custis (Nellie) and George Washington Parke Custis (Washee). Washington’s bout with smallpox in 1751 is believed to have made him infertile, although it is equally likely that “Martha may have been injured during the birth of Patsy, her last child, making additional births impossible.” The couple lamented that they had no children together. They moved to Mount Vernon, near Alexandria, where he began life as a tobacco and wheat planter and became a politician. The marriage gave Washington control of one-third of Martha’s dowry share of the 18,000-acre (7,300 ha) Custis estate, and he administered the remaining two-thirds for Martha’s children; the estate also had 84 slaves. He became one of the richest men in Virginia, which increased his social standing.

FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS:

Washington played a central role before and during the American Revolution. His distrust of the British military began when he was passed over for promotion into the regular army. Opposing taxes levied by the British Parliament on the colonies without proper representation, he and other colonists were also outraged by the Royal Proclamation 1763, which prohibited American settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains and protected the British fur trade. Washington considered the Stamp Act of 1765 an “act of oppression” and celebrated its repeal the following year. In March 1766, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that Parliamentary Act superseded Colonial Act. In the late 1760s, the British Crown’s intervention in lucrative western land speculation in America sparked the American Revolution. Washington himself was a prosperous land speculator, and in 1767 he encouraged “adventures” to acquire outlying western lands. Washington helped lead mass protests against the Townshend Acts passed by Parliament in 1767, and in May 1769 he introduced a proposal drafted by George Mason that called on Virginians to boycott British goods; the laws were largely repealed in 1770. Parliament sought to punish Massachusetts colonists for their participation in the Boston Tea Party in 1774, passing laws of coercion that Washington called “an invasion of our rights and privileges.” He said that Americans should not submit to acts of tyranny because “custom and usage will make us as tame and wretched slaves, like the blacks whom we rule with such arbitrariness.” In July of that year, he and George Mason drew up a list of resolutions for the Fairfax County Committee, which Washington chaired, and the committee adopted the Fairfax Resolutions calling for the convening of the Continental Congress and an end to the slave trade.1 August Washington attended the First Virginia Convention, where he was elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress from September 5 to October 26, 1774, which he also attended. As tensions grew in 1774, he helped train Virginia county militias and organized the Continental Association’s compliance boycott of British goods introduced by Congress.

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY:

The American Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Siege of Boston. The colonists were divided over their rejection of British rule and split into two factions: Patriots, who rejected British rule, and Loyalists, who wanted to remain subservient to the king. General Thomas Gage was the commander of British forces in America at the start of the war. Upon hearing the shocking news of the war’s outbreak, Washington was “sobered and alarmed” and hastily left Mount Vernon on May 4, 1775, to join the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The Congress created the Continental army on June 14, 1775, and Samuel and John Adams appointed Washington as its commander-in-chief. Washington was chosen over John Hancock because of his military experience and belief that the Virginian would better unite the colonies. He was considered a shrewd leader who kept his “ambitions” in check The next day, Congress unanimously elected him commander in chief. Washington appeared before Congress in uniform and gave an acceptance speech on June 16, refusing his salary, although he was later reimbursed for expenses. He was inaugurated on June 19 and received high praise from Congress delegates, including including John Adams, who declared that he was best suited to lead and unite the colonies. Congress appointed Washington “General and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United Colonies and all the Forces raised or to be raised by them” and charged him with taking charge of the Siege of Boston on June 22 1775. Congress selected his principal staff officers, including Major General Artemas Ward, Adjutant General Horatio Gates, Major General Charles Lee, Major General Philip Schuyler, Major General Nathanael Greene, Colonel Henry Knox, and Colonel Alexander Hamilton. .Washington was impressed by Colonel Benedict Arnold and gave him responsibility for launching the invasion of Canada. He also hired a French and Indian war compatriot, Brigadier General Daniel Morgan. Henry Knox impressed Adams with his knowledge of artillery, and Washington promoted him to colonel and chief of artillery.

DEATH:

On December 12, 1799, Washington inspected his farms on horseback. He returned home late and invited guests to dinner. The next day, he had a sore throat, but was well enough to mark trees for cutting. That evening, Washington complained about the stagnation in the chest, but was still alert. However, on Saturday he woke up with a sore throat and difficulty breathing and ordered the estate’s overseer, George Rawlins, to remove almost a pint of his blood; bloodletting was a common practice of the time. His family called a doctor. James Craik, Gustavus Richard Brown and Elisha S. Dick. Dr. William Thornton arrived a few hours after Washington’s death. Dr. Brown initially believed Washington had a sore throat; Dr. Dick believed it was a more serious “severe sore throat.” They continued the bloodletting process until about five pints, but Washington’s condition deteriorated further. Dr. Dick suggested a tracheotomy, but other doctors were not familiar with this procedure and therefore did not approve of it. Washington ordered Brown and Dick to leave the room, and he assured Craik: “Doctor, I am dying hard, but I am not afraid go.” Washington’s death came faster than expected. On his deathbed, out of fear of being buried alive, he instructed his personal secretary, Tobias Lear, to wait three days until his funeral. According to Lear, Washington died between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm on December 14, 1799 years, with Martha sitting at the foot of his bed. His last words were “It is well” from a conversation with Lear about his funeral. He was 67 years old. Congress immediately adjourned for the day upon the news of Washington’s death, and the next morning the Speaker’s chair was covered with a black shroud. The funeral took place four days after his death on December 18, 1799 at Mount Vernon, where his body was interred. Cavalry and infantrymen led the procession, and six colonels served as pallbearers. The funeral service at Mount Vernon was limited primarily to family and friends. The Rev. Thomas Davis read the funeral service at the crypt with a brief address, followed by a ceremony performed by various members of the Washington Masonic Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia. Congress selected Lighthorse Harry Lee to deliver the eulogy. News of his death spread slowly; in the cities Church bells rang and many businesses closed. People around the world admired Washington and were saddened by his death, and memorial processions were held in major U.S. cities. Martha wore a black mourning cloak for a year and burned their correspondence to protect their privacy. Famously , that only five letters between the couple survive: two from Martha to George and three from him to her.

EPILOGUE:

Washington’s legacy remains one of the most influential in American history, as he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, a hero of the Revolution, and the first President of the United States. Various historians argue that he was also a dominant factor in the Founding of America, the Revolutionary War, and the Constitutional Convention. War Comrade for independence, light horse Harry Lee praised him as “First in war—first in peace—and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Lee’s words became the hallmark that etched Washington’s reputation in the American memory, and some biographers considered him a great example of republicanism .He set many precedents for the national government and the President in particular, and as early as 1778 he was called the “Father of his Country.” In 1879, Congress declared Washington’s Birthday a federal holiday. Washington became an international symbol of liberation and nationalism as the leader of the first successful revolution against the colonial empire. Federalists made him a symbol of their party, but Jeffersonians continued to mistrust his influence for years and delayed construction of the monument Washington. Washington was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on January 31, 1781, even before he became president. He was posthumously appointed General of the United States Army during the United States Bicentennial to ensure that he would never be outranked; this was achieved by Congressional Joint Resolution Public Law 94-479, passed on January 19, 1976, with an effective date of July 4, 1976. On March 13, 1978, Washington was promoted militarily to the rank of General of the Armies. In the 21st century, Washington’s reputation has come under critical scrutiny. Along with the other Founding Fathers, he was convicted of keeping people in slavery. Although he expressed a desire to see the abolition of slavery implemented through legislation, he did not initiate or support any initiatives aimed at ending it. This has led to calls from some activists to remove his name from public buildings and his statue from public places. Nevertheless, Washington maintains his place among the highest-ranking US presidents.