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George Washington's History: (1732 - 1799)
Youth:
George Washington was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732.
When George was eleven years old, his father passed away. After his
father’s death, George developed a closeness to his half brother, Lawrence. He went
to live with him at the Mount Vernon estate, which he greatly enjoyed.
George had passing desires to become a sailor, but his studies steered
him into the field of surveying. By the age of 16, he was taking on large surveying
projects in Virginia.
In 1752, Washington’s half brother Lawrence died. Because of
Lawrence’s death, Washington inherited the Mount Vernon estate.
Military Beginnings:
George Washington enlisted in the Virginia militia as territorial tensions were growing
between the French and the British. He was made lieutenant colonel in 1754.
Washington was given a mission to build a post that could be used to
monitor the French in case they ventured further into Virginia territory. Washington was
surprised to find that the French were already there. In a hastened attempt to stand
against the French, Washington prepared his defenses. In the rush, he positioned his
troops in an area to which was tactically indefensible. He was outnumbered by French
soldiers and was eventually forced to surrender. Washington’s skirmishes with the
French in the Virginia frontier were essentially the start of the French and Indian
War.
Washington was disheartened by his defeat against the French, but he
learned from the mistakes that led to his defeat. He grew determined to be more cautious
and prepared in the future.
A later battle gave Washington the ability to prove his worth and
ability. When his party was ambushed at Fort Duquesne he rallied his troops, although ill
himself, and gained respect for his courage and presence of mind. For his valor, he was
promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of the entire Virginia militia.
Washington Enters Politics
As the threat of French encroachment into colonial territory subsided in 1758, Washington
resigned from the militia and returned to the Mount Vernon estate. Having achieved some
notoriety from his brief, but distinguished military career, Washington entered politics.
He was elected in Virginia to the House of Burgesses in 1758.
Marriage
In 1759, Washington married a young widow named Martha Dandidge Custis. She and her two
children brought new happiness into Washington’s life.
Tension Mounts Against the British
Washington grew dissatisfied with increasing laws and restrictions placed upon colonists
by the British. He was opposed to the magnitude of taxation that was levied on the
colonies due to the French and Indian war. Additional tariffs on tea and other
commodities further increased tensions between the colonies and England. The culmination
of tensions among the colonies boiled over in 1773 at the Boston Tea Party. Colonists
destroyed crates of tea on British ships in Boston Harbor.
The British took action against the colonists to prevent them from
taking up arms against them. On April 18, 1775, seven hundred British soldiers were
dispatched to destroy a colonial weapons depot at Concord. That night Paul Revere and
William Dawes were sent to warn the colonists about the British march.
Revolutionary War
On April 19, 1775, Massachusetts militiamen gathered and stood against the British
advance at Lexington Green. They were fired upon. This is the incident known as
“the shot heard around the world,” and it marked the beginning of the
American Revolutionary War.
On June 15, 1775, Washington was unanimously chosen to serve as
Commander in chief of the Continental Army. He traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts and
took command of an ill-prepared army. Washington urgently trained his troops and prepared
them to face the British.
George Washington proved his skill as a military commander. He routed
the British at Dorchester Heights. He saved his army from a dangerous position in New
York. He motivated his men to continue to fight even beyond the expiration of their
enlistment dates.
A brilliant move at Trenton, New Jersey brought new life to Washington
and his soldiers. On Christmas night of 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware River with
2,400 men. Bringing such a large number of men across the river took most of the night
and a march was still required to reach the enemy. They were forced to make their attack
at daybreak. The move was so unexpected, however, that Washington and his men took the
enemy entirely by surprise. It was a strategic victory and a tremendous bastion for the
morale of Washington and his men.
Washington continued to fight the British in careful and methodic
skirmishes. He pursued the enemy when an advantage could be found, and withdrew when the
odds turned against him. He chose tactics that worked toward the preservation of those
under his command while inflicting as much damage to the enemy as possible.
In 1780, the French army alligned itself in Washington’s
struggle against the British. The alliance with the French was a source of great relief
to a continental army that had struggled against the British for over five years.
Washington and his French Allies defeated the British, accepting the
surrender of Lord Cornwallis on October 19, 1781.
Constitutional Convention
Washington presided over the constitutional convention which took place from May
twenty-fifth to September seventeenth of 1787. After the constitution was drafted, George
Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States in
1789.
The First American President
Washington served two terms as president, being unanimously re-elected in 1792.
Washington completed his presidency in 1797, as John Adams became the
second President of the United States.
Washington returned to his Mount Vernon estate to retire from a
vigorous presidency.
Washington's Death
After developing a severe throat disorder diagnosed as quinsy, George Washington died at
Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799.
- Article by Wes Fessler
Sources:
1. Colonial Williammsburg, “George
Washington”
http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/bios/biowash2.cfm
2. sc94.amaslab.gov “George Washington”
http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/gwash.html
3. The White House “Biography of George
Washington”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html
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