| George Washington was the first president of | | | | a major critic of the British. In 1770, |
| the United States and considered one of the | | | | Washington began advocating forceful |
| best. | | | | resistance to British rule. |
| | | | |
| George Washington is a much-admired person in | | | | In 1775, the colonies formed a Continental |
| many respects. As the first president of the | | | | Congress to address the conflict with the |
| United States, he set the course upon which | | | | British. George Washington was elected |
| the current three-branch system of federal | | | | Commander of all colonial forces. War had |
| government is based. George Washington is | | | | already broken out in Massachusetts. |
| perhaps the one person who can most claim the | | | | Washington and his troops soon joined and the |
| title of Founding Father. | | | | British were defeated in Boston in 1776. By |
| | | | summer, however, the British has sent more |
| George Washington was born on February 22, | | | | troops and defeated the colonial forces on |
| 1732 in Virginia. He was the son of well off | | | | numerous occasions. |
| plantation owner and spent his you in | | | | |
| relative comfort. During his youth, the | | | | Facing total defeat and a lack of money, |
| British Empire ruled the 13 colonies. Despite | | | | George Washington did an amazing thing. He |
| what you might assume, he was hardly a | | | | rallied his rag tag colonial forces and paid |
| revolutionary and his stated goal was to | | | | their wages out of his own finances. By late |
| become an officer in the British Army! | | | | December of 1776, the colonial forces were |
| Obviously, that goal never came to fruition. | | | | starting to turn the tide against the |
| | | | British. After more victories in 1777, the |
| As George Washington grew into adulthood, he | | | | French offered their support. It took a few |
| became an expert surveyor of land. He worked | | | | years to arrive, but Washington was |
| in what was then called the American West and | | | | eventually able to completely defeat the |
| purchased vast tracts of land with other | | | | British. In 1781, the British surrendered |
| family members. He eventually owned over 56 | | | | much of the east coast. In 1783, a treaty was |
| thousand acres. | | | | signed granting the colonies their |
| | | | independence. |
| In 1752, George Washington joined the | | | | |
| Virginia militia. He quickly became an | | | | On February 4, 1789, George Washington was |
| officer and played a pivotal part in the | | | | elected the first President of the United |
| French and Indian War. The French had moved | | | | States of America with John Adams as vice |
| into the Ohio Valley, which aggravated the | | | | president. As the first president, he put in |
| British to no end. Washington was given the | | | | place many precedents and traditions |
| task of telling the French to leave the | | | | including: |
| territory. When they refused, Washington | | | | |
| suggested a fort be built and his superiors | | | | 1. Being referred to as Mr. President. |
| agreed. | | | | |
| | | | 2. Refused to be declared King. |
| As the fort was being built, Washington was | | | | |
| promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given the | | | | 3. The creation of an inaugural event and |
| task of defending it. Leading 159 men, he was | | | | ball. |
| victorious in minor skirmishes. Instead of | | | | |
| being promoted to an officer position in the | | | | 4. Swearing on a bible when taking the oath |
| British Army, he was told no colonial could | | | | of president. |
| attain the position. Bitter, Washington | | | | |
| resigned and the French turned the tide. | | | | 5. Moving the capital to Washington, D.C. |
| | | | |
| Desperate to turn the tide, the British | | | | 6. Agreeing to the passage of the Bill of |
| Governor of Virginia reinstated George | | | | Rights. |
| Washington by appointing him Commander of all | | | | |
| the Colonial forces. Within three years, the | | | | 7. Proclaimed the neutrality of the United |
| French were defeated and Washington was | | | | States in all international conflicts. |
| famous. He married Martha Curtis in 1959, but | | | | |
| they never had any children. | | | | In 1792, President Washington ran for |
| | | | re-election and was unopposed. He left office |
| By the 1760s, George Washington had retired | | | | in March 1797. On December 14, 1799, he died |
| from the military and entered politics. He | | | | of pneumonia on his Virginia plantation. |
| was a member of the Virginia legislature and | | | | |