American Presidents Exclusive George Washington Biography
Born on February 22, 1732 (by the Gregorian Calendar), Washington was known as the Father of His Country. He was an American general as well as the Commander in Chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolutionary War, then served as President of the 1787 Constitutional Convention and became the first President of the United States.
George Washington was the President while securing America’s independence and is generally accepted as one of the most important Presidents in the history of our country. Washington voluntarily stepped down after 8 years in service to his country as President, handing the reins to John Adams.
Early Life
Washington was raised by English parents, Augustine Washington (1693 – 1743) and Mary Ball Washington (1708 – 1789) on their Pope's Creek Estate at Colonial Beach in Virginia, near Fredericksburg. During his younger years he surveyed the Shenandoah Valley, overcame smallpox
in 1751 while in Barbados where Washington had travelled with his half brother Lawrence to help him overcome tuberculosis. Washington was initiated as a Freemason in Fredericksburg.
In 1754, Washington began his service with the Virginia Militia as a colonel. He served in the Ohio
Valley before being asked to aid the British Army during the French and Indian War. Before resigning his commission
to marry in 1757, Washington organized the First Virginia Regiment.
After 20 years, in 1774, of work and shrewd investment, Washington was asked to be a delegate to the First and Second
Continental Congress’, though he did not support independence until 1776.
American Revolutionary War
The Continental Congress named Washington the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, after which Washington
drove the British out of Boston in 1776. Washington was then driven out of New York City, Long Island and into New Jersey.
On Christmas Day, 1776, Washington lead a surprise attack on Trenton New Jersey, swinging the war back in the favor
of the revolutionaries. This was followed up by another major victory at Princeton on January 3rd. Despite the moral boost of the victories, the particularly harsh winter lead to a large contraction in the size of Washington's army to number as low as a thousand, through both lack of reenlistment and desertion. American victory was despite the brilliance of the victories not guaranteed at this stage. Washington set about a reorganisation of the army in responce with both a carrot and stick method - a carrot of promise of monetary reward for three-year enlistment or land for enlisting for the duration of the war, a stick of increasing punishment from 39 to 100 lashes in order to discourage desertion. This was effective and numbers quickly rose again to ten thousand under Washington's direct command.
Washington continued to battle effectively against the British, losing some battles but
remaining an effective leader throughout, until he helped stopped the British attempts to quell the Revolution
by joining American and French forces in Yorktown Virginia and successfully negotiating a surrender.
After resigning as Commander in Chief, Washington presided over the American Constitutional Congress in 1787.
Washington’s presence, more than his participation, was enough to encourage the Congress forward, after which he pushed
for the adoption of the Constitution where, again, his very presence was enough to convince most states,
including Virginia.
Presidency
In 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States, the only man to ever
achieve a unanimous election by the electoral college.
During his service as President, Washington was, more than anything, a model of democracy to future presidents, setting precedents in many areas including a faith in civil, not military, rule and a focus on the will of the people above all things.
Later Life
Washington relinquished the presidency to John Adams in March of 1797, at which time he returned to Mount Vernon where he spent time on his farming, turning an unprofitable farm into one of the largest distilleries in the United States which produced whiskey and fruit brandy. Two years later, on 13th July 1799, Adams appointed Washington Commander in Chief of the American army in any war that might break out with France, later that year, on December 14, Washington died.
Religion
From a religious perspective, George Washington was a controversial figure. Like many of the founding fathers, he was a Deist – believing in God, but not believing that God intervenes on a day to day basis. Before the Revolution, he served as a member of the laity of two Episcopal churches in Virginia.
Many of Washington’s talks and personal affairs had to do with his deeply engrained religious and Masonic beliefs. Most of “Washington’s Prayers” are regarded by historians as having been edited or written by other authors entirely.
Washington was an early supporter of religious pluralism. In 1775 he ordered that his troops not burn in the Pope in effigy on Guy Fawkes night. In 1790 he wrote that he envisioned a country "which gives bigotry no sanction...persecution no assistance.... May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid." This letter was seen by the Jewish community as a significant event; they felt that for the first time in millennia Jews would enjoy full human and political rights.
Politics and Legacy
Throughout his life, Washington was a proponent of democracy, fair treatment of slaves, and the will of the Freemasons, and organization in which he was heavily involved.
The capital city of the United States, Washington, D.C., is named after him and he was very involved in the placement of the White House, the creation of the District of Columbia and the placement of the United States Military Academy.
Numerous ships, the state of Washington and hundreds of schools are named after him, and his picture is on the one dollar bill and the quarter-dollar coin.
George Washington set a precedent of valuing his office and continuously seeking the will of the people for every decision – though sometimes he did choose what he felt was best for the country, to the point of having been the first President ever to use the Presidential veto. He is, to this day, revered as one of the greatest Presidents to ever serve, one of the most influential founding fathers and as a beacon of democracy in a time where military might was seen as more important than the will of the people.
