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Early life
The Washington family was a wealthy Virginia planter family that had made its fortune through land speculation and the cultivation of tobacco. Washington's great-grandfather John Washington emigrated -
Washington date of birth
It was the time Washington was born -
Washington's legacy
On February 22, 1732, a legend would be born. George Washington, the face of the dollar bill was ironically a man who proved his worth. Even when he wasn’t President, Washington always had been dedicated to his country. He is a true inspiration, only allowing the illness to stop his numerous achievements; -
George Washington and slavery
Black slavery in colonial America was ingrained in the economic and social fabric of several colonies including his native Virginia. A third-generation slave-owner, at 11 years of age upon the death of his father in 1743, Washington inherited his first ten slaves. In adulthood, his personal slaveholding grew through inheritance, purchase, and the natural increase of children born into slavery. -
Military Service
French and Indian War -
Political Career
The Invasion of Quebec was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Benedict Arnold passed over for its command, went to Boston, and convinced General George Washington to send a supporting force to Quebec City under his command. One expedition left Fort Ticonderoga under Richard Montgomery, besieged and captured Fort St. Johns, and very nearly captured British General Guy Carleton when taking Montreal. -
Military Service
Upon arrival on July 2, 1775, two weeks after the Patriot defeat at nearby Bunker Hill, he set up his Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters and inspected the new army there, only to find an undisciplined and badly outfitted militia. He petitioned Gage, his former superior, to release captured Patriot officers from prison and treat them humanely. -
Military Service
Commander in chief -
George Washington and slavery
In 1759, he gained control of dower slaves belonging to the Custis estate during his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis. Washington's early attitudes to slavery reflected the prevailing Virginia planter views of the day and he initially demonstrated no moral qualms about the institution. He became skeptical about the economic efficacy of slavery before the American Revolutionary War when his transition from tobacco to grain crops in the 1760s left him with a costly surplus of enslaved workers. -
Military Service
Washington, at age 26, married Martha Dandridge Custis, the 27-year-old widow of wealthy plantation owner Daniel Parke Custis. The marriage took place at Martha's estate; she was intelligent, gracious, and experienced in managing a planter's estate, and the couple created a happy marriage. -
George Washington and slavery
In 1774, Washington publicly denounced the slave trade on moral grounds in the Fairfax Resolves. After the war, he expressed support for the abolition of slavery by a gradual legislative process, a view he shared widely but always in private, and he remained dependent on enslaved labor. -
Political Career
Battle of Long Island -
Legacy
After helping earn their independence, at age 51, he decided to return to Mount Vernon. In 1787, George was once again needed for his country and was unanimously elected President of America -
George Washington and slavery
Washington used both reward and punishment to manage his enslaved population but was constantly disappointed when they failed to meet his exacting standards. Privately, Washington considered plans in the mid-1790s to free his enslaved population. -
Legacy
Finally, in 1797, he decided to retire for one last time. Once again, he tended to Mount Vernon’s success; until the day of his death. -
Legacy
December 14, 1799, marked his death. Despite this, Washington’s legacy never died. For it was Washington who nurtured the country, just like the crops on his plantation. The early years of Washington are a mystery. However, many stories are told about his honesty, strength, and diligence even in George’s youth. Washington’s father, Augustine, was a successful planter and court justice. -
Early life
Washington died