George Washington

        George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 and died on December 14, 1799. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. George Washington was a commander in chief for the American Revolution. He was the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. George Washington spends most of his childhood in the Fredericksburg Virginia. He never went to public schools he was home schooled and studied with the local church Sexton, and later a school Master in practical math and Geography, Latin and English classics. By his early teens he had mastered growing tobacco stock raising and surveying. His father dies when he was 11 and he became the ward of his half-brother Lawrence.

        In 1748 when he was 16 George Washington traveled with surveying party plotting land in Virginia western territory. The following year aided by Lord Fairfax Washington received an appointment as official surbeyer of Culpeper County. In 1752 George Washington brother Lawrence died of tuberculosis making him the owner of the Washington’s land. Throughout his life he would hold farming as one of the most honorable professions and he was proud of Mount Vernon.

        His military carrier started in the early 1750s. Washington showed early signs of natural leadership and Shorty after Lawrence death Virginias lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie appointed him adjutant with a rank of major in the Virginia Military.  On October 31, 1753 the French and Indian war began. Washington was given the honorary rank of colonel and joined British general Braddock army in Virginia in 1755. During the encounter the French and their Indian allies ambushed Braddock who was mortally wounded. Washington escaped injury with gourd bullet holes in his cloak and two horses shot out from under him. In 1755 he was made commander of all Virginia troop at age 23. His health failed in the closing months of 1757 and he was send home with dysentery. His experience during the war was generally frustrating with decisions made excessively slow poor support from the colonial legislature and poorly trained recruits Washington applied for a commission with the British Army but was turned down. In December 1758 he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon disillusioned.

        A month after leaving the army he married Martha Dandridge Curtis a widow who was only a few months older than him.  Washington became one of the more wealthy landowners in Virginia. The marriage also brought Martha two young children John and Martha ages 6 and 4. Washington had great affection for both of them and was heartbroken when Martha died just before the Revolution. John died during the revolution and George adopted two of his children. George Washington devoted himself to the care and development of his land holdings, attending the rotation of crops managing livestock and keeping up with the latest scientific advances. He loved the landed gentry’s life of horseback riding, fox, hunts, fishing, and cotillions. While he kept over 100 slaves dislike the institution, but accepted the fact that slavery was the law.

        Through the British Proclamation Act of 1763 prohibiting settlements beyond the Alleghenies irritated him and he opposed the stamp Act of 1765. Washington did not take a leading role in the growing colonial resistance against the British until the wide spread protest of the Townshend Acts in 1767. He was selected delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1775.  After that he traveled to the Second continental Congress dressed in a military uniform indicating that he was prepared for war. On June 15 he was appointed major General and Commander-in-chief of the colonial forces against The Great Britain.