A biography of george washington

The Thigh Men often present Mary as a shrew, though there is little evidence to support such a harsh view. This book has lots of lists and sidebars and primary sources. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Personally, I believe—paraphrasing Georges Clemenceau— the subject of war is too serious a matter to be entrusted solely to the Thigh Men.

This outstanding book by Erica Armstrong Dunbar examines the connection between Washington and the institution of slavery. During the American Revolution, he led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero. Inhe was elected president of the convention that wrote the U. Realizing that the way he handled the job would impact how future presidents approached the position, he handed down a legacy of strength, integrity and national purpose.

Less than three years after leaving office, he died at his Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, at age Did you know? At the time of his death inGeorge Washington owned some enslaved people. However, before his passing, he had become opposed to slavery, and in his will, he ordered that his enslaved workers be freed after his wife's death. As a teenager, Washington, who had shown an aptitude for mathematics, became a successful surveyor.

His surveying expeditions into the Virginia wilderness earned him enough money to begin acquiring land of his own. InWashington made his only trip outside of America, when he traveled to Barbados with his older half-brother Lawrence Washingtonwho was suffering from tuberculosis and hoped the warm climate would help him recuperate. Shortly after their arrival, George contracted smallpox.

He survived, although the illness left him with permanent facial scars. George Washington, at age 23, becomes colonel of the Virginia regiment during the French and Indian War — He resigns from the colonial military in after failing to earn a commission in the royal British military—which he believes is a sign his military career is over.

On July 3, he takes formal command of the army in Massachusettswhere the American Revolutionary War — is already underway. By the time Washington becomes commander-in-chief, colonial militiamen have already begun a siege of British-controlled Boston. During a six-month encampment at Valley ForgePennsylvaniaWashington and former Prussian military officer Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben a biography of george washington the Continental Army into a more efficient fighting force.

This proves to be a major turning point in the war. The Battle of Yorktown is the last major battle in the war, though the war formally ends on September 3, with the Treaty of Paris. In DecemberWashington, who had no previous military experience, was made a commander of the Virginia militia. ByWashington had resigned his commission, returned to Mount Vernon and was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he served until In Januaryhe married Martha Dandridge Custisa wealthy widow with two children.

Although the battle was a horrific loss for the British forces, Washington returned to Virginia as a war hero. Although this status was not fully merited due to Washington's significant lack of military knowledgeit helped to boost his popularity in the eyes of both the public and the prominent. After the end of the Seven Years War, Washington returned to civilian life with his marriage to a wealthy Virginian widow named Martha Dandridge Custis.

George's marriage to Martha united both of their already wealthy estates. Therefore, Washington spent much of his time after the war tending and expanding his vast estate. Moreover, the newly famous Washington re-entered politics as a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses. However, life during this time of peace was short-lived as the pivotal encounters with the British at the battles of Lexington and Concord soon propelled the American colonies into the Revolutionary War against their mother country, Great Britain.

Washington's experience as the commander of the colonial forces was a mixture of success and failure, embarrassment and glory. One of his most significant losses was the capture and occupation of New York City by the British forces. Washington retired from his Virginia regiment in December His experience during the war was generally frustrating, with key decisions made slowly, poor support from the colonial legislature and poorly trained recruits.

Washington applied for a commission with the British army but was turned down. Inhe resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon disillusioned. The same year, he entered politics and was elected to Virginia's House of Burgesses. A month after leaving the army, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow, who was only a few months older than he.

Martha brought to the marriage a considerable fortune: an 18,acre estate, from which Washington personally acquired 6, acres. With this and land he was granted for his military service, Washington became one of the more wealthy landowners in Virginia. The marriage also brought Martha's two young children, John Jacky and Martha Patsyages six and four, respectively.

Washington lavished great affection on both of them, and was heartbroken when Patsy died just before the Revolution.

A biography of george washington

Jacky died during the Revolution, and Washington adopted two of his children. During his retirement from the Virginia militia until the start of the Revolution, 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. By the s, Washington kept over enslaved people at Mount Vernon.

He was said to dislike the institution of slaverybut accepted the fact that it was legal. Washington, in his will, made his displeasure with slavery known, as he ordered that all his enslaved people be granted their freedom upon the death of his wife Martha. Washington loved the landed gentry's life of horseback riding, fox hunts, fishing and cotillions.

He worked six days a week, often taking off his coat and performing manual labor with his workers. He was an innovative and responsible landowner, breeding cattle and horses and tending to his fruit orchards. Much has been made of the fact that Washington used false teeth or dentures for most of his adult life. Indeed, Washington's correspondence to friends and family makes frequent references to aching teeth, inflamed gums and various dental woes.

Washington had one tooth pulled when he was just 24 years old, and by the time of his inauguration in he had just one natural tooth left. But his false teeth weren't made of wood, as some legends suggest. Instead, Washington's false teeth were fashioned from human teeth — including teeth from enslaved people and his own pulled teeth — ivory, animal teeth and assorted metals.

Washington's dental problems, according to some historians, probably impacted the shape of his face and may have contributed to his quiet, somber demeanor: During the Constitutional Convention, Washington addressed the gathered dignitaries only once. Though the British Proclamation Act of — prohibiting settlement beyond the Alleghenies — irritated Washington and he opposed the Stamp Act ofhe did not take a leading role in the growing colonial resistance against the British until the widespread a biography of george washington of the Townshend Acts in His letters of this period indicate he was totally opposed to the colonies declaring independence.

However, byhe wasn't opposed to resisting what he believed were fundamental violations by the Crown of the rights of Englishmen. InWashington introduced a resolution to the House of Burgesses calling for Virginia to boycott British goods until the Acts were repealed. After the passage of the Coercive Acts inWashington chaired a meeting in which the Fairfax Resolves were adopted, calling for the convening of the Continental Congress and the use of armed resistance as a last resort.

He was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in March After the battles of Lexington and Concord in Aprilthe political dispute between Great Britain and her North American colonies escalated into an armed conflict. In May, Washington traveled to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia dressed in a military uniform, indicating that he was prepared for war.

As was his custom, he did not seek out the office of commander, but he faced no serious competition. Washington was the best choice for a number of reasons: he had the prestige, military experience and charisma for the job and he had been advising Congress for months. Another factor was political: The Revolution had started in New England and at the time, they were the only colonies that had directly felt the brunt of British tyranny.

Virginia was the largest British colony and New England needed Southern colonial support. Political considerations and force of personality aside, Washington was not necessarily qualified to wage war on the world's most powerful nation. Washington's training and experience were primarily in frontier warfare involving small numbers of soldiers.

He wasn't trained in the open-field style of battle practiced by the commanding British generals. He also had no practical experience maneuvering large formations of infantry, commanding cavalry or artillery, or maintaining the flow of supplies for thousands of men in the field. But he was courageous and determined and smart enough to keep one step ahead of the enemy.

Washington and his small army did taste victory early in March by placing artillery above Boston, on Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to withdraw. Washington then moved his troops into New York City. But in June, a new British commander, Sir William Howearrived in the Colonies with the largest expeditionary force Britain had ever deployed to date.

In Augustthe British army launched an attack and quickly took New York City in the largest battle of the war. Washington's army was routed and suffered the surrender of 2, men. He ordered the remains of his army to retreat into Pennsylvania across the Delaware River. Confident the war would be over in a few months, General Howe wintered his troops at Trenton and Princeton, leaving Washington free to attack at the time and place of his choosing.

On Christmas night,Washington and his men returned across the Delaware River and attacked unsuspecting Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, forcing their surrender. A few days later, evading a force that had been sent to destroy his army, Washington attacked the British again, this time at Princeton, dealing them a humiliating loss. General Howe's strategy was to capture colonial cities and stop the rebellion at key economic and political centers.

He never abandoned the belief that once the Americans were deprived of their major cities, the rebellion would wither. In the summer ofhe mounted an offensive against Philadelphia. Washington moved in his army to defend the city but was defeated at the Battle of Brandywine. Philadelphia fell two weeks later. In the late summer ofthe British army sent a major force, under the command of John Burgoyne, south from Quebec to Saratoga, New York, to split the rebellion between New England and the southern colonies.

Without support from Howe, who couldn't reach him in time, Burgoyne was forced to surrender his entire 6, man army.