George Washington

There is a man, a man above all men. He is one of the most memorable figures in American history & history in general. He is often called the “Father of our country.” He commanded and led the forefather’s of this country through the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. But his story did not end there. He became the first President of America. Many who came after him tried to embody his work. George Washington is a prime example of what a leader should consist of. He played a key role in winning over the land we walk on today & many put their trust into him to lead this country after the Revolutionary War.

George Washington was born on February 22,1732. He is the child of Augustine and Mary Washington, alongside two other sons from Augustine Washington’s first marriage. He was born & raised in Virginia. He and his two brother worked on their father’s farm. Farming provided them with a satisfying amount of wealth. That was, till , George’s father became terminally ill after surveying his land during a long ride in bad weather.
His mother, Mary, who now was a widowed woman wanted to send her son to school in England, but that was never able to happen and the most he ever received was an elementary school education.

His half brother Lawrence, looked out for him. Lawrence introduced him to Lord Fairfax, head of one of the most powerful families in Virginia. He was given a great deal of work surveying Lord Fairfax’s Northern Neck lands. Being underLord Fairfax’s wing, George Washington traveled the first time to the Virginia frontier west of the Shenandoah Valley in 1748.

With his partner surveyor, James Genn, and George Washington, were sent to help them in the surveys that reside in Patterson's Creek, South Branch River and Cacapon River valleys. The next year, William and Mary College had certified his surveying skills, and Washington received an appointment as the surveyor of Culpepper County. During his time working in these areas he met many influential men such as Joseph Edwards, Isaac Van Meter, and James Caudy. He also became acquainted with new settlers who were looking to build a home on the land he was working with. The friendships he built with these settlers played a big role on shaping the mind of George Washington in his younger years. Due to Lawrence Washington’s death in 1752, George Washington was given all of his half-brother’s land on Mount Vernon. With all the resources to become a farmer of his land in Virginia, George Washington gave up on surveying. He began running farms and joined the Virginia Militia. Going across the Ohio River Valley, England and France were going after control of America,.The French were coming from Canada and making alliances with Native Americans, and the British government was trying to stop this. George Washington took a group he put together to where the France resided. He found as much information as he possibly could on them and tried to reason with them to leave, they refused. When George Washington came back home he suggested that a fort should be built on the Ohio River so it can stop anymore French expansion into the area. In 1754 he took 150 men, trained all of them, equipped them with weapons and went off to help the troops building this fort. On the way, he made contact with a small French force and immediately attacked them. The French responded quickly. Washington returned to Fort Necessity. When the French attacked on July 3rd, there were only 284 men that were able to fight . The French offered to make terms, and George Washington surrendered. England decided to send troops from the Royal Army to get rid of the French. Their commander, General Edward Braddock, needed help from someone who was part of the battle and gave George Washington the part. In July of 1755, the British began moving towards the French. George Washington hinted to Braddock that the French and Indian troops fought very differently than usual, but he was ignored. A few days later, the British troops were attacked by a large Native American force. Washington fought bravely and barely escaped alive.

London blamed the colonials for the loss in battle. The colonials, decided to change the view point by making George Washington as a hero. They granted him leadership over all Virginian forces. George Washington was only twenty-two years old when he was given such a high position. George Washington learned how to raise a force, train it, lead it into battle, and keep it from running away. The defeat against the french in 1758 put an end to the military career of George Washington. He shortly after fell in love & married Martha Custis, who helped and supported George Washington in all his endeavors. They resided in Mount Vernon, where he planted crops that could be sold for cheap in America. He also had side investments in industries such as weaving and fishing. All of these ventures were aimed at making his plantation more self-sufficient, so he can escape from ties with England as much as possible. The people of America grew tired of British rule. The British put taxes on the the colonies to regroup from the amount of money that was used in the French & Indian War. To make sure these tariffs were being paid they put laws out against Americans that didn’t decide to do so As the people became angrier, more British troops poured into the colonies

In April 1775, news came in from the North. Forces from Boston attacked British troops at Lexington and Concord. When Washington found out he went to the Second Continental Congress, there was rumors that he might be commander of all the colonial forces. As soon as the Colonies united, there was a common decision to make George Washington commander in chief of all the forces of the colonies. He had no competition.

George Washington raised & trained 30,000 troops by that August. On their first sight of battle many men from the army either gave in or ran away. By November, the British had captured two forts that Washington’s army made to secure the Hudson River. Washington was forced to fall out into New Jersey and then Pennsylvania. Washington now realized that fighting out in the open was not benefitting them. He decided to use moves he had seen Native Americans used in the French and Indian War. On Christmas Day, he led his army through a rough blizzard, and attacked an enemy force at

Trenton. A few days later, he took a British garrison at nearby Princeton. These small defeats gave his army confidence, and let the British know that it was no where near over.

George Washington was not a great general but a brilliant revolutionary. Although he lost time and time again year after year he held his scared and weak army together through some of the worst times. This was the best thing he did as commander of the American forces. When he won his country's independence the people wanted him to be the leader of their newly formed civilization. He felt that he has done enough and he wanted to go home but he knew that the people still needed him and he took the role as the first President of the United States of America in 1788. In 1792 he wanted to end his presidency but he knew that wouldn’t be possible. There were still problems with the French-British rivalry and there were still civil problems between the South and the North. George Washington knew because of these issues his time as president were no where near over and he ran once more and won again with unanimous vote.

George Washington lived only two years after leaving the presidency. On December 13, 1799, he said that he caught a sore throat, and that night he became extremely sick. He never complained of the pain. Around that midnight he died.

All of this is here to show that George Washington was a great leader. He fought even when he was in the face of death. He knew how to make good money working for himself . He built his own army from scratch. He kept his men motivated in the worst of times. He knew that he had to sacrifice himself for his country, and he did. He is a someone that anybody should look up to & try to be like. There is no doubt that he really is the “Father of our country.”