| Revision as of 01:19, 15 March 2006 view sourceKinneyboy90 (talk | contribs)4,745 edits washington was no redhead. one president was a redhead and it was Jefferson. categories a red one anyway← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:51, 15 March 2006 view source 66.30.160.183 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| #REDIRECT [[ | |||
| {{Otherpeople|George Washington}} | |||
| ---- | |||
| {{Infobox_President | name=George Washington | |||
| --] 01:51, 15 March 2006 (UTC)<nowiki><math><math>[[Media: | |||
| | nationality=American | |||
| == ] ==]]</math></math></nowiki>]] | |||
| | image=Portrait of George Washington.jpeg | |||
| | wh image=Gw1.gif | |||
| | order=1st Elected President | |||
| | term_start=] ] | |||
| | term_end=] ]<!-- Prior to the passage of the 20th Amendment, presidential terms ended at 11:59:59 on ]. --> | |||
| | predecessor=None | |||
| | successor=] | |||
| | birth_date=] ] | |||
| | birth_place=], ] | |||
| | death_date=] ] | |||
| | death_place=], Virginia | |||
| | spouse=] | |||
| | Brothers=Lawrence Washington and Augustine Washington (Half Brothers) | |||
| | party=None (1789-93) ] (1793-1797) | vicepresident=] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''George Washington''' (] ] – ] ]) was the successful ] of the ] in the ] from 1775 to 1783, and later became the first Elected ], an office to which he was elected, unanimously, twice and remained in from 1789 to 1797. | |||
| Washington first gained prominence as an officer during the ] and as a leader of colonial militia supporting the ]. After leading the American victory in the Revolutionary War, he refused to lead a ], though encouraged by some of his peers to do so. He returned to civilian life at ]. | |||
| In 1787, he presided over the ] that drafted the current ], and, in 1789, was the unanimous choice to become the first President of the United States. His two-term administration set many policies and ] that survive today. After his second term expired, Washington again voluntarily relinquished ], thereby establishing an important precedent that was to serve as an example for the United States and also for other future ]s. | |||
| Because of his ] of the ], Washington is often called the ]. {{ref|father}} Scholars ] him with ] among the greatest of United States presidents. | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| According to the ], Washington was born on ] ]; according to the ], which was adopted during Washington's life and is used today, he was born on ] ] (] is celebrated on the Gregorian date.) At the time of his birth, the English year began ] (] Day, or ]), hence the difference in his birth year. His birthplace was Popes Creek Plantation, on the Potomac River southeast of modern-day ] in {{USCity|Westmoreland County|Virginia}}. | |||
| George Washington was the oldest child from his father's second marriage. Washington had two older half-brothers: Lawrence and Augustine, Jr. "Austin" and four younger siblings: Betty, Samuel, John Augustine "Jack", and Charles. Washington's parents ] "Gus" (1693–] ]) and ] (1708–] ]) were of ] descent. Gus Washington was a ]-owning planter in ] who later tried his hand in iron-mining ventures. Considered members of the gentlemen class they were not nearly as wealthy as the neighboring Carters and Lees. Washington spent much of his boyhood at ] in ], near ] and visited his Washington cousins at ] in King George County. One of Gus Washington's properties where the family resided from about 1735-1737 was Little Hunting Creek Farm. This property was later taken over by Gus's oldest son, Lawrence, and renamed Mount Vernon. The death of Gus Washington left the family in difficult circumstances and prevented young George from receiving an education in England as his older brothers Lawrence and Austin did. George Washington would never travel to Europe. | |||
| ]'s 1939 painting pokes gentle fun at Parson Weems' tale of Washington's childhood]] | |||
| An early biography of Washington by Parson Weems, who met Washington and interviewed people who knew Washington as a young man, included a story about his honesty as a child. In the story, he wanted to try out a new axe, so he chopped the bark of his father's ] tree; when questioned by his father, he admitted responsibility and uttered the famous words: "I can't tell a lie.” The story first appeared in 1800 in Weems's biography (titled "Life of Washington"). The work of Parson Weems is believed to be pure allegory, though the story indeed depicted the strict integrity that was a hallmark of Washington's life. | |||
| He was home schooled, often tutored by his older brothers, and eventually trained as a ], obtaining his certificate from the ]. He surveyed the ] in western Virginia for Lord Fairfax, a relative of Washington's brother Lawrence by marriage, and retained a lifelong interest in western lands, particularly the areas reached from the ] as his thinking was that this water source was the central entrance for oceanic ships. His only foreign trip was a short visit to ] with Lawrence in 1751, during which George Washington survived an attack of ] although his face was scarred by the disease. He was initiated as a ] in Fredericksburg on ] ]. Upon Lawrence Washington's death from tuberculosis in July 1752, George Washington rented and eventually inherited the estate, ], in ] (near ]). Washington would spend the next thirty years adding on to the house and the surrounding acreage. | |||
| ==American Revolution: 1774-1783== | |||
| {{main articles|] and ]}} | |||
| ],'' by ], 1851 | |||
| , ]]] | |||
| In 1774, Washington was chosen as a ] from Virginia to the ], convened in the wake of the Boston Tea Party, the British government's punitive closure of Boston Harbor, and the annulment of legislative and judicial rights in Massachusetts. After fighting broke out at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775, Washington appeared at the ] in military uniform—the only delegate to do so, signaling his interest in becoming commander of the colonial forces. Washington was the unanimous selection, on ] ]. The ] delegate ] suggested his appointment, citing his "skill as an officer... great talents and universal character." He assumed command of the American forces at Cambridge, Massachusetts on ]. | |||
| Washington drove the British forces out of ] on ], ], by stationing artillery captured at ] on ], overlooking Boston and its harbor. The British army, led by General ], retreated to ], ]. Washington moved his army to ] in anticipation of a British offensive there. In August, the British invaded in overwhelming numbers and Washington led a clumsy retreat that almost failed. He lost the ] on ] but managed to move most of his forces to the mainland. However, several other defeats sent Washington scrambling across ], leaving the future of the Revolution in doubt. | |||
| On the night of ] ], Washington staged a brilliant comeback, the ]. He led the American forces across the ] to smash the ] forces in ]. Washington followed up the assault with a surprise attack on General ]' forces at ] on the eve of ], ]. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists. | |||
| In summer 1777, the British launched a three-pronged attack, with ] marching south from Canada while Howe attacked the national capital of ]. Washington moved south, but was badly defeated at the ] on ]. An attempt to dislodge the British, the ], failed as a result of fog and confusion, and Washington was forced to retire to winter quarters at the miserably inadequate ]. | |||
| The winter of 1777-1778 was seen as the low point for the Continental Army (and as a result, for the Revolution as a whole), due to their string of crushing losses, and their wretched living conditions. Washington, however, stood steadfast, demanding more supplies from Congress. His men recovered their morale despite the harsh winter conditions. A new system of drill and training was established by ], who had served on the Prussian general staff. Von Steuben's task was to improve the army’s fighting capabilities so that it could match the British in the field. As a result, Valley Forge proved to be a watershed for the fledgling Continental Army which emerged more battle ready than when they first encamped. | |||
| Washington attacked the British army moving from Philadelphia to New York at the ] on ] ], a drawn contest, but the British effort to disrupt the national government had failed. Burgoyne’s invading army, meanwhile, was captured at ] in October, giving the British a crushing defeat. It now seemed likely that the British would never re-conquer the new nation, and France signed a formal ] with the U.S. | |||
| ], 1779]] | |||
| After 1778, the British made one last effort to split apart the new nation, this time focused on the southern states. Rather than attack them there, Washington's forces moved to ] in New York. In 1779, Washington ordered a fifth of the army to carry out the ], an offensive against four of the six nations of the ] that had allied with the British and attacked American settlements along the frontier. There were no battles, but at least forty Iroquois villages were destroyed and the hostile Indians moved permanently to Canada. In 1781, American and French forces and a French fleet trapped General Cornwallis at ] in Virginia. Washington had quick-marched south, taking command of the American and French forces on ], and pressed the siege until Cornwallis surrendered on ]. It was the end of significant fighting, though British forces remained in New York City and a few other places until the final peace was ratified in 1783. | |||
| In March 1783, Washington learned about ] planned by some of his officers who were upset about back pay in the Continental Army's winter camp at ]. They were plotting a ] against the Continental Congress. He was able to convince them (through use of ]) that he had suffered equally or more than they. He was thus able to instill loyalty, and thus end the plot. | |||
| Later in 1783, by means of the ], the ] recognized American independence. Washington disbanded his army and on ] at ] in ], gave an eloquent to his soldiers. A few days later the ], and Washington and the governor took possession of the city; at ] in the city on ], he formally bade his officers farewell. | |||
| ==Home in Virginia 1783-1787== | |||
| ], painted in London, 1780, from memory]] | |||
| On ] ], General Washington resigned his commission as Commander in Chief of the Army to the ], which was then meeting at the ] in ]. This action was of great significance for the young nation, establishing the precedent that civilian elected officials, rather than military officers, possessed ultimate ]. Washington firmly believed that the people are sovereign and that no one should ever come to power in America because of military force, or because of birth in a noble family. | |||
| General George Washington returned home to Mount Vernon arriving at the gates of his estate around candlelight on Christmas Eve, 1783. He had been absent from his beloved home in service to his country since he assumed command of the Army in 1775. Waiting to greet him was the wife he made the promise to eight years prior to be home by Christmas and four step-grandchildren all born during his absence. The end of the war also took with it George Washington's step-son, Jacky Custis. The boy he raised died of camp fever in 1781 at Yorktown. | |||
| At the time of Washington's departure from military service, he was listed on the rolls of the Continental Army as "General and Commander in Chief." (See ''Retirement, death, and honors'' section ] for more on this topic.) | |||
| Although the nation was at peace in the late 1780s, Washington worried that the fledgling nation had such a weak central government that it could not survive a future war. He therefore endorsed plans to create a new constitution. His support guaranteed it would happen and he presided over the ] in ] in 1787. For the most part, he did not participate in the debates involved, but his prestige was great enough to maintain collegiality and to keep the delegates at their labors. He adamantly enforced the secrecy adopted by the Convention during the summer. Many believe that the ] created the ] with Washington in mind. After the Convention, his support convinced many, including the ] legislature, to support the ]. | |||
| Washington farmed roughly 8,000 acres (32 km²). Like many Virginia planters at the time, he had little cash on hand and was frequently in debt, even though he owned much land. He eventually had to borrow $600 to relocate to New York, then the center of the American government, to take office as president. | |||
| ==Presidency: 1789-1797== | |||
| ===Beginnings=== | |||
| George Washington was ] unanimously by the ] in 1789, and remains the only person ever to be elected president unanimously (a feat which he duplicated in 1792). As runner-up with 34 votes, ] became ]-elect. The ] voted to pay Washington a salary of $25,000 a year—a significant sum in 1789. Washington was perhaps the wealthiest American at the time; his western lands were potentially valuable--but no one lived on them as yet. He declined his salary. It was part of his self-structured image as ], the citizen who takes on the burdens of office as a civil duty. Washington attended carefully to the pomp and ceremony of office, making sure that the titles and trappings were suitably republican and never emulated European royal courts. | |||
| Washington's election was a disappointment to ], the ], who wanted to continue living in quiet retirement at Mount Vernon after the war. Nevertheless, she quickly assumed the role of hostess, opening her ] and organizing weekly dinner parties for as many dignitaries as could fit around the presidential table. | |||
| ===Policies=== | |||
| In the beginning of his term, he met individually with his advisors, but, by 1791, held regular cabinet meetings. Washington had to referee between the Treasury's ], who had bold plans to establish the national credit and build a financially powerful nation, and ] and ], who usually opposed him. Hamilton won most of these battles and, after Washington denounced the ] as dangerous, he was hailed as the leading figure in the new ]. Jefferson did win the location of the new national capital, which would be located in the South, in what was soon named "Washington, District of Columbia". | |||
| In 1791, Congress imposed an ] on ] ], leading to protests. By 1794, after Washington ordered the protesters to appear in ], the protests turning into full-scale riots, and outright ]. On ], Washington invoked the ] to summon the ]s of Pennsylvania, Virginia and several states. He raised an army of militiamen, and marched at its head into the rebellious districts, making him the only sitting US President to march at the head of a column of troops. There was no fighting, but Washington's forceful action proved the new government could protect itself. In leading the military force against the rebels Washington became the only president to personally lead troops in battle while ]. It also marked the first time under the new constitution that the federal government had used strong military force to exert authority over the states and citizens. | |||
| The United States had acquired title to the ] from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, but the ] who lived there were not consulted. Violence often resulted, the largest conflict being the ], in which the Indians won victories until being defeated at the ] in 1794. | |||
| In 1793, the revolutionary government of France sent diplomat ], who attempted to turn popular sentiment towards American involvement in the war against ]. Genêt was authorized to issue ] to American ships and gave authority to any French ] to serve as a ]. Genêt's activities forced Washington to ask the French government for his recall. | |||
| The ], named after ] ] who was sent by Washington to ] to negotiate an agreement, was a treaty between the ] and ] signed on ], 1794 that attempted to clear up some of the lingering problems of American separation from Great Britain following the ]. The Treaty was strongly attacked by supporters of France, led by the Jeffersonians, but Washington, supported by ], obtained its ratification by ]. The British had to clear out of their forts around the ]. It remained in effect until the ]. | |||
| ] used Federal patronage to set up a national network of friends of the Administration. This developed into a full-fledged party, with Hamilton the key leader. The ] elected ] president in 1796. Washington himself spoke often against the ills of political parties, and thus never declared his support one way or another. He did, however, support Hamiltonian politics over Jeffersonian, but never made a statement to that effect. Washington was more or less not a member of any party in existence at that time. | |||
| Washington had to be talked into a second term of office as President, and very reluctantly agreed to it. However, after two terms, Washington refused to run for a third term in office. By refusing a third term, Washington established a firm, but unwritten precedent of a maximum of two terms for a U.S. president. It was broken by ] in 1940, but after his death was formally integrated into the ] by the ]. | |||
| ] (issued as a public letter) was the defining statement of Federalist party principles and one of the most influential statements of American political values. Most of the Address dealt with the dangers of bitter partisanship in domestic politics. He called for men to put aside party and unite for the common good. He called for an America wholly free of foreign attachments, as the United States must concentrate only on American interests. He counseled friendship and commerce with all nations, and warned sternly against involvement in European wars. Long-term alliances should be avoided, but he said the 1778 alliance with France had to be observed. The Address quickly entered the realm of "received wisdom." Many Americans, especially in subsequent generations, accepted Washington's advice as gospel and, in any debate between neutrality and involvement in foreign issues, would invoke the message as dispositive of all questions. Not until 1949 would the United States again sign a treaty of alliance with a foreign nation. | |||
| At John Adams' inauguration, Washington is said to have approached Adams afterwards and stated "Well, I am fairly out and you are fairly in. Now we shall see who enjoys it the most!" Washington also declined to leave the room before Adams and the new ], ], establishing the principle that even a former president is, after all, only a private citizen. | |||
| ===Major presidential acts=== | |||
| * Signed ] | |||
| * Signed ]s, starting in 1790 | |||
| * Signed ] | |||
| * Signed ] | |||
| * Signed ] or Mint Act | |||
| * Signed ] | |||
| * Signed ] | |||
| ===Administration and Cabinet=== | |||
| ]''' of President Washington by ]]] | |||
| {| cellpadding=1 cellspacing=4 style="margin:3px; border:3px solid #000000;text-align:left" align=left | |||
| !bgcolor=#000000 colspan=3| | |||
| |- | |||
| |'''OFFICE'''||'''NAME'''||'''TERM''' | |||
| |- | |||
| !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||'''George Washington'''||1789–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1793 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1794–1795 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1795–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1795 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1795–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1794 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1795–1796 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1796–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1793 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1794–1795 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1795–1797 | |||
| |- | |||
| |]||''']'''||1789–1791 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1791–1795 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ||''']'''||1795–1797 | |||
| |} | |||
| <br clear="all"> | |||
| ===Supreme Court appointments=== | |||
| As the first President, Washington appointed the entire Supreme Court, a feat almost repeated by President ] during his four terms in office (1933–45). Washington appointed the following Justices to the ]: | |||
| * ] - ] - 1789 | |||
| * ] - 1789 | |||
| * ] - 1790 | |||
| * ] - 1790 | |||
| * ] - 1790 | |||
| * ] - 1790 | |||
| * ] - 1792 | |||
| * ] - 1793 | |||
| * ] - Chief Justice, 1795 (an associate justice since 1790) | |||
| * ] - 1796 | |||
| * ] - Chief Justice - 1796 | |||
| ===States admitted to the Union=== | |||
| * ] (1789) | |||
| * ] (1790) | |||
| * ] (1791) | |||
| * ] (1792) | |||
| * ] (1796) | |||
| ==Retirement and death== | |||
| ]'s 1865 ] The ] is found in the ] of the ]]] | |||
| After retiring from the presidency in March 1797, Washington returned to Mount Vernon with a profound sense of relief. He established a ] there and became probably the largest distiller of ] in the nation at the time, producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey and a profit of $7,500 in 1798. | |||
| During that year, Washington was appointed ] in the ] (then the highest possible rank) by President ]. Washington's appointment was to serve as a warning to ], with which war seemed imminent. While Washington never saw active service, upon his death one year later, the U.S. Army rolls listed him as a retired Lieutenant General, which was then considered the equivalent to his rank as General and Commander in Chief during the Revolutionary War. | |||
| Within a year of this 1798 appointment, Washington fell ill from a bad cold with a fever and a sore throat that turned into acute ] and ] and died on ] ], at his home. Modern doctors believe that Washington died from either a ] or, since he was bled as part of the treatment, a combination of ] from the loss of blood, ], and ]. One of the physicians who administered ] to him was Dr. ], one of Washington's closest friends, who had been with Washington at Fort Necessity, the Braddock expedition, and throughout the Revolutionary War. Washington's remains were buried at ]. | |||
| ==After his death== | |||
| Congressman Henry ], a Revolutionary War comrade, famously eulogized Washington as "a citizen, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." | |||
| Washington set many precedents that established tranquility in the presidential office in the years to come. His choice to peacefully relinquish the presidency to ], after serving two terms in office, is seen as one of Washington's most important legacies. | |||
| He was also lauded posthumously as the "]" and is often considered to be the most important of ]. He has gained fame around the world as a quintessential example of a benevolent national founder. Americans often refer to men in other nations considered the ] as "the George Washington of his nation" (for example, ]'s role in ]). | |||
| Washington was ranked #26 in ]'s ]. He is generally regarded by historians as one of the ]. | |||
| Even though he had been the highest-ranking officer of the Revolutionary War, having in 1798 been appointed a ''Lieutenant General'' (now three stars), it seemed, somewhat incongruously, that all later full (that is, four star) generals in U.S. history (starting with General ]), and also all five-star generals of the Army, were considered to outrank Washington. General ] had attained an even higher rank of six-star general, ''General of the Armies'' (above five star—though the most stars Pershing actually ever wore were four). This issue was resolved in 1976 when Washington was, by act of ], posthumously promoted to the rank of ], outranking any past, present, and future general, and declared to permanently be ''the'' top-ranked military officer of the United States. | |||
| ===Monuments and memorials=== | |||
| <div style="float:left;"> | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ]]] | |||
| </div> | |||
| ] Memorial in lower ], site of Washington's first inauguration as President]] | |||
| Today Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols of the United States, along with the icons such as the flag and great seal. Perhaps the most pervasive commemoration of his legacy is the use of his image on the ] and the ]. The image used on the dollar bill is derived from a famous portrait of him painted by ], itself one of the most notable works of early American art. | |||
| Washington, together with ], ] and ], was chosen by President ] to be depicted in stone at the ]. | |||
| Because of Washington's involvement in Freemasonry, some publicly visible collections of Washington memorabilia are maintained by Masonic lodges, most notably the ] in Alexandria, Virginia. The museum at ] in New York City includes specimens of Washington's ] (contrary to the widespread myth, they were not wooden - see the ] section below). | |||
| The capital city of the United States, ], is named for him. The District of Columbia was created by an ] in 1790, and Washington was deeply involved in its creation, including choosing the site for the ]. The ], one of the most well-known landmarks in the city, was built in his honor. ], also in D.C., was named after him, and it was founded in part with shares Washington bequeathed to an endowment to create a national university in Washington. | |||
| The only state named for a president is the state of ] in the U.S. ]. | |||
| Washington selected ], ], as the site for the ]. The ] has ] after Washington; the ] is a ] nuclear powered ], commissioned on ], ]. | |||
| Other examples include the ], which extends between ] and ], and the ] genus '']'' is also named after him. | |||
| ''See also:'' ] | |||
| ===Summary of military career=== | |||
| * 1753: Commissioned a ] in the ] | |||
| * 1754: Promoted to ] in the Virginia Militia | |||
| * 1754: Led abortive expedition to Fort Duquesne, later served as aide to General ] | |||
| * 1755: Promoted to ] and named Commander of all Virginia Forces. Commissioned a ] later that year | |||
| * 1759–75: Resigned from active military service | |||
| * June 1775: Commissioned General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army | |||
| * 1775–81: Commands the Continental Army in over seven major battles with the British | |||
| * December 1783: Resigns commission as Commander in Chief of the Army | |||
| * July 1798: Appointed Lieutenant General and Commander of the Provisional Army to be raised in the event of a war with France | |||
| * ] ]: Dies and is listed as a Lieutenant General (r) on the U.S. Army rolls | |||
| * ] ]: Approved by the ] for promotion to ] | |||
| * ] ]: Declared the senior most U.S. military officer for all time by Presidential Order of ] | |||
| * ] ]: Promoted by Army Order 31-3 to General of the Armies with effective date of rank ] ]. | |||
| ==Personal qualities== | |||
| {{POV-check-section}} | |||
| Washington was long considered not just a military and revolutionary hero, but a man of great personal integrity, with a deeply held sense of duty, honor and patriotism. He was upheld as a shining example in schoolbooks and lessons: as courageous and farsighted, holding the Continental Army together through eight hard years of war and numerous privations, sometimes by sheer force of will; and as restrained: at War's end taking afront at the notion he should be King; and after two terms as President, stepping aside. | |||
| Recent years have seen schools and authors focus more on his weaknesses: his reliance on the family plantation and its slaves; his role in sparking the French and Indian War. Yet the grandparents and great-great-grandparents of today's students were taught of Washington as a character model more even than war hero or founding father. To them, Washington was notable for his modesty and carefully controlled ambition. He never accepted pay during his military service with the Continental Army, and was genuinely reluctant to assume any of the offices thrust upon him. When John Adams recommended him to the ] for the position of general and commander in chief of the Continental Army, Washington left the room to allow any dissenters to freely voice their objections. In later accepting the post, Washington told the Congress that he was unworthy of the honor. However, it should be remembered that Washington was always an ambitious man. He ensured that during the Continental Congress he arrived and was always present wearing his old colonial uniform so as to make it clear to all that he was deeply interested in commanding the continental troops. Congress actually made him the commander of the continental army before they authorized an army for him to command. In reality, no one else could have ensured that the southern colonies would assist the northern ones unless Washington was part of the equation; aside from a few other, less endearing leaders, Washington was likely, overall, the only choice that would achieve this. | |||
| It is often said that one of Washington's greatest achievements was refraining from taking more power than was due. He was conscientious of maintaining a good reputation by avoiding political intrigue. He had no interest in ] or ], rejecting, for example, a military promotion during the war for his deserving cousin ] lest it be regarded as favoritism. ] wrote, "The moderation and virtue of a single character probably prevented this Revolution from being closed, as most others have been, by a subversion of that liberty it was intended to establish." | |||
| ===Washington and slavery=== | |||
| Historians' perceptions of Washington's stand on slavery tend to be mixed. Although he advocated humane treatment of his slaves, according to an eyewitness, his slaves lived in "miserable" huts, and were often poorly clothed, according to plantation records. As he progressed in life, he became increasingly uneasy with the "]", and historian ] wrote, "As he grew older, he became increasingly aware that it was immoral and unjust." | |||
| According to historians such as Clayborne Carson and Gary Nash, Washington's professed hatred of slavery was offset by his denial of freedom to even those slaves, like William Lee, who fought with Washington for eight years. Lee lived at Mount Vernon as a slave although his wife was a free woman from Philadelphia, named Margaret Thomas. Although it is said by some historians that it is not known whether she lived with him on the plantation, most sources indicate that she did not. . Billy Lee was the only slave freed outright in Washington's will. | |||
| According to one of his most notable biographers, Joseph Ellis, Washington possessed no moral anxiety over owning slaves. According to Ellis Washington talked and thought about his slaves as "a Species of Property," very much as he described his dogs and horses. The view by this historian might suggest that Washington's professed love of liberty would not extend out to those who worked on his plantation. | |||
| After the Revolution, Washington told an English visitor, "I clearly foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union by consolidating it on a common bond of principle." The buying and selling of slaves, as if they were "cattle in the market," especially outraged him. He wrote to his friend ] in 1786, "I never mean... to possess another slave by purchase; it being among my first wishes to see some plan adopted, by which slavery in this country may be abolished by slow, sure, and imperceptible degrees." Ten years later, he wrote to ], "There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see some plan adopted for the gradual ] ." | |||
| ] | |||
| As President, Washington was mindful of the risk of splitting apart the young ] over the question of slavery. He did not advocate the abolition of slavery while in office, but did sign legislation enforcing the prohibition of slavery in the ], writing to his good friend the ] that he considered it a wise measure. Lafayette urged him to free his slaves as an example to others— Washington was held in such high regard after the revolution that there was reason to hope that if he freed his slaves, others would follow his example. Lafayette purchased an estate in ] and settled his own slaves there, and he offered a place for Washington's slaves, writing "I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America if I could have conceived thereby that I was founding a land of slavery." Washington did not free his slaves in his lifetime, but included a provision in his will to free the slaves upon the death of his wife. Mrs. Washington did not wait on this and instead freed the Washington slaves on January 1, 1801. Billy Lee was the only slave freed outright upon George Washington's death. | |||
| One of Washington's slaves, Oney Judge Staines, escaped the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia in 1796 and lived the rest of her life free in ]<!--I don't know if this source is "official" enough, but there are other sources that can be used, and it is reputable-->. | |||
| ===Religious beliefs=== | |||
| Washington's religious views are a matter of some controversy. There is considerable evidence that indicates he, like numerous other men of his time, was a ]—believing in ] but not believing in ] or ]s. As a young man, before the Revolution, when the ] was still the ] in Virginia, he served as a ]man (lay officer) for his local church. He spoke often of the value of prayer, righteousness, and seeking and offering thanks for the "blessings of Heaven". He sometimes accompanied his wife to Christian church services; however there is no record of his ever becoming a communicant in any ] church, and he would regularly leave services before ]—with the other non-communicants. When Rev. Dr. ], ] of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, mentioned in a weekly sermon that those in elevated stations set an unhappy example by leaving at communion, Washington ceased attending at all on communion Sundays. Long after Washington died, asked about Washington's beliefs, Abercrombie replied: "Sir, Washington was a Deist!" His step-granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, and several others have said, however, that he was, indeed, a Christian. Various prayers said to have been composed by him in his later life are highly edited. He did not ask for any clergy on his deathbed, though one was available. His funeral services were those of the ] at the request of his wife, Martha. | |||
| Washington was an early supporter of ]. In 1775, he ordered that his troops should not burn the ] in effigy on ]. In 1790, he wrote to ] leaders that he envisioned a country "which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.... May the Children of the Stock of ], 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." | |||
| ==Public offices held== | |||
| *Surveyor for Culpeper County, Virginia | |||
| *Distinguished himself as General Braddock's aide-de-camp in the ], 1755 | |||
| *Named ] of the Virginia ], 1755 | |||
| *Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1759 | |||
| *Unanimously chosen commander in chief of the Continental Army, June 1775 | |||
| *Masterminded the American victory at Yorktown, October 1781 | |||
| *Unanimously elected President of the Constitutional Convention 1787 | |||
| *Unanimously elected President of the United States twice, 1789 and 1792 | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| *George Washington stood amost 6'3" and had red hair. | |||
| *A popular belief is that Washington wore a wig, as was the fashion among some at the time. He did not. He did, however, powder his hair, as represented in several portraits, including the well-known unfinished ] . | |||
| *It has been suggested in the journal "Fertility and Sterility" that Washington had no children because he was sterile, most probably resulting from a case of ]; he seemingly contracted it from his brother who later died from tuberculosis when he went to Barbados at age 19. His wife Martha had four children from a previous marriage (two died before they were four, the others died at age 16 and 28, respectively. Due to Mrs. Washington having four children of her own, it is generally assumed that she was capable of having more children. However, childbirth was extremely difficult in the Washington's day and any labor could cause irrevocable damage to a mother's ability to have more offspring. Mrs. Washington also suffered a case of the german measles shortly after her marriage to George Washington. Either the difficult birth of her last child, Patsy, and or the german measles could have comprised Mrs. Washington's fertility. The Washington's however were surrounded by children. In addition to Mrs. Washington's son and daughter, two of her four grandchildren where raised by George and Martha Washington and many nieces, nephews, and custodial wards came under the care of the Washington couple. The children of Mount Vernon include: John Parke Custis (son), Martha Parke Custis (daughter), Amelia Posey (ward), Frances Bassett (niece), George Augustine Washington (nephew), Harriot Washington (niece), Eleanor Parke Custis, (granddaughter), George Washington Parke Custis (grandson), and George Washington Lafayette (ward/son of the Marquis who lived with the Washington's during the French Reign of Terror). | |||
| *A number of younger men were essentially surrogate sons to the childless Washington, including ], ], ], and ], Washington's step-grandson. George Washington Parke Custis' daughter Mary would eventually become the wife of ]. | |||
| *Washington was a ] enthusiast and was known to have played the sport, which was popular at that time in the British colonies. | |||
| *Through his father's family, Washington was a direct descendant of ] and ] of ]. | |||
| *One story about Washington has him throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac River. He may have thrown an object across the ], the river on which his childhood home, Ferry Farm, stood. However, the Potomac is over a mile wide at Mount Vernon. Also silver dollars did not exist then. | |||
| *Grew ], a common crop at the time used for fiber production, specifically to make ]. | |||
| *Washington's ] were not made out of wood, as usually said. They were made out of teeth from different kinds of animals, specifically ], ], and ]. One set of false teeth that he had weighed almost three pounds and were made out of ]. | |||
| *In the first Presidential inauguration, Washington took the oath as prescribed by the Constitution but added several religious components to that official ceremony. Before taking his oath of office, a local ] was hurriedly borrowed on which to take the oath; Washington added the words “So help me God!” to the end of the oath, and then leaned over and kissed the Bible. | |||
| *While Washington did not accept pay while the Commander of the Continential Army, he did claim expenses. He provided Congress with a complete expense account which, after some grumbling, Congress paid in full. | |||
| *An attempt was made to kidnap George Washington while he was commander-in-chief of the army during the ]. The ] of ], ], and the ] of ], ], both ], were involved in the plot, as was one of Washington's bodyguards, ], Hickey was court-martialed and hanged for ], ], and ], on June 28, 1776. | |||
| *Washington was a Freemason. He participated in the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol Building as a Mason, was Master of Alexandria Masonic Lodge and was buried with Masonic honors. He was even suggested for the position of General Grand Master of Masons in America (which he did not pursue). It is generally accepted that if he would have taken the position that the individual state grand lodges would have united into one Grand Lodge of the United States. | |||
| *Washington was considered to be the finest horseman of his day. His favorite horse was named Nelson. | |||
| *The most famous man of his day, George Washington received hundreds of guest to his home every year. In 1798, 677 visitors passed through Mount Vernon. Washington commented that his home had become a "well-resorted tavern". | |||
| *George Washington was referred to as General Washington and not President Washington once he retired from the executive office. General was the title he preferred and protocol dictates that there is only one President. All former Presidents return to their previous highest ranking title. | |||
| *George Washinton's nickname for his wife was "Patsy". | |||
| *Mrs. Washington burned the correspondance between her husband and herself following his death. Only two letters survive. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| #{{note|father}}The earliest known image in which Washington is identified as such is on the cover of the circa 1778 ] almanac (Lancaster: Gedruckt bey Francis Bailey). This identifies Washington as "Landes Vater" or ''Father of the Land''. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| The literature on George Washington is immense. The ] has a comprehensive bibliography . | |||
| *Comora, Madeleine & Deborah Chandra. ''George Washington's Teeth.'' Illustrated by Brock Cole. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003; ISBN 0374325340. A lighthearted chronicle of his dental struggles, aimed at children and adults. | |||
| *Deconde, Alexander. ''Entangling Alliance: Politics & Diplomacy under George Washington'' (1958) | |||
| *] ''His Excellency: George Washington''. New York: Knopf, 2004. ISBN 1400040310. Powerful interpretation of Washington's career. | |||
| *Elkins, Stanley M. and Eric McKitrick, ''The Age of Federalism.'' (1994) the leading scholarly history of the 1790s. | |||
| * Ferling, John E. ''The First of Men: A Life of George Washington'' (1989), solid and scholarly. | |||
| *Fischer, David Hackett. ''Washington's Crossing.'' (2004), prize-winning military history focused on 1775-1776. | |||
| *Flexner, James Thomas. ''Washington: The Indispensable Man.'' Boston: Little, Brown, 1974. ISBN 0316286168 (1994 reissue). Single-volume condensation of Flexner's popular four-volume biography. | |||
| **''George Washington: the Forge of Experience, 1732-1775'' (1965) | |||
| *Freeman, Douglas. S. ''Washington: An abridgement in one volume by Richard Harwell of the seven-volume George Washington by Douglas Southall Freeman'' (1968), the standard scholarly biography. | |||
| **Freeman, Douglas. S. ''George Washington'' vol 1 (1948) | |||
| *Grizzard, Frank E., Jr. ''George! A Guide to All Things Washington.'' Buena Vista and Charlottesville, VA: Mariner Publishing. 2005. ISBN 0-9768238-0-2. Grizzard is a leading scholar of Washington. | |||
| *Grizzard, Frank E., Jr. ''The Ways of Providence: Religion and George Washington.'' Buena Vista and Charlottesville, VA: Mariner Publishing. 2005. ISBN 0-9768238-1-0. | |||
| *Higginbotham, Don, ed. ''George Washington Reconsidered'' (2001). | |||
| *Lengel, Edward G. ''General George Washington: A Military Life.'' New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN 1400060818. | |||
| *. ''George Washington'' (vol 2, 1899 covers 1783-99) old but generally accurate. Freeman and Flexner are much better. | |||
| * McDonald, Forrest . ''The Presidency of George Washington''. (1988), Intellectual history showing Washington as exemplar of republicanism. | |||
| *Wiencek, Henry. ''An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America''. (2003). | |||
| *Nash, Gary B. ''The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the Struggle to Create America''. Viking, 2005. ISBN 0670034207. A left-wing interpretation of the era, with little on Washington. | |||
| *Burton I. Kaufman, ed., Washington's Farewell Address: The View from the 20th Century (1969); Paul A. Varg, Foreign Policies of the Founding Fathers (1963); Alexander De Conde, Entangling Alliances (1958). | |||
| *Washington, George and Kitman, Marvin, ''George Washington's Expense Account''. Grove Press. (2001) ISBN 0-8021-3773-3 Account pages, with added humor. | |||
| * Barbara Bennett Peterson, "George Washington: America's Moral Exemplar", (2005). | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|George Washington}} | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
| {{Wikisource author}} | |||
| * -- first chapter of the biography by Willard Sterne Randall | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Full versions on-line from the University of Virginia | |||
| * Avalon Project (incl. Inaugural Addresses, State of the Union Messages, and more) | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * on Wikicities | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Analysis of the first veto by a U.S. President | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * {{gutenberg author| id=George+Washington+(1732-1799) | name=George Washington}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{start box}} | |||
| {{succession box|title=] ] candidate|before=''(none)''|after=]|years=] (won)<sup>(a)</sup>, ] (won)<sup>(a)</sup>}} | |||
| {{succession box|title=]|before=''(none)'' - ] was ] |after=]|years=] ]<sup>(b)</sup> – ] ] | |||
| <!-- Prior to the passage of the 20th Amendment, presidential terms ended at 11:59:59 on ]. -->| }} | |||
| {{succession box|title=]|before=]|after=]|years=1798-1799}} | |||
| {{succession footnote| marker=<sup>(a)</sup>| footnote=Washington was elected in 1789 and 1792 as an Independent, but the Federalist Party was formed by those most in agreement with continuing his policies.}} | |||
| {{succession footnote| marker=<sup>(b)</sup>| footnote=Washington's term as President is sometimes listed as starting on either ] or ]. ] is the official start of the first presidential term. ] is the date on which Congress counted the electoral votes and certified a winner. ] is the date on which Washington took the oath of office.}} | |||
| {{end box}} | |||
| {{USpresidents}} | |||
| <!-- categories for career/main source of notability--> | |||
| <!-- categories for other accomplishments/notable relationships--> | |||
| <!-- categories for biographical trivia--> | |||
| <!-- self-defined category--> | |||
| <!-- Translations --> | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME=Washington, George | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION=87th U.S. President | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH=] ] | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH=], ] | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH=] ] | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH=], ], United States of America | |||
| }} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Link FA|bg}} | |||
| {{Link FA|de}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 01:51, 15 March 2006
- REDIRECT [[
--66.30.160.183 01:51, 15 March 2006 (UTC)<math><math>[[Media: == ] ==]]</math></math>]]