George Washington: Difference between revisions

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| party=None (1789-93) [[Federalist]] (1793-1797) | vicepresident=[[John Adams]]

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'''George Washington''' ([[February 22]] [[1732]] – [[December 14]] [[1799]]) was the successful [[Commander in Chief]] of the [[Continental Army]] in the [[American Revolutionary War]] from 1775 to 1783, and later became the first [[President of the United States]], an office to which he was twice elected unanimously, and held from 1789 to 1797.

Washington first gained prominence as an officer during the [[French and Indian War]] and as a leader of colonial militia supporting the [[British Empire]]. After leading the American victory in the Revolutionary War, he refused to lead a [[militarism|military regime]], though encouraged by some of his peers to do so. He returned to civilian life at [[Mount Vernon (plantation)|Mount Vernon]].

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==Early life==

According to the [[Julian calendar]], Washington was born on [[February 11]] [[1731]]; according to the [[Gregorian calendar]], which was adopted during Washington's lifelifetime and is used today, he was born on [[February 22]] [[1732]] ([[Washington's Birthday]] is celebrated on the Gregorian date). At the time of his birth, the English year began [[March 25]] ([[Annunciation]] Day, or [[Lady Day]]), and hence the difference in his birth year. His birthplace was Popes Creek Plantation, on the Potomac River southeast of modern-day [[Colonial Beach, Virginia|Colonial Beach]] 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 [[Augustine Washington]] "Gus" (1693–[[April 12]] [[1743]]) and [[Mary Ball Washington]] (1708–[[August 25]] [[1789]]) were of [[British]] descent. Gus Washington was a [[slavery|slave]]-owning planter in [[Virginia]] 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 [[Ferry Farm]] in [[Stafford County, Virginia|Stafford County]] near [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] and visited his Washington cousins at [[Chotank]] in King George County. One of Gus Washington's properties where the family resided from about 1735 to 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 had. George Washington would never travel to Europe.

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He was homeschooled, often tutored by his older brothers, and eventually trained as a [[surveyor]], obtaining his certificate from the [[College of William and Mary]]. He surveyed the [[Shenandoah Valley]] 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 [[Potomac River]] as his thinking was that this water source was the central entrance for oceanic ships. His only foreign trip was a short visit to [[Barbados]] [http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=22728] with Lawrence in 1751, during which George Washington survived an attack of [[smallpox]], although his face was scarred by the disease. He was initiated as a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] in Fredericksburg on [[February 4]] [[1752]]. Upon Lawrence Washington's death from tuberculosis in July 1752, George Washington rented and eventually inherited the estate, [[Mount Vernon (plantation)|Mount Vernon]], in [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] (near [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]]). Washington would spend the next thirty years adding on to the house and the surrounding acreage.

==American Revolution: 1774–831774–1783==

{{main articles|[[American Revolution]] and [[American Revolutionary War]]}}

[[Image:Washington Crossing the Delaware.png|thumb|right|350px|''[[Washington Crossing the Delaware]],'' by [[Emanuel Leutze]], 1851, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum]]]]

In 1774 Washington was chosen as a [[delegate]] from Virginia to the [[First Continental Congress]], 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 [[Second Continental Congress]] 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 [[June 15]] [[1775]]. The [[Massachusetts]] delegate [[John Adams]] 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 [[July 3]].

, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum]]]]

In 1774 Washington was chosen as a [[delegate]] from Virginia to the [[First Continental Congress]], 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 [[Second Continental Congress]] 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 [[June 15]] [[1775]]. The [[Massachusetts]] delegate [[John Adams]] 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 [[July 3]].

Washington drove the British forces out of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] on [[March 17]], [[1776]], by stationing artillery captured at [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1775)|Ticonderoga]] on [[Dorchester Heights]], overlooking Boston and its harbor. The British army, led by General [[William Howe]], retreated to [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Canada]]. Washington moved his army to [[New York City]] 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 [[Battle of Long Island]] on [[August 22]] but managed to move most of his forces to the mainland. However, several other defeats sent Washington scrambling across [[New Jersey]], leaving the future of the Revolution in doubt.

On the night of [[December 25]] [[1776]], Washington staged a brilliant comeback, the [[Battle of Trenton]]. He led the American forces across the [[Delaware River]] to smash the [[Hessians|Hessian]] forces in [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. Washington followed up the assault with a surprise attack on General [[Charles Cornwallis]]'s forces at [[Battle of Princeton|Princeton]] on the eve of [[January 2]], [[1777]]. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists.

In summer 1777 the British launched a three-pronged attack, with [[Burgoyne]] marching south from Canada while Howe attacked the national capital of [[Philadelphia]]. Washington moved south, but was badly defeated at the [[Battle of Brandywine]] on [[September 11]]. An attempt to dislodge the British, the [[Battle of Germantown]], failed as a result of fog and confusion, and Washington was forced to retire to winter quarters at the miserably inadequate [[Valley Forge]].

The winter of 1777–781777–1778 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 [[Baron Friedrich von Steuben]], 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 [[Battle of Monmouth]] on [[June 28]] [[1778]], a drawn contest, but the British effort to disrupt the national government had failed. Burgoyne’sBurgoyne's invading army, meanwhile, was captured at [[Saratoga]] in October, giving the British a crushing defeat. It now seemed likely that the British would never reconquer the new nation, and France signed a formal [[Treaty of Alliance|alliance]] with the U.S.

[[Image:Washington peale.jpg|thumb|right|350px|''George Washington at Princeton,'' by [[Charles Willson Peale]], 1779]]

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Later in 1783, by means of the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]], the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] recognized American independence. Washington disbanded his army and, on [[November 2]] at [[Rockingham House]] in [[Rocky Hill, New Jersey]], gave an eloquent [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw3&fileName=mgw3b/gwpage016.db&recNum=347 farewell address] to his soldiers. A few days later, the [[Evacuation Day (New York)|British evacuated New York City]], and Washington and the governor took possession of the city; at [[Fraunces Tavern]] in the city on [[December 4]], he formally bade his officers farewell.

==Home in Virginia 1783–871783–1787==

[[Image:GW-painting.jpg|thumb|left|280px|''George Washington'' by [[John Trumbull]], painted in London, 1780, from memory]]

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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: 1789–971789–1797==

===Beginnings===

George Washington was [[U.S. presidential election, 1789|elected]] unanimously by the [[U.S. Electoral College|Electoral College]] 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, [[John Adams]] became [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]]-elect. The [[First United States Congress|First U.S. Congress]] 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 [[Cincinnatus]], 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 [[Martha Washington]], the [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]], who wanted to continue living in quiet retirement at Mount Vernon after the war. Nevertheless, she quickly assumed the role of hostess, opening her [[parlor]] and organizing weekly dinner parties for as many dignitaries as could fit around the presidential table.

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In 1793 the revolutionary government of France sent diplomat [[Citizen Genet|Edmond-Charles Genêt]], who attempted to turn popular sentiment towards American involvement in the war against [[Great Britain]]. Genêt was authorized to issue [[letters of marque and reprisal]] to American ships and gave authority to any French [[Consulate general|consul]] to serve as a [[prize court]]. Genêt's activities forced Washington to ask the French government for his recall.

The [[Jay Treaty]], named after [[Chief Justice of the United States]] [[John Jay]] who Washington sent to [[London]] to negotiate an agreement, was a treaty between the [[United States]] and [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] signed on [[November 19]], [[1794]]. The treaty attempted to clear up some of the lingering problems of American separation from Great Britain following the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Those who supported France strongly attacked the Treaty, led by the Jeffersonians, but Washington, supported by [[Alexander Hamilton]], obtained its ratification by [[United States Congress|Congress]]. The British had to clear out of their forts around the [[Great Lakes]]. It remained in effect until the [[War of 1812]].

[[Alexander Hamilton]] 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 [[Federalist party]] elected [[John Adams]] 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.

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* Signed [[Naval Act of 1794]]

===Administration and Cabinetcabinet===

[[Image:Washington (3).jpg|250px|thumb|right|The '''[[Lansdowne portrait]]''' of President Washington by [[Gilbert Stuart]]]]

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!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|

|-

|[[President of the United States|President]]||'''George Washington'''||1789–971797

|-

|[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]||'''[[John Adams]]'''||1789–971797

|-

!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|

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|[[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]||'''[[Thomas Jefferson]]'''||1789–93

|-

| ||'''[[Edmund Randolph]]'''||1794–951795

|-

| ||'''[[Timothy Pickering]]'''||1795–971797

|-

|[[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]]||'''[[Alexander Hamilton]]'''||1789–1795

|-

| ||'''[[Oliver Wolcott, Jr.]]'''||1795–971797

|-

|[[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]]||'''[[Henry Knox]]'''||1789–1794

|-

| ||'''[[Timothy Pickering]]'''||1795–961796

|-

| ||'''[[James McHenry]]'''||1796–971797

|-

|[[Attorney General of the United States|Attorney General]]||'''[[Edmund Randolph]]'''||1789–931793

|-

| ||'''[[William Bradford (1755-1795)|William Bradford]]'''||1794–951795

|-

| ||'''[[Charles Lee (Attorney General)|Charles Lee]]'''||1795–971797

|-

|[[Postmaster General of the United States|Postmaster General]]||'''[[Samuel Osgood]]'''||1789–911791

|-

| ||'''[[Timothy Pickering]]'''||1791–951795

|-

| ||'''[[Joseph Habersham]]'''||1795–971797

|}

<br clear="all">

===Supreme Court appointments===

As the first President, Washington appointed the entire Supreme Court, a feat almost repeated by President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] during his four terms in office (1933&ndash;451945). Washington appointed the following Justices to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]:

* [[John Jay]] - [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] - 1789

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During that year Washington was appointed [[Lieutenant General]] in the [[United States Army]] (then the highest possible rank) by President [[John Adams]]. Washington's appointment was to serve as a warning to [[France]], 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 [[laryngitis]] and [[pneumonia]] and died at night on [[December 14]] [[1799]], at his home. Modern doctors believe that Washington died from either a [[strep throat|streptococcal infection of the throat]] or, since he was bled as part of the treatment, a combination of [[shock]] from the loss of blood, [[asphyxia]], and [[dehydration]]. One of the physicians who administered [[bloodletting]] to him was Dr. [[James Craik]], 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 [[Mount Vernon (plantation)|Mount Vernon]].

==After his death==

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He was also lauded posthumously as the "[[Father of His Country]]" and is often considered to be the most important of [[Founding Fathers of the United States]]. 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 [[Father of the Nation|Father of their Country]] as "the George Washington of his nation" (for example, [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s role in [[India]]).

Washington was ranked number 26twenty-six in [[Michael H. Hart]]'s [[The 100|list of the most influential figures in history]]. Historians generally regarded him as one of the [[historical rankings of U.S. Presidents|greatest presidents]].

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 [[Ulysses S. Grant]]), and also all five-star generals of the Army, were considered to outrank Washington. General [[John J. Pershing]] had attained an even higher rank of six-star general, ''General of the Armies'' (above five star&mdash;though the most stars Pershing actually ever wore were four). This issue was resolved in 1976 when Washington was, by act of [[Congress]], posthumously promoted to the rank of [[General of the Armies]], outranking any past, present, and future general, and declared to permanently be ''the'' top-ranked military officer of the United States.

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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 [[U.S. one dollar bill|one-dollar bill]] and the [[Quarter (U.S. coin)|quarter-dollar coin]]. The image used on the dollar bill is derived from a famous portrait of him painted by [[Gilbert Stuart]], itself one of the most notable works of early American art.

Washington, together with [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and [[Abraham Lincoln]], were chosen by President [[Calvin Coolidge]] to be depicted in stone at the [[Mount Rushmore|Mount Rushmore Memorial]].

Because of Washington's involvement in Freemasonry, some Masonic lodges maintain publicly visible collections of Washington memorabilia, most notably, the [[George Washington Masonic Memorial]] in Alexandria, Virginia. The museum at [[Fraunces Tavern Museum]] in New York City includes specimens of Washington's [[false teeth]] (contrary to the widespread myth, they were not wooden; see the [[George Washington#Trivia|trivia]] section below).

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The only state named for a president is the state of [[Washington]] in the U.S. [[Pacific Northwest]].

Washington selected [[West Point, New York|West Point]], [[New York]], as the site for the [[United States Military Academy]]. The [[United States Navy]] has [[USS George Washington|named three ships]] after Washington; the [[USS George Washington (CVN-73)|one currently serving]] is a [[Nimitz Class]] nuclear powered [[aircraft carrier]], commissioned on [[July 4]], [[1992]].

Other examples include the [[George Washington Bridge]], which extends between [[New York City]] and [[New Jersey]], and the [[Arecaceae|palm tree]] genus ''[[Washingtonia]]'' is also named after him.

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===Summary of military career===

* [[1753]]: Commissioned a [[Major]] in the [[Virginia Militia]]

* [[1754]]: Promoted to [[Lieutenant Colonel]] in the Virginia Militia

* [[1754]]175: Led abortive expedition to Fort Duquesne, later served as aide to General [[Edward Braddock]]

* [[1755]]: Promoted to [[Colonel]] and named Commander of all Virginia Forces. Commissioned a [[Brigadier General]] later that year

* [[1759]]&ndash;751775: Resigned from active military service

* June [[1775]]: Commissioned General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army

* [[1775]]&ndash;811781: 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

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===Washington and slavery===

Historians' perceptions of Washington's stand on slavery tend to be mixed. He publicly advocated milder punishments and lighter workloads for slaves than some of his slaveholding contemporaries, but 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 "[[peculiar institution]]", and historian [[Roger Bruns]] 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 some historians claim that it is not known whether she lived with him on the plantation, [http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/211/] most sources indicate that she did not. [http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/education/life/quest11.html] [http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/henriques/hist615/gwslav.htm]. 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 [Federal] 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 [[John Francis Mercer]] 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."[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw2&fileName=gwpage013.db&recNum=175][http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw290013))] Ten years later he wrote to [[Robert Morris (merchant)|Robert Morris]],: "There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see some plan adopted for the gradual [[abolition]] [of slavery]."[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/P?mgw:1:./temp/~ammem_E0NE::][http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw280323))]

[[Image:George-Washington.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Washington portrait]]

As President, Washington was mindful of the risk of splitting apart the young [[republic]] 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 [[Northwest Territory]], writing to his good friend the [[Marquis de la Fayette]] that he considered it a wise measure. Lafayette urged him to free his slaves as an example to others&mdash;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 [[French Guiana]] 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.