George Washington (document en anglais)

George Washington

1732/1799

Born in 1732, into a Virginia planter family.

He lost his father when he was 11 years old. Until 16 years, he lived in plantations along the Potomac, including the one that later became known as Mount Vernon

It’s funny to know that George Washington’s family descended from the first French migrant in Virginia, Nicolas Martiau (1591/1657) who arrived aboard the “Francis Bonaventure” five months between the pilgrim’s fathers on the Mayflower

Washington began his army career during the French and Indian War who opposed French’s, Canadians and Indians to British.

In 1759, Washington married Martha Washington. They didn’t have any children.

George Washington is considered as one of the principal “founding fathers” of the United States and also, for his central role in the beginning of the United States, he is often called the father of his country. He preside the convention that wrote the constitution and he became:

• The first commandant in chief of the American Forces! During the War of independence he became a national hero

The War of independence is the War between The Thirteen Colonies and the Great Britain. The Colonies was angry about the king’s authority and English’s taxes. After many revolts they declared their independence on July 4, 1776.

Since the precedent war Washington was known as a great military chief so with his leadership he was chose by the Second Continental Congress in 1775 to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.

Washington did not win many battles, but he never let the British destroy his army. With the help of the French (Marquis de La Fayette) , Washington made a British army surrender at Yorktown in Virginia in 1781, in the final major battle of the war. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. It was the birth of The United states of America

• The first President of the United States (1789-1797)

In 1789, Washington was elected president without any competition (69 electors). Washington helped the government get started. While Washington did not belong to any political party and stayed neutral, he agreed with Federalist policies such as the country having a standing army and a national bank. He was re-elected to a second term. After his second term, Washington decided not to run for reelection even though he was popular enough to probably win. His decision set a precedent that every president followed until Franklin D. Roosevelt broke it in 1940.

Washington enjoyed only a few years of retirement at Mount Vernon. He died at the age of 67 in 1799. In his will, he emancipated his slaves. He was the only leader of the early United States who decided that his slaves were to be free after his death.

Georges Washington was a big man, 1.90 and a great man. His portrait appears on the one’s dollar bill and the quarter coin. The states of Washington, the city of Washington DC are named after him, 2 years after his death.

Washington had a vision of a great and powerful nation that would be built on republican lines using federal power. He sought to use the national

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