Washington, George (1732-1799), won a lasting place in American history as the "Father of the Country." For nearly 20 years, he guided his country much as a father cares for a growing child.
In three important ways, Washington helped shape the beginning of the United States. First, he commanded the Continental Army that won American independence from Britain in the Revolutionary War. Second, Washington served as president of the convention that wrote the United States Constitution. Third, he was elected the first president of the United States.
Most Americans of his day loved Washington. His army officers would have tried to make him king if he had let them. From the Revolutionary War on, his birthday was celebrated each year throughout the country.
Washington lived an exciting life in exciting times. As a boy, he explored the wilderness. When he grew older, he helped the British fight the French and Indians. Several times he was nearly killed. As a general, he suffered hardships with his troops in the cold winters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and Morristown, New Jersey. He lost many battles, but led the American army to final victory at Yorktown, Virginia. After he became president, he successfully solved many problems in turning the plans of the Constitution into a working government.
Washington went to school only until he was about 14 or 15. But he learned to make the most of all his abilities and opportunities. Washington's remarkable patience and his understanding of others helped him win people to his side in times of hardship and discouragement.
There are great differences between the United States of Washington's day and that of today. The new nation was small and weak. It stretched west only to the Mississippi River and had fewer than 4,000,000 people. Most people made their living by farming. Few children went to school. Many men and women could not read or write. Transportation and communication were slow. It took Washington 3 days to travel about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from New York City to Philadelphia, longer than it now takes to fly around the world. There were only 11 states in the Union when Washington became president and 16 when he left office.
Many stories have been told about Washington. Most are probably not true. So far as we know, he did not chop down his father's cherry tree, then confess by saying: "I cannot tell a lie, Pa." He probably never threw a stone across the Rappahannock River. But such stories show that people were willing to believe almost anything about his honesty and his great strength. One of Washington's officers, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, summed up the way Americans felt and still feel about Washington: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
