Casey Rand - George Washington

Allen, Thomas B. George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2007.

Calkhoven, Laurie. George Washington: An American Life (Sterling Biographies). New York: Sterling, 2007.

Edwards, Roberta. Who Was George Washington? New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 2009.

Murphy, Jim. The Crossing: How George Washington Saved The American Revolution. New York: Scholastic, 2010.

Pingry, Patricia A. Meet George Washington. Danbury, Conn.: Ideals, 2009.

American Experience: George Washington: Man Who Wouldnt Be King. PBS, 2011.

Biography: George WashingtonAmerican Revolutionary. A&E Home Video, 2009.

The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior . A&E Home Video, 2006.

Inspiring Animated Heroes: George Washington . Nest Family Entertainment, 2009.

George Washington: A National Treasure
www.georgewashington.si.edu/index.html
This is an interactive site with fun facts and information about George Washington.

George Washingtons World for Kids
www.washingtonsworld.org
This fun site has games and trivia all about George Washington.

George Washington: The White House
www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington
Read about all of the presidents at the White Houses website.

George Washington Birthplace
1732 Popes Creek Road
Washingtons Birthplace, VA 22443
804-224-1732
www.nps.gov/gewa/index.htm

Minutemen National Historical Park
174 Liberty Street
Concord, MA 01742
978-369-6993
www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

Mount Rushmore
13000 Hwy 244 Bldg. 31 Suite 1
Keystone, SD 57751
605-574-2523
www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm

Mount Vernon
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA 22309
703-780-2000
www.mountvernon.org/

Washington Monument
900 Ohio Drive SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-426-6841
www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

George Washington: Father of the United States

George Washington lived from 1732 to 1799. He played a big role in forming and shaping the United Statesas a military commander, as a politician, and as a leader.

George Washington played an important role in helping free the American colonies from British rule.

Military man

The United States was rst formed from 13 separate colonies (see the map on page 8). These colonies were under the rule of Great Britain for most of the 1600s and 1700s. However, in the 1770s, the American colonists decided that they wanted to join together and form their own country, without British rule.

At this time, George Washington was considered the top military man in all of the land. So when the colonies formed a military, they put him in command. Washington led this army in the war to free the colonies from British rule. He fought for many years and eventually won.

President

After the war, George Washington was very famous and respected. The new country needed a leader, and everyone thought Washington was the perfect choice. He was elected the rst president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797.

Did you know?

The men who had important roles in helping the United States become a country are often called the Founding Fathers . George Washington was just one of the Founding Fathers, but people often call him the Father of the Country because he played so many different important roles in shaping the nation.

Preparing to Lead

George Washington was not born a great leader. He had many experiences that helped him develop the skills needed to become the father of the United States.

Working as a surveyor helped George Washington learn skills to survive in the wilderness.

George was born in Virginia in 1732. He grew up on a farm his family owned, and he had nine brothers and sisters. On the farm, George learned to ride horses, hunt, and sh. He only went to school for about seven or eight years. When George was 11 years old, his father died, so George helped his mother run the farm.

First job

When George was 15 years old, he began working as a surveyor . A surveyor is a person who measures land and makes maps. George liked this job because it let him travel and see much of the country.

Fact VS. Fiction

You may have heard that when George Washington was a boy, he tried his new hatchet on a cherry tree and killed the tree. The story goes that his father was angry when he saw the tree and asked George if he knew what had happened. George is said to have responded, I cant tell a lie, Pa; you know I cant tell a lie. I cut it with my hatchet. His father was proud of George for telling the truth. While this is a good story, it is probably not true. A writer named Mason Weems wrote this story, and many historians believe he made it up.

The story of George Washington and the cherry tree is probably not true.