Thomas Miller - The Great Presidents: Biographies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan

The Great Presidents: Biographies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan

By: Thomas Miller

GEORGE WASHINGTON: A Biography

Table of Contents

Introducing, George Washington................................

Early Life...................................................

Washington at War ...........................................

Marriage to Martha...........................................

Fighting for Independence.....................................

The Constitutional Convention..................................

An American President........................................

Till Death Do Us Part.........................................

INTRODUCING, GEORGE WASHINGTON

How well do you know our first president of the United States?

George Washington, the first president of the United States, accomplished many feats that have been told and retold throughout time. You probably know him as our first president, the general and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and the face on our quarter and one dollar bill. You have probably heard about his moral, honest character or the man who strove to become an 18th Century gentleman farmer. But what else do you really know about our infamous first leader who supposedly donned a powered wig and wooden dentures? A man who famously confessed to his father that he cut down his cherry tree? Are all these legends about this one man true?

Did George Washington really chop down that cherry tree?

Was he a man who really couldnt tell a lie?

What about skipping a silver dollar across the mile-wide Potomac River?

Did he wear powdered wigs and don wooden teeth?

This book will detail the chronology of the first American presidents impressive and important life, while also debunking some of the many myths about our countrys reluctant hero. From a young George who simply wanted to go foxhunting and experiment with crops, to a military hero and finally the first president of the United States. The following chapters will be detailed throughout this book:

1. Early Life
2. Washington at War
3. Marriage to Martha
4. Fighting for Independence
5. The Constitutional Convention
6. An American President
7. Till Death Do Us Part

EARLY LIFE

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 at Bridges Creek Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. Virginia itself was only founded in 1607 and had a difficult early history, with disease, starvation, and conflict almost dooming the area from the start. But by the 18th Century, Virginia was seen as a successful farming community and would end up being the home of the Washingtons throughout Georges life. He was a member of a very large family, with three brothers, two sisters, three half-brothers, and one half-sister.

The Washington family first came to North America by way of Georges great-grandfather, John Washington. Born in Purleigh, Essex, England, John Washington migrated from England to Virginia and was granted land by King Henry VIII. Georges grandfather, Lawrence Washington, also migrated to Virginia and then Georges father, Augustine, was finally born in North America in 1694.

Before Augustine married Georges mother, Mary Ball, he was married to his first wife, Jane Butler, and had four children: Butler, Lawrence, Augustine Jr., and Jane Washington. Jane Butler died in 1729, with only their children Lawrence, Augustine Jr., and Jane surviving after their mothers death. Augustine then married Georges mother, Mary Ball, in 1731, and the couple had six more children. George was the eldest, his five siblings being: Samuel, John, Charles, Betty, and Mildred.

Augustine Washington was a determined and motivated man; not only was he a leading planter, but he helped construct mills, grow tobacco, corn, and wheat, and even served as a justice of the county court. He acquired both land and slaves, which was commonplace at that time, and had an interest at one point in opening iron mines as well as wool production (although neither attempt was successful).

Slavery was an unfortunate representation of ones wealth during the 18th Century, and a young, eleven-year-old George Washington would end up inheriting ten slaves from his father. In Virginia at that time, the institution of slavery was considered a given, and slaves were regarded as being on the same level as anything else that could be bought, sold, given away, rented out, or even passed down to children. Essentially, slaves were another form of property held by whites. As a young man, George Washington was no different than any other members of society and thought there was nothing morally wrong with slavery. Later, the elder George would still respect slavery as law, but would end up not agreeing with the institution itself. As discussed later, he would end up being the only forefather in history to free his own slaves.

In 1734, two important events happened to the Washington family: Georges half-sister, Jane Washington, died, and the family moved up the Potomac River to the Little Hunting Creek Plantation. Why was this move so important? This plantation was later renamed Mount Vernon, which it is still famously known as today.

In 1738, the Washington family moved to Ferry Farm, a 280-acre plantation located on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is where young George would spend most of his youth, and where much of the mythology surrounding George Washington was birthed. For example...

Did George Washington Really Cut Down a Cherry Tree?

Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut the tree. This infamous sentence has followed the story of a young George Washington for centuries. Did George Washington express his honest character by admitting to his father that he cut down his fathers prized cherry tree on Ferry Farm? No.

Although this story has been told and retold for centuries, it was actually invented by one of the first George Washington biographers, Mason Locke Weems. His book, Life of Washington, was published in 1800 and was so popular that new editions were regularly published to keep up with demand. However, many of the stories told by Weems had no factual or historical record, including Washington cutting down the cherry tree and admitting his deed to his father. According to Mountvernon.org, the young Washington did damage his fathers cherry tree with a hatchet given to him as a gift and bravely confessed at only six years old: I cannot tell a lie...I did cut it with my hatchet (Cherry tree myth, 2019, para. 4). Georges father was taken back by his honesty and even said that it was worth more than a thousand trees. However, this event is much different than the mythical tale that has been passed down for centuries about our young, soon-to-be first president. This story that exemplified the honesty of a young George Washington was a dishonest story told by a biographer and bookseller.

After George Washingtons death in 1799, the American people were eager to learn more about their first president. Weems capitalized on this with his George Washington biography, and by the books fifth edition, published in 1806, he had included the now infamous cherry tree myth. Weems knew that millions of potential readers were out there who wanted to learn more about the first president of the United States. Although he did accurately portray Washington in his biographies, he also fictionalized the cherry tree tale in order to illustrate the honesty and virtue that so many readers knew encompassed George Washington. That, and the fact that the cherry tree tale was a moneymaker and would sell more copies of his text.

The cherry tree myth was one of many stories used by Weems to illustrate to his readers the honesty, integrity, and overall virtue that George Washington had throughout his life. This story was not only used by Weems, but also by William Holmes McGuffey in his books, the McGuffeys Readers . This was a series McGuffey wrote for children in grades one through six to help teach them morality and religion. The cherry tree myth appeared in these books for nearly twenty years and was even included in a German-language edition in 1854. Both McGuffey and Weems used this fictional tale of honesty to educate children and improve the morals of society as a whole.