George Washington was the very first President of the United States of America. He was born on February 22, 1732 in a small County called Westmoreland, located in Virginia. Washington, whose father passed away when he was only 11, was home schooled and learned how to become an expert woodsman and mapmaker by himself.
In 1759 Washington married Martha Curtis, a wealthy widow. Although Washington and Curtis never had children of their own, Curtis had two children, Martha and John, from her previous marriage.
After many years of turmoil between the Colonists and British, Washington was selected as the Commander in Chief of the Colonial Army in 1775. The following year, Washington and the rest of the Colonists declared their independence from the British. After years of fierce fighting and much bloodshed, the British were defeated in 1781. Washington’s unique strategies combined with the help of the French, granted the Colonists their independence.
In 1787 Washington attended the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, where the United States Constitution was first drafted. This Constitution was the main outline for how the government would function. The Constitution was ratified a year later, and went into effect the year after that (1789).
When it was time for voters to choose their first leader in 1789, Washington was unanimously voted in as the first President of the United States. He was also voted in unanimously for his second term in 1792. Although much was accomplished during his 8-year presidency, his most well known accomplishment was that of the Bill of Rights, which was adopted in 1791. Washington declined to serve a third term, explaining in his farewell speech that a third term would “give one man too much power”.
After retiring from politics in March of 1797, Washington returned to Mount Vernon where he devoted much of his time to farming. Washington’s health began to deteriorate severely in mid-1799, and he passed away shortly thereafter on December 14th, 1799 at his home. The cause of death is believed to have been acute laryngitis and pneumonia.
