George Washington; The Father of the USA
George Washington was born in Northern Neck, Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732.1 Due to his role as a general in the Revolutionary War and as the first president of the United States, George Washington came to be known as the “Father of his Country.” 2 In recognition of his contribution and the impact he had on the founding of this country, his statue has been erected in many places of prominence throughout the United States and the one dollar bill bears his image. Additionally many universities, roads, bridges and landmarks are named after him; for example, The George Washington Law School is located in the capital city, Washington D.C. Although Washington was a flawed individual, it is important to study his history and heritage to understand his influence in the founding of America.
George Washington was born into a wealthy family of high social class with roots traced to Sulgrave, England. John Washington, his great-grandfather, immigrated to Virginia in 1656. John Washington spent his life amassing land and acquiring slaves. His son, Lawrence Washington, followed in his footsteps, as did his son, Augustine Washington, George Washington’s father. Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s grandfather, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Established by the Virginia Company, the House of Burgesses was the legislative body responsible for the governance and conditions of the English colonies in North America.3
Augustine Washington, George Washington's father was a tobacco planter and served as a Justice in the Westmoreland County Court.4 Augustine married Jane Butler when he was twenty-one years old. An orphan from a similarly wealthy and high status family, she was just sixteen at the time. Augustine and Jane had three children. Jane died when she was twenty-nine, and following the death of his first wife, Augustine married Mary Bell, a twenty-three year old orphan from a wealthy family. Together they had six children, including George Washington. Only six of George’s nine siblings survived to adulthood; Butler and Jane, his half brother and half sister, and Mildred, his full sister, died during childhood. On April 1743, Augustine Washington died, leaving George fatherless at eleven years old. In addition to wealth, George Washington inherited land, slaves and an ambition for politics.
Although George learned a lot from his father’s legacy, he was not George's only role model. It was Lawrence Washington, his brother from his father's first marriage, who became a surrogate father figure to George and inspired him to become a soldier. Lawrence was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1743. He was promoted to the role of major, led the Virginia militia and was assigned the position of Adjutant General of Virginia. Lawrence married Ann Fairfax, the fifteen year old daughter of Colonel Fairfax, a wealthy politician and landowner. Colonel Fairfax owned six million acres of land in Virginia and was the most prominent family in the Northern Neck.5
Despite the wealth, the Washington family experienced financial hardships following Augustine’s death. George had to abandon plans to travel abroad for education to stay home and take care of his mother and the family estate. There was no University for higher education in Virginia at that time, therefore, George’s father and two of his older brothers traveled to Appleby School in England. As stated, George did not have this opportunity. In this case too, his older brother Lawrence filled the void and taught him to read and write at home.
In 1749, George Washington took a job as a land surveyor to contribute to the family coffers. Being seventeen years old at the time, he was the youngest person ever to become a surveyor. The responsibility of a surveyor is to analyze specific property measurements and boundaries; and then submit a report of the findings. Land value, ownership and property development plans are based on the survey, therefore, a high level of accuracy is expected from the assessment and judgements reported. Shortly after he began his work in this field Washington received an official surveyor’s license from the College of William & Mary. This job was a great privilege for him because a being a surveyor is a well paid and highly prestigious profession; similar to that of a physician or officer of the court. Lawrence’s marriage to Ann brought opportunities to George on account of the open invitation extended to Lawrence’s home on the Mount Vernon estate, where he would introduce George to his influential acquaintances. George Washington’s dedication and skill earned him success as a surveyor, but it was through his brother’s connection to influential circles that Washington was awarded the opportunity. This is an example of the benefit Washington received from his association and relationship with his older brother.
When George was nineteen years old Lawrence became ill with tuberculosis. The two brothers traveled to Barbados to seek relief in the hope of a cure; however, Lawrence failed to recover so they returned to Mount Vernon where he could die on his own estate. In 1752, the year Lawrence died, Penicillin had not yet been discovered and many young people succumbed to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.6 Following Lawrence’s passing the Virginia militia was split into four sections. At the age of 20, George became the head of the Northern District and was promoted to the rank of major.
George Washington married Martha Custis on January 6, 1759, when he was 27 years old. A widow, Martha had been married to Daniel Parke Custis. Although Washington never had biological children, he helped raise Martha’s four children from her first marriage. A wealthy socialite, Martha brought great wealth, land and slaves to the Washington estate. Washington spent several decades leading men into battle. First he served representatives of the British crown, and later he led the continental army in a revolution against Britain.
Many factors contributed to Washington's insatiable thirst for power, which he sought through both military and political endeavours. This ambition was driven, in part, by the reality of tobacco agriculture, the primary crop that was planted in that region. Tobacco ruined the soil in which it grew. This made it difficult to continue planting over time; hence the necessity to continually amass land. This elucidates a core motivation for Washington's political aspirations; to use his position of power to expand his estate with captured or otherwise available land.
On December 12, 1799, George Washington was caught in the rain while out on horseback supervising farming activities. Upon his return, his wife Martha suggested that he change out of his wet riding clothes before dinner, however, Washington remained in his damp clothing due to his punctuality. The following night he woke up with terrible discomfort and difficulty breathing. Despite the care and attention of three physicians and his beloved wife, Washington’s condition worsened. On December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away surrounded by many people who were close to him including his wife and friends. On December 18, 1799, a solemn funeral was held at Mount Vernon, the family estate.
As mentioned in the introduction, George Washington was a flawed individual, even by the standards of his time. In politics and battle Washington manifested narcissistic character traits; he blamed his failures on subordinates and scapegoats and took all the credit when he was successful. Regarding his slaves, some historians rationalize that Washington could not have recognized the evil of slavery, as that practice was not yet outlawed in the West. However, even before the Revolutionary War, there was an abolitionist movement in colonial America. As an Anglican Christian, Washington had been taught that all human beings created in the image of God, and therefore deserved dignity and equality under the law.
As with most people of the time period, many of George Washington’s relatives did not live far into adulthood. Between the ravages of famine, war and disease, the average lifespan and living conditions, even for the wealthy, had not increased much since the time of the Roman Empire. In the nearly two-hundred fifty years since the declaration of independence, liberty, the rule of law and individual rights have brought about great inventions and advancements such as the light bulb, electricity and vaccinations, to name just a few. There are many who use the character flaws of our first president and founding father to discredit the great country he built and the blessings of freedom. Although both in his lifetime and posthumously, George Washington was a larger than life person, he was a complex human being with imperfections. His flaws cannot be erased, but nor can they erase all the good that he has done, or diminish the great things he accomplished.
Bibliography
Brookhiser, Richard. Founding Father. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Inc 1996. ( the last ew pg talks about george's death)
John, Ferling. The Ascent of George Washington The Hidden Political Genius of an American
Icon. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press, 2009.
John, Ferling. The First of Men The Life of George Washington. Knoxville, TN:
University of Tennessee Press,1988.
Weems, Mason. The Life of Washington. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1962.
Note
1 Ferling John, The First of Men The Life of George Washington. (Knoxville, TN:
University of Tennessee Press,1988) ,p.g 1.
2 Brookhiser Richard, Founding Father. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Inc 1996), p.g
186-189.
3 Ferling John, The Ascent of George Washington The Hidden Political Genius of an American
Icon. (New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press, 2009), p.g 10.
4 Ibid., p.g 1.
5 Ibid., p.g 10.
6 Ibid., p.g 13.
George Washington was born into a wealthy family of high social class with roots traced to Sulgrave, England. John Washington, his great-grandfather, immigrated to Virginia in 1656. John Washington spent his life amassing land and acquiring slaves. His son, Lawrence Washington, followed in his footsteps, as did his son, Augustine Washington, George Washington’s father. Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s grandfather, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Established by the Virginia Company, the House of Burgesses was the legislative body responsible for the governance and conditions of the English colonies in North America.3
Augustine Washington, George Washington's father was a tobacco planter and served as a Justice in the Westmoreland County Court.4 Augustine married Jane Butler when he was twenty-one years old. An orphan from a similarly wealthy and high status family, she was just sixteen at the time. Augustine and Jane had three children. Jane died when she was twenty-nine, and following the death of his first wife, Augustine married Mary Bell, a twenty-three year old orphan from a wealthy family. Together they had six children, including George Washington. Only six of George’s nine siblings survived to adulthood; Butler and Jane, his half brother and half sister, and Mildred, his full sister, died during childhood. On April 1743, Augustine Washington died, leaving George fatherless at eleven years old. In addition to wealth, George Washington inherited land, slaves and an ambition for politics.
Although George learned a lot from his father’s legacy, he was not George's only role model. It was Lawrence Washington, his brother from his father's first marriage, who became a surrogate father figure to George and inspired him to become a soldier. Lawrence was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1743. He was promoted to the role of major, led the Virginia militia and was assigned the position of Adjutant General of Virginia. Lawrence married Ann Fairfax, the fifteen year old daughter of Colonel Fairfax, a wealthy politician and landowner. Colonel Fairfax owned six million acres of land in Virginia and was the most prominent family in the Northern Neck.5
Despite the wealth, the Washington family experienced financial hardships following Augustine’s death. George had to abandon plans to travel abroad for education to stay home and take care of his mother and the family estate. There was no University for higher education in Virginia at that time, therefore, George’s father and two of his older brothers traveled to Appleby School in England. As stated, George did not have this opportunity. In this case too, his older brother Lawrence filled the void and taught him to read and write at home.
In 1749, George Washington took a job as a land surveyor to contribute to the family coffers. Being seventeen years old at the time, he was the youngest person ever to become a surveyor. The responsibility of a surveyor is to analyze specific property measurements and boundaries; and then submit a report of the findings. Land value, ownership and property development plans are based on the survey, therefore, a high level of accuracy is expected from the assessment and judgements reported. Shortly after he began his work in this field Washington received an official surveyor’s license from the College of William & Mary. This job was a great privilege for him because a being a surveyor is a well paid and highly prestigious profession; similar to that of a physician or officer of the court. Lawrence’s marriage to Ann brought opportunities to George on account of the open invitation extended to Lawrence’s home on the Mount Vernon estate, where he would introduce George to his influential acquaintances. George Washington’s dedication and skill earned him success as a surveyor, but it was through his brother’s connection to influential circles that Washington was awarded the opportunity. This is an example of the benefit Washington received from his association and relationship with his older brother.
When George was nineteen years old Lawrence became ill with tuberculosis. The two brothers traveled to Barbados to seek relief in the hope of a cure; however, Lawrence failed to recover so they returned to Mount Vernon where he could die on his own estate. In 1752, the year Lawrence died, Penicillin had not yet been discovered and many young people succumbed to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.6 Following Lawrence’s passing the Virginia militia was split into four sections. At the age of 20, George became the head of the Northern District and was promoted to the rank of major.
George Washington married Martha Custis on January 6, 1759, when he was 27 years old. A widow, Martha had been married to Daniel Parke Custis. Although Washington never had biological children, he helped raise Martha’s four children from her first marriage. A wealthy socialite, Martha brought great wealth, land and slaves to the Washington estate. Washington spent several decades leading men into battle. First he served representatives of the British crown, and later he led the continental army in a revolution against Britain.
Many factors contributed to Washington's insatiable thirst for power, which he sought through both military and political endeavours. This ambition was driven, in part, by the reality of tobacco agriculture, the primary crop that was planted in that region. Tobacco ruined the soil in which it grew. This made it difficult to continue planting over time; hence the necessity to continually amass land. This elucidates a core motivation for Washington's political aspirations; to use his position of power to expand his estate with captured or otherwise available land.
On December 12, 1799, George Washington was caught in the rain while out on horseback supervising farming activities. Upon his return, his wife Martha suggested that he change out of his wet riding clothes before dinner, however, Washington remained in his damp clothing due to his punctuality. The following night he woke up with terrible discomfort and difficulty breathing. Despite the care and attention of three physicians and his beloved wife, Washington’s condition worsened. On December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away surrounded by many people who were close to him including his wife and friends. On December 18, 1799, a solemn funeral was held at Mount Vernon, the family estate.
As mentioned in the introduction, George Washington was a flawed individual, even by the standards of his time. In politics and battle Washington manifested narcissistic character traits; he blamed his failures on subordinates and scapegoats and took all the credit when he was successful. Regarding his slaves, some historians rationalize that Washington could not have recognized the evil of slavery, as that practice was not yet outlawed in the West. However, even before the Revolutionary War, there was an abolitionist movement in colonial America. As an Anglican Christian, Washington had been taught that all human beings created in the image of God, and therefore deserved dignity and equality under the law.
As with most people of the time period, many of George Washington’s relatives did not live far into adulthood. Between the ravages of famine, war and disease, the average lifespan and living conditions, even for the wealthy, had not increased much since the time of the Roman Empire. In the nearly two-hundred fifty years since the declaration of independence, liberty, the rule of law and individual rights have brought about great inventions and advancements such as the light bulb, electricity and vaccinations, to name just a few. There are many who use the character flaws of our first president and founding father to discredit the great country he built and the blessings of freedom. Although both in his lifetime and posthumously, George Washington was a larger than life person, he was a complex human being with imperfections. His flaws cannot be erased, but nor can they erase all the good that he has done, or diminish the great things he accomplished.
Bibliography
Brookhiser, Richard. Founding Father. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Inc 1996. ( the last ew pg talks about george's death)
John, Ferling. The Ascent of George Washington The Hidden Political Genius of an American
Icon. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press, 2009.
John, Ferling. The First of Men The Life of George Washington. Knoxville, TN:
University of Tennessee Press,1988.
Weems, Mason. The Life of Washington. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1962.
Note
1 Ferling John, The First of Men The Life of George Washington. (Knoxville, TN:
University of Tennessee Press,1988) ,p.g 1.
2 Brookhiser Richard, Founding Father. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Inc 1996), p.g
186-189.
3 Ferling John, The Ascent of George Washington The Hidden Political Genius of an American
Icon. (New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press, 2009), p.g 10.
4 Ibid., p.g 1.
5 Ibid., p.g 10.
6 Ibid., p.g 13.
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