George Washington

[fairandhonest]

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

-George Washington

 

The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.

-George Washington

 

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

-George Washington

[shredder0911]

^{baaaaaa, baaaaaaaaa ;~}}

[solabeirtan]

Remember the Cherry Tree? Musta happened before he turned 11 yo. That's when his father died and George inherited almost 2,000 acres complete with slaves. Henceforth he didn't have much time for school after that having only completed a few years of elementary school. He didn't have time to travel back to England to get a proper education, like the rest of his peers. I'm sure he would have found time had his father not passed. Been there. Having to help his mum run the farm, etc.

 

Born 1732 joined the Masons in 1753. [21 yo] Fought in the Seven Years War, for British$$ ...??? haaaa .... He's a plantation owner yet he's playing soldier, risking his life? for a few shillings.

 

Something seems odd about that picture.

[fairandhonest]

The death of his father prevented Washington from crossing the Atlantic to receive the rest of his education at England's Appleby School, as his older brothers had done. He received the equivalent of an elementary school education from a variety of tutors,^[16] and also a school run by an Anglican clergyman in or near Fredericksburg.^[17] Talk of securing an appointment in theRoyal Navy for him when he was 15 was dropped when his mother learned how hard that would be on him.^[18] Thanks to Lawrence's connection to the powerful Fairfax family, at age 17 in 1749, Washington was appointed official surveyor for Culpeper County, a well-paid position which enabled him to purchase land in the Shenandoah Valley, the first of his many land acquisitions in western Virginia. Thanks also to Lawrence's involvement in the Ohio Company, a land investment company funded by Virginia investors, and Lawrence's position as commander of the Virginia militia, Washington came to the notice of the new lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. Washington was hard to miss: At exactly six feet, he towered over most of his contemporaries.^[19]

In 1751, Washington travelled to Barbados with Lawrence, who was suffering from tuberculosis, with the hope that the climate would be beneficial to Lawrence's health. Washington contractedsmallpox during the trip, which left his face slightly scarred, but immunized him against future exposures to the dreaded disease.^[20] Lawrence's health did not improve; he returned to Mount Vernon, where he died in 1752.^[21] Lawrence's position as Adjutant General (militia leader) of Virginia was divided into four offices after his death. Washington was appointed by Governor Dinwiddie as one of the four district adjutants in February 1753, with the rank of major in the Virginia militia.^[22] Washington also joined the Freemasons fraternal association in Fredericksburg at this time.^[23]

 

^{In 1753, the French began expanding their military control into the "Ohio Country", a territory also claimed by the British colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania. These competing claims led to a war in the colonies called the French and Indian War (1754–62), and contributed to the start of the global Seven Years' War (1756–63). Washington was at the center of its beginning. The Ohio Company was one vehicle through which British investors planned to expand into the territory, opening new settlements and building trading posts for the Indian trade.[24]}

^{Governor Dinwiddie received orders from the British government to warn the French of British claims, and sent Major Washington in late 1753 to deliver a letter informing the French of those claims and asking them to leave.[24] Washington also met with Tanacharison (also called "Half-King") and other Iroquois leaders allied to Virginia at Logstown to secure their support in case of conflict with the French; Washington and Tanacharison became friends and allies. Washington delivered the letter to the local French commander, who politely refused to leave.[25]}

^{Governor Dinwiddie sent Washington back to the Ohio Country to protect an Ohio Company group building a fort at present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but before he reached the area, a French force drove out the company's crew and began construction of Fort Duquesne. A small detachment of French troops led by Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, was discovered by Tanacharison and a few warriors east of present-dayUniontown, Pennsylvania. Along with their Mingo allies, Washington and some of his militia unit then ambushed the French. What exactly happened during and after the battle is a matter of some controversy, but the immediate outcome was that Jumonville was injured in the initial attack and then was killed - whether tomahawked by Tanacharison in cold blood or somehow shot by another onlooker with a musket as the injured man sat with Washington is not completely clear.[26][27]}

^{The French responded by attacking and capturing Washington at Fort Necessity in July 1754.[28] However, he was allowed to return with his troops to Virginia. Historian Joseph Ellis concludes that the episode demonstrated Washington's bravery, initiative, inexperience and impetuosity.[29] These events had international consequences; the French accused Washington of assassinating Jumonville, who they claimed was on a diplomatic mission.[29] Both France and Great Britain were ready to fight for control of the region and both sent troops to North America in 1755; war was formally declared in 1756.[30]}

^{Braddock disaster 1755}

^{Main article: Braddock Expedition}

^{In 1755, Washington was the senior American aide to British General Edward Braddock on the ill-fated Braddock expedition. This was the largest British expedition to the colonies, and was intended to expel the French from the Ohio Country. The French and their Indian allies ambushed Braddock, who was mortally wounded in the Battle of the Monongahela. After suffering devastating casualties, the British retreated in disarray; however, Washington rode back and forth across the battlefield, rallying the remnants of the British and Virginian forces to an organized retreat.[31]}

^{Commander of Virginia Regiment}

^{Governor Dinwiddie rewarded Washington in 1755 with a commission as "Colonel of the Virginia Regiment and Commander in Chief of all forces now raised in the defense of His Majesty's Colony" and gave him the task of defending Virginia's frontier. The Virginia Regiment was the first full-time American military unit in the colonies (as opposed to part-time militias and the British regular units). Washington was ordered to "act defensively or offensively" as he thought best.[32]}

^{In command of a thousand soldiers, Washington was a disciplinarian who emphasized training. He led his men in brutal campaigns against the Indians in the west; in 10 months units of his regiment fought 20 battles, and lost a third of its men. Washington's strenuous efforts meant that Virginia's frontier population suffered less than that of other colonies; Ellis concludes "it was his only unqualified success" in the war.[33][34]}

^{In 1758, Washington participated in the Forbes Expedition to capture Fort Duquesne. He was embarrassed by a friendly fire episode in which his unit and another British unit thought the other was the French enemy and opened fire, with 14 dead and 26 wounded in the mishap. Washington was not involved in any other major fighting on the expedition, and the British scored a major strategic victory, gaining control of the Ohio Valley, when the French abandoned the fort. Following the expedition, Washington retired from his Virginia Regiment commission in December 1758. He did not return to military life until the outbreak of the revolution in 1775.[35]}

^{Lessons learned}

^{Although Washington never gained the commission in the British army he yearned for, in these years the young man gained valuable military, political, and leadership skills.[36][37] He closely observed British military tactics, gaining a keen insight into their strengths and weaknesses that proved invaluable during the Revolution. He demonstrated his toughness and courage in the most difficult situations, including disasters and retreats. He developed a command presence—given his size, strength, stamina, and bravery in battle, he appeared to soldiers to be a natural leader and they followed him without question.[38][39]}

^{Washington learned to organize, train, drill, and discipline his companies and regiments. From his observations, readings and conversations with professional officers, he learned the basics of battlefield tactics, as well as a good understanding of problems of organization and logistics.[40] He gained an understanding of overall strategy, especially in locating strategic geographical points.[41]}

^{Historian Ron Chernow is of the opinion that his frustrations in dealing with government officials during this conflict led him to advocate the advantages of a strong national government and a vigorous executive agency that could get results;[36] other historians tend to ascribe Washington's position on government to his later American Revolutionary War service.[Note 3] He developed a very negative idea of the value of militia, who seemed too unreliable, too undisciplined, and too short-term compared to regulars.[42] On the other hand, his experience was limited to command of at most 1000 men, and came only in remote frontier conditions that were far removed from the urban situations he faced during the Revolution at Boston, New York, Trenton and Philadelphia.}

[fairandhonest]

Presidency (1789–1797)

 

Lansdowne portrait

of George Washington

painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796

Main article: Presidency of George Washington

The Electoral College elected Washington unanimously as the first president in 1789,^{[Note 6]} and again in the 1792 election; he remains the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral votes.^{[Note 7]} John Adams, who received the next highest vote total, was elected Vice President. At his inauguration, Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States of America on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City.^[100]

The 1st United States Congress voted to pay Washington a salary of $25,000 a year—a large sum in 1789. Washington, already wealthy, declined the salary, since he valued his image as a selfless public servant. At the urging of Congress, however, he ultimately accepted the payment, to avoid setting a precedent whereby the presidency would be perceived as limited only to independently wealthy individuals who could serve without any salary.^[101] The president, aware that everything he did set a precedent, attended carefully to the pomp and ceremony of office, making sure that the titles and trappings were suitably republican and never emulated European royal courts. To that end, he preferred the title "Mr. President" to the more majestic names suggested.^[102]

Washington proved an able administrator. An excellent delegator and judge of talent and character, he talked regularly with department heads and listened to their advice before making a final decision.^[103] In handling routine tasks, he was "systematic, orderly, energetic, solicitous of the opinion of others ... but decisive, intent upon general goals and the consistency of particular actions with them."^[104]

Washington reluctantly served a second term. He refused to run for a third, establishing the customary policy of a maximum of two terms for a president.^[105]

[Celliach]

His "adopted son," the Marquis de Lafayette, was pretty cool too.

[Kingpinn]

[solabeirtan]

His "adopted son," the Marquis de Lafayette, was pretty cool too.

Another "Brother in Arms"

...it is what it is...

 

La Fete te - Literal Xlation from French = The Party you. maybe You the Party. We the party? The party ? Let's Party !

 

Marquis de - Over a Count, under a Duke ...

Edited March 18, 2013 by solabeirtan