George Washington (The first US president)

Who was George Washington ?

George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732, He became the first president of the US and was known as the father of the Nation.George Washington was descended from a rich family in England. His family, like many other English families, had made the voyage to America about the middle of the seventeenth century. There they had large estates where they grew tobacco.; When George Washington was twenty years old he took over these estates and lived a comfortable life.He was rather like an Englishman of that time, he liked riding, hunting, shooting, and sports of all kinds.

French and English fight with each other in America

At the time England and France had both started colonies in America and a war broke out between the two countries.George Washington left his country estates and joined the English forces. He was a very successful soldier and a good horseman. He soon made a name for himself as a brilliant officer. During the war George Washington served under General Braddock. Braddock was not a young man and his ideas were very old-fashioned. He wanted to fight battles as soldiers had done for hundreds of years before him. George Washington ,on the other hand, was full of new ideas.He wanted to make use of Red Indian scouts,because they were good horseman and clever at living in the forests. Braddock did not agree.In those days the uniform of the English soldiers was red,with plenty of brass buttons and buckles.George Washington realized that soldiers dressed like this could easily be seen from a long distance. George Washington was proved right,A force of British troops,infantry and cavalry,was on the march. Unfortunately for them they had been noticed by some French soldiers.The French carefully hid behind the trees and rocks.As the English came past, the French attacked them fiercely.Within a few minutes half the British soldiers lay dead on the ground.George Washington himself escaped,but his horse was shout. George Washington managed to catch another horse which was galloping by without a rider.In a few minutes this horse,too, was shot.At last,on a third horse, he managed to escaped.when he got back to his camp he discovered a number of bullet holes in his cloths.

Independence of America

At last the English and the French made peace with each other. George Washington, now a famous officer,left the army and went back to his estates in Virginia. He married a rich widow and spent his time in making his estates as fine as any in the whole of Virginia.He became very wealthy. Unfortunately he was not allowed to live comfortably and quietly on his estates. Another war started, which we now know as the American War of Independence.

Many people living in America at that time had come from England .England considered America as one of her colonies. England kept an army in America. The House of Parliament in England made the Americans pay tax on a great number of things. The Americans soon found that England was more interested in getting money from America than in spending it there. The Americans began to complain. They said that they had no representatives in the Parliament in England and therefore the English Parliament had no right to tax them. The Americans were particularly angry because England put a heavy tax on tea.

In 1773 some ships carrying tea arrived in Boston harbor. Some of the Americans dressed up as Red Indians.They went on board the ship and threw all the tea into the sea. This was afterwards known as the Boston Tea party, and it made the English Government very angry. They wanted to punish the Americans and told the colony of Massachusetts that they would not have the right to govern as they had been doing. Naturally this made the Americans angry, too, and thirteen colonies joined together into a Congress in 1774.They all agreed not to trade with England.The ill feeling between the colonies and their masters grew worse.In 1775 some English troops were attacked and war broke out.

When war broke out George Washington was in his estates in Virginia.He was still remembered as a great soldier.His wisdom and bravery was known from his early achievements against the French.In 1776 the colonies formally declared themselves independent. The war lasted for eight years.It was a difficult task for George Washington to keep the colonies, or states,together.Each state was jealous of the other. George Washington not only had to fight the English but he had to make sure that all the states co-operated with each other.This he did with great success.After five or six years of war George Washington was still fighting,but every day things became more difficult for him.It was not easy to get men for his armies and he could only get farmers and other workers to join his army.Discipline was difficult, it was often impossible to pay the soldiers and they were badly clothed and poorly fed.George Washington realized that it would be very difficult to beat the English with such soldiers,so he tried to wear down the English by attacking them at a number of places at the same time.

At last a famous English commander called General Cornwallis made his headquarters in Virginia,at a place called Yorktown.George Washington had made friends with the French,and the French attacked the English with their troops and prevented them from bringing in stores and equipment.General Cornwallis had to surrender and this was the end of the war.

George Washington as a us president

Peace was signed in 1783, and once more George Washington returned home to Virginia. But when the war was over the states began to quarrel among themselves. One or two wiser statesmen realized that if these quarrels went on there might be thirteen different countries. They knew that if the thirteen states united into one country they would be stronger and would also be able to help one another. They needed one Government for all the states. So George Washington was called from Virginia. George Washington presided over a Conference at Philadelphia in 1787 where a new constitution was framed. In 1789 George Washington was made the first President of the United States.

There were many difficulties in the early years. The states still quarreled amongst themselves. Some people felt that if there was one President he would be too powerful. He would be like a dictator. Other people felt that it would be difficult for one central government to look after all the states fairly.

George Washington was asked to be President in 1789 for four years. George Washington realized that America was a new country. George Washington knew that it had no traditions or customs which could be followed, and that he would have to make new traditions and set up a good Government. George Washington introduced a number of ceremonies. George Washington wanted people to think that the President was an important and dignified person. For example, George Washington used to drive to Congress in a fine coach, which was always drawn by the white horses. George Washington held grand parties. But at the same time he kept the states together. He made new laws about owning land and refused to fight on either side in the wars which started between France and England.

George Washington was asked to serve as President for a second term of four years. Then he found that two separate parties were being formed in the Congress. One party was called the Federalist Party. They were led by a man called Hamilton. They thought that the government should be a centre one and that the states should be bound by all the rules of the centre. The second party was called the Republican Party. They were led by a man called Jefferson. They wanted the states to have more power than the centre. George Washington tried to bring these two parties together, but George Washington was attacked by the Republicans. George Washington then went over to the side of the Federalists.

After his second term of four years people wanted him to serve for another term, but he refused and went back to his estates in Virginia. The Americans, in the years that followed, respected him more and more, and George Washington has gone down in history as the man who was ‘First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.

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