George Washington:

A Fearless Leader of Our Country

Key Facts To Why George Washington is important

• George Washington, also called Father of his Country, was an American general and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and later the first President of the United States under the U.S. Constitution. He also served as President of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. For the role he played in winning and securing American independence, Washington is generally recognized as one of the most important figures in all of U.S. history. Unlike many other revolutionary leaders, he voluntarily relinquished power even though some others wanted him to retain that power for life. This established an important precedent of republican democracy, that served as an example around the world.

George Washington’s Farewell Address

• 1796: Our nation and our freedoms face grave threats - a common condition in the annals of history. In Old Testament times of danger, a watchman would blow the trumpet and alert the nation. Today, George Washington’s final message could serve as such a trumpet call for us.  In his Farewell Address, our first president shared his “apprehension of danger” and issued a sobering reminder of the many “causes which may disturb our union.” –George Washington

Bring History To Life • Bring History to Life …..

• George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens offers a variety of fieldtrip experiences. Designed to help you meet specific curriculum-based standards, these programs focus on George Washington’s life in the 18th century. George Washington's Mount Vernon estate extended over eight thousand acres and was divided into five farms, each a complete unit with its own overseers, work force of slaves, livestock, equipment, and buildings. George Washington’s estate has become an educational tourist site for people all around the world.

George Washington was known for:

• Took part in the French and Indian War • A Virginia Politician • Commander and Chief of the Continental Army

in the American Revolution • The 1st President of the United States • His Farewell Address when he left office • His acceptance of Jay’s Treaty in 1974• He headed the Virginia delegation to the

Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia

GW: February 22, 1732 –December 14, 1799

• George Washington was the successful Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783, and later became the first President of the United States, an office to which he was twice elected unanimously, and held from 1789 to 1797.

• Washington first gained prominence as an officer during the French and Indian War and as a leader of colonial militia supporting the British Empire. After leading the American victory in the Revolutionary War, he refused to lead a military regime, though encouraged by some of his peers to do so. He returned to civilian life at Mount Vernon.

• In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and, in 1789, was the unanimous choice to become the first president of the United States. His two-term administration set many policies and traditions that survive today. After his second term expired, Washington again voluntarily relinquished power, thereby establishing an important precedent that was to serve as an example for the United States and also for other future republics.

• Because of his central role in the founding of the United States, Washington is often called the "Father of his Country". Scholars rank him with Abraham Lincoln among the greatest of United States presidents.