Biography of George Washington for Kids: Meet the American President - FreeSchool

You are viewing FreeSchool! Today we are going to learn about the American

president

, George Washington. George Washington, the first

president

of the United States, was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was educated at home until he was 16, when he left home to become a surveyor. A surveyor is someone who maps and surveys the land. Washington was a gifted cartographer, he made dozens of maps in his lifetime. When he was 20 years old, his older brother died and Washington inherited his family's property in Mt. Vernon. At 22, he became a militia commander. At 23, he was promoted to colonel and commanded all soldiers in Virginia.

At the time, George Washington and his men were fighting on the same side as the British in the French and Indian War. In 1758, Washington left the militia and returned to Mt. Vernon. He married and was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. The Chamber of Burgesses was a government body of representatives, similar to today's Congress. During this time, the relationship between Great Britain and the American colonies began to strain. The British had lost a lot of money in the French and Indian War and wanted some of it back. Unfortunately, they did this by creating heavy new taxes that the colonists had to pay, and they did it without giving the colonists a say in the matter.

When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, George Washington was appointed General and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. The British army had more soldiers and more supplies than Washington, but he didn't give up! A famous battle that he fought was the Battle of Trenton. Washington led his troops across the frozen Delaware River to surprise the Hessian soldiers stationed there. The sneak attack allowed him to capture over 1000 soldiers without much trouble. Another major victory in the Revolutionary War was at Yorktown. Washington and his men defeated the British and were forced to surrender. It was fought in 1781 and was the last major battle of the war.

The American colonists had won. It took the newly liberated colonies a few years to create a strong government, but in 1787 the constitution was created. On April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States of America. He is the only president in history to be elected unanimously, which means that everyone voted for him. When he finished his first four-year term as president, the voters re-elected him. In fact, he was so popular that he was unopposed, which means that no one tried to be president in his place. George Washington was so esteemed that he probably could have been president until his death, but he didn't want the United States to have a leader like a king, that he was in charge for his entire life.

To help ensure that presidents after him would resign when his term was over, she set an example and went to his home in Mount Vernon in 1797. On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at the age of 67 years. He was buried on his ranch in Mt. Vernon, where his body remains to this day. George Washington left a lasting legacy. He is often called the 'father of our country' because he played such an important role in the founding of the United States. His image is on dollar and quarter bills, there is a monument to him in Washington DC, the capital city named after him, and we celebrate his birthday every February.

More than 200 years after his death, he is still remembered as it is written about him: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his compatriots." I hope you have enjoyed learning about the US President, George Washington. See you soon!