|name=George Washington
|image=Gilbert-Stuart 1795 Washington-portrait.jpg
|party=''None''<ref>While Washington leaned towards the Federalist Party and supported most of its policies, he never officially joined it, preferring to stay independent.</ref>
|spouse=[[Martha Dandridge Custis Washington]]
|religion=[[Anglican]]/[[Episcopalian]]
'''George Washington''' (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the first [[president of the United States]] (1789–1797) and commander-in-chief of the [[Continental Army]]. He was the dominant military and political leader of the new [[United States of America]] from 1775 to 1797, leading the American victory over [[Britain]] in the [[American Revolution]] and was the unanimous choice to serve as president.
Along with [[Abraham Lincoln]], Washington has become the foremost icon of American [[nationalism]] and a model of the ideal [[Republicanism|republican]] union of political and military leadership. He endeared himself to Americans by his efforts to destroy monarchy and aristocracy. The archetype of Washington as the republican champion has become part of America's collective idealization of faith-based citizenship, and is immortalized in [[New York City]]'s [[Washington Square Arch]], which depicts Washington the soldier on the left, and Washington the statesman on the right.<ref>For photographic images, see http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GV/GV046WashingtonSquareArch.htm</ref>{{cquote|'''The [[Constitution ]] is the guide, which I never will abandon. <small>— George Washington</small>'''}}
==Early life==
Washington's path to revolution reflected the American ideology of [[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]]; indeed, it provides "an almost textbook example of the Radical Whig ideology that historians have made the central feature of scholarship on the American Revolution for the past forty years."<ref>Ellis (2004) p. 62</ref> Personal experiences on multiple levels convinced Washington there was indeed a British conspiracy to enslave the colonies, as he saw imperial policies constantly limiting and restricting his prized autonomy. In his quests for a commission in the redcoat army, for western land, and for economic independence from British consignment merchants, Washington found himself losing out, becoming a helpless dependent.
Washington and the Continental Army triumphed by driving the 10,000 British out of [[Boston]] in March 1776. The tide turned; Washington barely survived humiliating defeats the defense of New York City that fall. He revived the nation's fortunes by crossing the Delaware River and defeating British forces in stunning victories at Trenton and Princeton over the winter of 1776-771776–77.
[[Image:washington-deleware.jpg|right|thumb|220px|''[[Washington Crossing the Delaware]]'', by Emmanuel Leutze, 1850]]
[[Image:Washington resign commission.jpg|right|thumb|220px|John Trumbull's portrayal of General Washington resigning his commission]]
===Victory in the South 1780-1781===
The British made one last major effort in 1780-17811780–1781, invading South Carolina (and remote Georgia) in the hopes of rallying enough Loyalists to break off the southern states. Washington kept the main British army bottled up in New York City, as the southern campaigns turned into [[guerrilla warfare]] and assassination squads. The British realized they had failed and moved their army to Yorktown, Virginia, awaiting the Royal Navy to take it to New York. The British fleet did show up but was defeated by a stronger French fleet. Washington meanwhile moved his entire army and the French army to Yorktown, where they forced the British to surrender in October 1781.
King George III wanted to fight on even after losing two of his three combat armies but he lost control of [[Parliament]] and the American war was over. When the peace treaty was finalized in 1783, Washington triumphantly marched into New York City. Then to the astonishment of the world, Washington—by now the most famous man in the world—stopped the [[Newburgh Conspiracy]], resigned his commission, and went home to his plantation, setting a standard of republican belief in civilian supremacy.
Washington delivered his farewell to his officers on December 4, 1783, at [[Fraunces Tavern]] in New York City.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=duwQAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR201 The Minute Man, Volumes 11-20]</ref>
===Conflict with the Iroquois===
==Constitution==
[[File:The_Foundation_of_American_Government_Hy_Hintermeister.jpg|thumbnail|right|300px|Reproduction of painting of George Washington, [[Benjamin Franklin]] and others signing the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Henry Hintermeister.]]
Long before most of his contemporaries, Washington realized that independence could not be guaranteed without a standing army and that a nation strong enough to defend itself and to control the West could not exist without a central taxing power and a competent executive authority. All of those things, he admitted. ran directly counter to anti-tax, anti-centralizing sentiments that animated the Revolution. But they were necessary nonetheless, Washington insisted throughout the 1780s. Ellis (2004) concludes that Washington, succeeded in reconciling those contradictions and playing the difficult role of a semi-monarchical republican leader because he understood so well the proper use of power and could project "onto the national screen ... the same kind of controlling authority he had orchestrated within his own personality."<ref>Ellis 2004 p. 274</ref>
In 1785 Washington hosted the [[Mount Vernon Conference]] at his home, which led to both the [[Annapolis Convention]] and the creation of the Constitution.
Because of the reputation he gained in the American Revolution, Washington was a logical choice for Virginia to send as a delegate to the [[Constitutional Convention]]. There, he was quickly chosen to chair the convention. While he barely ever spoke, the delegates have been said to have designed the [[President of the United States|Presidency]] assuming he would be the first President. Other members of the Virginia delegation to the Convention convention were [[John Blair]], [[James Madison]], [[George Mason]], [[James McClurg]], [[Edmund Randolph]], and [[George Wythe]].
==First president==
===Farewell Address===
Washington reluctantly served a second term, beginning in 1793, but by 1796 he was exhausted and insisted on not running again. (Since then, no President except [[Theodore Roosevelt]] and [[Franklin Roosevelt]] has ever tried for a third term; the [[Twenty-Second Amendment]] makes this two-term limit into law.) His [[Farewell Address]], partly drafted by [[Alexander Hamilton and Jefferson]], remains a classic statement of republicanism, calling on Americans to practice civic virtue and avoid alliances with the warring parties in Europe.
[[File:Life of George Washington - The Christian death.jpg|thumb|Washington on his death bed]]
===Retirement and death: 1797-99===
Washington returned to his beloved Mount Vernon, but his health continued to decline. In 1798 he accepted appointment as nominal head of a new national army designed to fight the French in a threatened war. (President John Adams chose him as the one man who would command respect from all factions.) His role was nominal, as Hamilton was in effective command.
==Christianity==
[[Image:W-pray.jpg|right|thumb|''"I was riding with Mr. Potts near to the The Prayer at Valley Forge where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution, when Mr. Potts said, 'Do you see that woods & that plain? There laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods (pointing to a close in view) I heard a plaintive sound as of a man at prayer.... To my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. "''.<ref>From ''Diary and Remembrances,'' by Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden (1770-1851), who received it from an eyewitness to the scene, Valley Forge resident Isaac Potts</ref>Henry Brueckner]]
Washington was a practicing Christian who frequently attended services of several denominations and took seriously his responsibilities as vestryman of his Anglican parish. Washington frequently invoked God and commanded that chaplains be included in every regiment:
<blockquote>"The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country."<ref>http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-02-22&view=View</ref></blockquote>
During one harsh winter while encamped at [[Valley Forge]], an eyewitness reported seeing General Washington pray for God's aid to win the upcoming battles against the British. He said:
<blockquote>''"I was riding with Mr. Potts near to the Valley Forge where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution, when Mr. Potts said, 'Do you see that woods & that plain? There laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods (pointing to a close in view) I heard a plaintive sound as of a man at prayer.... To my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. "''.<ref>From ''Diary and Remembrances,'' by Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden (1770-1851), who received it from an eyewitness to the scene, Valley Forge resident Isaac Potts</ref></blockquote>
Washington declared in his Inaugural Address:
==Freemason==
On November 4, 1752, Washington was initiated into [[Freemasonry]] at Fredricksburg Lodge, Fredricksburg, Virginia. He was passed and raised at the same lodge, becoming a Master Mason on August 4, 1753. He later served as Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22 in Alexandria, Virginia. Upon his death in 1799, he was given a Masonic funeral at his wife's request.<ref>http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/washington_g/washington_g.html</ref> Despite this, Washington despised the [[Illuminati]] and the [[Jacobins]], which were closely associated with Freemasons and radicalism.<ref>Philipp, Joshua (May 29, 2019). [https://www.theepochtimes.com/washingtons-warnings-against-partisanship-related-to-the-illuminati-and-democratic-socities_2941627.html Washington’s Warnings Against Partisanship Related to the ‘Illuminati’ and ‘Democratic Socities’]. ''The Epoch Times''. Retrieved May 29, 2019.</ref>
==Parson Weems and the Cherry Tree Story==
[[Image:Trumbull G. Washington.jpg|right|thumb|''George Washington'', by [[John Trumbull]]]]
== George Washington and the French book Rules of Civility ==
''See also:'' [[Social intelligence]]
*[https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/lesson-plan/george-washingtons-rules-civility George Washington and the French book Rules of Civility]
==Speeches from George Washington==
*"There is no such thing as coincidence. God wills the world according to his design." (1773)<ref>From The Diaries of George Washington, 1773)</ref>
*"The propitious smiles of Heaven , can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right , which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." (1789)<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/inaugtxt.html][https://founders.archives.gov/?q=The%20propitious%20smiles%20of%20Heaven%2C%20can%20never%20be%20expected%20on%20a%20nation%20that%20disregards%20the%20eternal%20rules%20of%20order%20and%20right%2C%20which%20Heaven%20itself%20has%20ordained&s=1111311111&sa=&r=1&sr= First Inaugural Address]</ref>
*"But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed." (1796)<ref>(Farewell Address; September 19, 1796</ref>
*"Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government."<ref>To Henry Lee, Oct. 31, 1786 [https://books.google.com/books?id=5CHqDr6CJLsC&pg=PA204&dq=%22are+unfit+for+their+own+%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPA204,M1 online p 202-3]</ref>
''„Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labour to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men & citizens. The mere Politican, equally with the [[Piety|pious]] man ought to respect & to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private & public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the Oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure--reason & experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. 'Tis substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of Free Government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric.“'' [http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/farewell/intro.html The Papers of George Washington, Documents, The Farewell Address, page 20]
*"Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company." - George Washington
==In fiction==
Because he is famous for being the very first [[President of the United States]], George Washington has made several appearances in fictional media.
===Television===
In a live-action ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' segment titled "George Washington Slept Here," a George Washington portrayed by Ed Metzger makes an appearance in Mario Brothers Plumbing.
==Trivia==
* Cunliffe, Marcus. ''Washington: Man and Monument'' (1958),
* Ellis, Joseph J. ''His Excellency: George Washington'' (2004), by Pulitzer prize winner
* Ellis, Joseph J. "Inventing the Presidency." ''American Heritage'' 2004 55(5): 42-4842–48, 50, 52-5352–53. Issn: 0002-8738 Fulltext: online at Ebsco.
* Henriques, Peter R. ''Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington.'' (2006).
* Higginbotham, Don. ''George Washington: Uniting a Nation'' (2002)
* Higginbotham, Don, ed. ''George Washington Reconsidered''. (2001). 336 pp.
* Wood, Gordon S. "The Greatness of George Washington." ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' 1992 68(2): 189-207189–207. Issn: 0042-675x Fulltext: in Ebsco
===Biographies===
* Novak, Michael and Novak, Jana. ''Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country.'' 2006. 282 pp. Rejects idea that Washington was a deist; he kept his religion private and was probably a Christian
* Nordham, George W. ''The Age of Washington: George Washington's Presidency, 1789-1797.'' (1989).
* Pogue, Dennis J. "George Washington: Slave Master." ''American History'' 2004 38(6): 52-6152–61. Issn: 1076-8866 Fulltext: in Ebsco, popular history
* Rozell, Mark J., William D. Pederson, Frank J. Williams. ''George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency'' 2000 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=26469391 online edition]
* Riccards, Michael P. ''A Republic, If You Can Keep It: The Foundations of the American Presidency, 1700-1800.'' (1987)
== External links ==
*[httphttps://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html White House biography]
*[http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/index.html Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia]
*[http://www.livingtrustnetwork.com/content/lwt/wills/washingtonwill.php Last will and testament]
*[httphttps://wwwarchive.earlyamerica.comorg/livesdetails/gwlife/ Text lifegeorgewashi00mdgoog The Life of the 1807 biography George Washington], by [[David RamseyRamsay]]*[https://books.google.com/books?id=xT8FAAAAYAAJ The Life of George Washington], by Mason Locke Weems*[httphttps://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html White House biography]*[httphttps://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/ PBS biography]
*[http://georgewashington.si.edu/ Smithsonian Institute biography]
*[http://www.mountvernon.org/ George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate]
*[http://gw.ffc.navy.mil/ USS ''George Washington'' CVN-73]
*[http://www.nps.gov/wamo/historyculture/index.htm WASHINGTON MONUMENT] the 125th anniversary of the monument's completion and dedication.
* [https://librivox.org/author/354 Works by George Washington - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]*[https://librivox.org/george-washington-by-calista-mccabe-courtenay/ George Washington], by Calista McCabe Courtenay - Audiobook at [[LibriVox]]*[https://librivox.org/george-washington-by-ferdinand-schmidt/ George Washington], by Ferdinand Schmidt - Audiobook at [[LibriVox]]
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