The first president of America, George Washington, rightfully bears the title of "Father of the Fatherland." It was thanks to his activities that North America got out of control of England, which was its mother country, gained independence and gained a Constitution. The memory of this outstanding political and public figure is immortalized in the name of the US capital, as well as the state, street, canyon, lake, island and mountain.
Son of a provincial surveyor
George Washington, the first President of the United States, was born on February 22, 1732 in the family of a large landowner Augustine Washington, who lived in the North American colony of Virginia. A land surveyor by his main occupation, his father spent all his days on the vast plantations that surrounded their estate. The mother of the future head of state, Maria Bol Washington, ran a household, devoting herself to her children, of whom there were five in the family. Her lessons became the only education that George received in his early years.
Having lost his father at the age of eleven and inherited his profession as a land surveyor, the future President Washington began to work early. Already in 1748 he took part insurveying in the Shenandoah Valley, and a year later became the official Surveyor of Culpepper County.
Fighting youth of the future president
In childhood, his closest person after his mother was his half-brother Lawrence, after whose death in 1752, George inherited a vast estate located on the Potomac River, and thereby gained material independence. At the same time, he received the rank of major of the local militia, who carried out military operations against British troops.
The chronicle of this period of Washington's life is full of descriptions of military operations, in most of which he was the commander. In 1755, during one of the campaigns against Fort Duquesne, he was taken prisoner, but, after being freed after some time, he managed to bring the matter to a victorious end. When the military campaign against the British troops was successfully completed, President Washington, already in the rank of colonel, continued to fight the French and Indians who raided the estates of local colonists.
Marriage and the start of politics
Resigning in 1758, a twenty-six-year-old veteran, George returns to Virginia and marries a young widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, who already had two children from her first marriage. Evil tongues claimed that, concluding a marriage union, Washington was guided primarily by selfish motives, but from the memoirs of contemporaries it is clear that they lived happily, despite the absence of common children.
George Washington - the first President of the United States - began a politicalcareer with participation in the work of the Legislative Assembly of Virginia, to which he was elected from 1758 to 1774. In his activities, he pursued a line of reconciliation with the metropolis, despite the fact that the British government prevented the expansion of private land holdings in its North American colonies.
An opponent of violence and his supporters
One of the methods of influence on London, Washington saw the policy of boycott of British goods. His allies and associates were such later famous politicians as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. While pursuing their line, they nevertheless opposed any violent action.
It is known, in particular, their extremely negative attitude towards the so-called Boston Tea Party - the destruction in December 1773 in the harbor of Boston of a cargo of tea that arrived from England, in response to which the British government adopted a number of laws unacceptable to the colonists.
Back into the thick of war
Such measures caused a wave of indignation across the ocean and provoked the start of the US War of Independence. George Washington was unanimously chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
The first months of the military campaign did not bring success to the army led by Washington. Moreover, a series of defeats forced the surrender of several cities in the central part of the country to the enemy. The reason for the failure, as subsequent events showed, was the lack of authority granted by Congress to the commander in chief.
The picture changed dramatically in December 1776, after George Washington was delegated the rights that put him, in essence, in the position of military dictator. Concentrating enormous power in his hands, he managed to turn the tide of hostilities, and from that time on, the troops entrusted to him began to win one victory after another. In a short time, strategically important cities were captured: Boston, Saratoga, Princeton and Trenton.
Victory and recognition of US independence
Inspired by the victories, the continental army continued the offensive, pushing the enemy in all directions, which greatly increased the prestige of the United States in the international arena in those days. The result of their brilliant actions was the surrender of the British troops, signed on November 18, 1781. The victorious culmination was the peace treaty concluded in November 1783 in Paris, which put an end to hostilities and was the recognition of US independence.
After the victorious conclusion of hostilities, the illustrious commander-in-chief resigned and returned home to the Mount Vernon estate, which he once received as a dowry. A new streak of life began, about which his biography, familiar to every modern American, tells. George Washington went from a military commander to a wise politician.
Creation of the Constitution of the country
His first civilianthe act was letters addressed to the leadership of all American states, in which he, in order to preserve the integrity of the country, called for the all-out strengthening of the central government. In particular, Washington was the initiator of the suppression of the uprising of Massachusetts farmers against the legally elected government of Boston, since he considered the only solution to all differences was the constitutional path.
Given his previous achievements and current political views, the citizens of the country chose Washington as the head of the Convention, whose labors in 1778 produced the US Constitution. Its fairly quick ratification by all thirteen states that were then part of the country was largely due to the indisputable authority of Washington, who personally led the work on this document.
As President of the United States
According to the Constitution, the President is the head of state, and George Washington was unanimously elected to this post by all members of the Electoral College at the end of April 1789. Such unanimity regarding his candidacy was a unique case in the entire subsequent history of the country.
Three years later, President Washington was confirmed in office for another term, although he did not personally participate in the election campaign. By decision of Congress, his annual salary was $25,000. Being a we althy man, Washington initially refused him, but then found it possible to accept this money.
The Constitution is the supreme law of public life
George Washington is the President of the United States,who stood at the origins of the creation of a democratic society in the country, directed all his efforts to instill in the citizens of the country respect for the Constitution. Being its guarantor by virtue of his position, he created precedents that demonstrated his deep respect for this fundamental law of the state, realizing that only by his own example could he make ordinary citizens respect him.
Because Washington became president at a time when American statehood was just taking shape, he also paid great attention to the formation of its three branches of government. As a wise ruler, he created his inner circle, guided primarily by the intellectual and business qualities of candidates for the highest government posts. This allowed him to form a team whose work brought the proper result.
Selected features of Washington's government
It is characteristic that President Washington, being in the thick of political passions, did not give visible preference to any of the parties. He, as it were, took a position of neutrality, excluding any accusations of bias in one or another of his decisions. Having the right to veto decisions of Congress that he did not like, President Washington used it only in the most extreme cases, trying to be guided not by his personal preferences, but solely by the requirements of the law.
The most important achievement of the first President of the United States was the adoption of the famous Bill of Rights, carried through Congress by Senator Madison under his leadership. It is also known thatafter the expiration of the second term of the presidency, he was persuaded to run for the third time (success was assured), but he categorically refused. By doing this, Washington laid the foundations of a tradition, later enshrined in the corresponding article of the law, according to which the president can be elected no more than twice.
The banal end of a great life
George Washington died December 14, 1799. The cause of death of this great man was a cold he received while riding through his possessions. The medicine of those years was powerless in the face of complications, expressed in acute laryngitis and pneumonia.
For the role that Washington played in gaining US independence and shaping the entire state system, in the memory of grateful descendants, he remained crowned with the title of "Father of the Nation". The US President after Washington, John Adams, supported in every possible way the traditions laid down by his predecessor, and thus served to create a strong democratic society.
