The first president of America, George Washington, rightfully bears the title of "Father of the Fatherland." It was thanks to his work that North America got out of the control of England, which was its metropolis, gained independence and gained the Constitution. The memory of this prominent politician and public figure is immortalized in the name of the capital of the United States, as well as the state, street, canyon, lake, island and mountains.
The son of a provincial land surveyor
George Washington, the first president of the United States, was born February 22, 1732 in the family of a large landowner Augustine Washington, who lived in the North American colony of Virginia. A surveyor in his main occupation, his father spent all days on the extensive plantations surrounding their estate. The mother of the future head of state, Maria Bol Washington, led the household, devoting herself to children, of whom there were five in the family. Her lessons became the only home and only education that George received in his early years.
Having lost his father at the age of eleven and inherited his profession as a surveyor, the future president of Washington began to work early. Already in 1748 he took part in geodetic works carried out in the Shenandoah Valley, and a year later became the official surveyor of the county of Culpepper.
Fighting youth of the future president
In childhood, his closest person after his mother was his stepbrother Lawrence, after whose death in 1752, George inherited a vast estate located on the Potomac River, and thereby gained material independence. Then he received the rank of major of the local militia, carrying out military operations against the British troops.
The chronicle of this period of Washington’s life is full of descriptions of military operations, most of which he was a commander. In 1755, during one of the campaigns at Fort Duchenne, he was captured, but, after some time free, he managed to bring the matter to a victorious end. When the military campaign against the British forces was successfully completed, President Washington, already in the rank of colonel, continued to fight the French and Indians who raided the estates of the local colonists.
Marriage and the beginning of political activity
Having resigned in 1758, George is returning to Virginia as a twenty-six-year-old veteran and marries young widow Martha Dandridge Custis, who already had two children from her first marriage. Evil tongues claimed that, concluding a marriage, 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 his political career by participating in the Virginia Legislative Assembly, to which he was elected from 1758 to 1774. In his activities, he pursued a line of reconciliation with the mother country, despite the fact that the British government prevented the expansion of private land holdings on the territory of its North American colonies.
Opponent of violence and like-minded people
One of the methods of influencing London, Washington saw a policy of boycotting British goods. His allies and like-minded people were such famous politicians as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Carrying out their line, they, nevertheless, opposed any violent actions.
In particular, they are aware of their extremely negative attitude towards the so-called Boston tea party - the destruction in December 1773 of Boston harbor of a cargo of tea that arrived from England, in response to which the British government passed a number of laws that were unacceptable to the colonists.
Again in the midst of war
Such measures caused a wave of indignation overseas and provoked the outbreak of the war for US independence. George Washington was unanimously chosen as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, who had by then left hope for reconciliation with the mother country and appeared in June 1775 at the Congress meeting in full military uniform.
The first months of the military campaign did not bring Washington-led army success. 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 failures, as subsequent events showed, was the lack of authority granted by Congress to the commander in chief.
The picture radically changed in December 1776, after George Washington had been delegated rights that put him, in essence, in the position of military dictator. Concentrating huge 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
Encouraged by the victories, the continental army continued the offensive, crowding the enemy in all directions, which greatly enhanced 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 a recognition of US independence.
After the victorious completion of hostilities, the commander-in-chief surrendered his powers and returned home to Mount Vernon, which he had received as a dowry. A new period of life began, which is narrated by him, a biography familiar to every modern American. George Washington from a military commander turned into a wise politician.
Creation of the Constitution of the country
His first civil act was letters addressed to the leadership of all American states, in which, in order to preserve the integrity of the country, he called for a comprehensive strengthening of central authority. In particular, Washington was the initiator of the suppression of the Massachusetts farmers' uprising against the legitimately elected government of Boston, since he considered only the constitutional path to resolve all differences.
Considering his previous merits and current political views, the citizens of the country chose Washington as the head of the Convention, whose works developed the US Constitution in 1778 . Its rather quick ratification by all thirteen states that were then part of the country owed much to the unquestioned authority of Washington, who personally led the work on this document.
US President
According to the Constitution, the head of state is the president, 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 personally did not participate in the election campaign. By decision of Congress, his annual salary was $ 25,000. As a wealthy 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, the president of the United States, who was at the forefront of creating a democratic society in the country, devoted all his strength to instilling respect for the citizens of the country in the Constitution. Being the guarantor of his position, he set precedents that demonstrated his deep respect for this basic law of the state, realizing that only by his own example he could make ordinary citizens respect him.
Since Washington became president at a time when American statehood was only gaining its features, he also paid great attention to the formation of the three branches of its power. As a wise ruler, he created his inner circle, guided primarily by the intellectual and business qualities of candidates for senior government posts. This allowed him to form a team whose work brought the proper result.
Separate Features of Washington's Reign
It is characteristic that President Washington, being in the thick of political passions, did not give any preference to any of the parties. He seemed to have taken a position of neutrality, which excluded any accusations of bias of one or another of his decisions. Having the right to veto Congressional decisions objectionable to him, President Washington used it only in the most extreme cases, trying not to be guided by his personal predilections, but solely by the requirement of the law.
The most important achievement of the first US president was the adoption of the famous Bill of Human Rights, held under his leadership through Congress, Senator Madison. It is also known that after the second term of the presidency, he was persuaded to run for a third time (success was achieved), but he categorically refused. By doing so, Washington laid the foundations of a tradition later enshrined in the relevant section of the law, according to which the president can be elected no more than two times.
The banal end of a great life
George Washington died on December 14, 1799. The cause of the death of this great man was the common cold that he received while riding his own possessions. The medicine of those years turned out to be powerless before the 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 president of the USA after Washington, John Adams, supported the traditions laid down by his predecessor in every way, and served to create a strong democratic society.