You're watching FreeSchool! Today we're going to learn about the American
president, George Washington. George Washington, the first president of
the united states, was born February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was homeschooled until he was 16, when
he left home to become a surveyor. A surveyor is someone who maps and inspects land. Washington
was a talented cartographer, making dozens of maps in his lifetime. When he was 20, his older brother died, and
Washington inherited his family's estate at Mt. Vernon. At age 22, he became a major in
the militia. By age 23, he was promoted to colonel, and was in command of all the soldiers
in Virginia. At this 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 went
home to Mt. Vernon. He got married, and was elected to Virginia's house of Burgesses.
The house of Burgesses was a government body of representatives, similar to modern-day
congress. During this time, the relationship between
Great Britain and the American colonies began to be strained. The British had lost a lot
of money in the French and Indian war, and they wanted to get some of it back. Unfortunately,
they did this by creating new, heavy taxes that the colonists had to pay, and they did
it without giving the colonists any say in the matter. When the
revolutionary war started 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! One famous battle he fought was the battle
of Trenton. Washington took his troops across the icy Delaware river to surprise Hessian
soldiers who were stationed there. The sneak attack allowed him to capture over 1,000 soldiers
without much trouble. Another important victory in the Revolutionary
war was at Yorktown. Washington and his men defeated the British and they 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 a few years for the newly freed colonies
to create a strong government, but in 1787 the constitution was created. On April 30th, 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 unanimously elected, which means that everyone voted for him. When his
first four year term as President was up, voters
elected him again. In fact, he was so popular that he ran unopposed, which means that no
one tried to be the president instead of him. George Washington was so well liked that he
probably could have been the president until he died, but he didn't want America to have
a leader like a king, who was in charge for their whole life. To help make sure that Presidents
after him would step down when their turn was over, he set the example and went home
to mount Vernon in 1797. On December 14, 1799, George Washington died
at the age of 67. He was buried on his estate at 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 part in
the founding of the united states. His picture is on dollar bills and quarters, a monument
to him stands in Washington DC, the capital city
that was named for him, and we celebrate his birthday every February. More than 200 years
after his death, he is still remembered as was written of him: "First in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." I hope you enjoyed learning about the American
President, George Washington. Goodbye till next time!
