George Washington for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities
serves as a Virginia delegate to the First Continen tal Congress 1775 American Revolution begins when colonists fight British troops in Massachusetts Washington named commander in chief of the Continental Army 1776 Washington is defeated and retreats from New York army crosses the Delaware River and sur prises Hessian troops at Trenton 1777 American victory at Battle of Princeton Washin ton defeated at Brandywine and Germantown win ter camp at Valley Forge Pennsylvania 1778 Alliance made with France Battle of Monmouth 1779 Army suffers through winter at Morristown New 80 Jersey 1781 Washington with French aid defeats Cornwallis at Yorktown Virginia Washington's stepson Jacky dies 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the war signed Washington resigns his commission before Congress and returns to Mount Vernon 1787 Washington serves as president plan of government is written of the Constitutional Convention where a new 1789 Washington sworn in as the first president of the United States the French Revolution begins 1791 Washington chooses a site on the Potomac River for the new federal city 1792 Washington elected to a second term political split widens between cabinet members Hamilton and Jefferson 1793 France and England are at war Washington issues Proclamation of Neutrality 1794 Whiskey Rebellion erupts in western
Jay Treaty is signed in England 1795 Treaty with Spain allows the United States to use the Mississippi River 1796 Washington's Farewell Address is published 1797 Washington steps down from the presidency 1799 George Washington dies at Mount Vernon
Note to Readers any of George Washington's diaries letters and other papers have survived for over 200 years So throughout this book many of the words you'll read were written by Washington himself written in joy in anger in despair and in pride A real man not a cold marble statue wrote these words Can you see Washington in flick ering candle flame dipping his quill pen in ink and writing the very words you read Do you feel a connection to a real person Think about it Research materials that actually come from a certain his toric period such as diaries letters paintings clothes tools and newspapers are called primary sources They were written or used by people of that time Spelling gram mar and punctuation have all changed over the centuries A letter looking much like an fmeant ans in George Washing ton's time To see some of Washington's papers for yourself go online to the Library of Congress www loc gov or the University of Virginia www virginia
Preface A Young Virginian Sets the World on Fire May 28 1754 The rain pounded down the night black as pitch Through darkness the Virginia militia soldiers strug gled to find a path They crashed through trees lost their way stumbled into one another in the Pennsylvania wilderness At daybreak they reached the camp of Native American leader Half King and his warriors Half King and the militia leader a newly appointed lieutenant colonel at age 22 agreed to strike an encampment of French soldiers in a ravine a few miles away The Virginians and Indians surrounded the camp screened by huge boulders and trees Smoke from breakfast fires drifted upward Suddenly a French soldier spied the red coats of the militia looming above and cried out send ing men racing for their guns The young Virginian ordered his men to fire The sudden blast of muskets thundered down the ravine The skirmish the young Virginian's first battle lasted only 15 minutes He climbed down ready to accept the French surrender Ten French soldiers lay dead including French commander Joseph Coulon de Villiers Sieur de Jumonville But instead of surrender chaos erupted Native American warriors swarmed down the ravine to claim their trophies of war the scalps of the dead French prisoners yelled at the young Vir ginian and shoved papers in his face He listened as his two interpreters rapidly turned French
