CHAPTER ONE BEFORE THE PRESIDENCY George Washington was born on February 22 1732 on his family’s tobacco plantation in the British colony of Virginia George was the first of four children born to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington He had two older half brothers Augustine Jr and Lawrence from his father’s first marriage as well as four younger siblings who survived childhood When George was eleven years old his father died His half brothers inherited most of Augustine’s land while George and the other children continued to live with their mother in a six-room farmhouse at the family’s plantation George received only the most basic education and never attended college Aware of his lack of formal schooling he studied on his own all his life Young George dreamed of a career in Great Britain’s Royal Navy but although he was accepted in 1746 his mother forbade him from joining Instead in 1748 George began a career as a surveyor For three years he measured land marked property boundaries and drew maps In 1752 George’s half brother Lawrence died of tuberculosis George inherited Lawrence’s plantation Mount Vernon He also took over some of his brother’s military duties In addition 10
This illustration shows young George Washington center working as a surveyor circa 1750 For three years Washington explored uncharted territory around the colony of Virginia to being a planter Lawrence had been the commander of the colony’s militia private citizens who volunteered for military duty in wartime Lawrence’s father-in-law Lord William Fairfax recommended George for the position and Virginia’s governor appointed him as one of Lawrence’s replacements Fairfax believed that despite George’s lack of military experience he was a natural leader At 6 feet 3 inches 1 9 meters tall George cut an impressive figure standing a head taller than the average man of the time He was exceptionally strong and most important he was eager to make his mark in the military The opportunity to do so arose sooner than anyone expected 11
Military Leader By the 1750s France and Great Britain controlled large portions of North America While Washington was beginning his military career France and Britain fought over the area west of the Appalachian Mountains These hostilities escalated into the French and Indian War which pitted France and its American Indian allies against Britain Starting in the spring of 1755 Washington fought in the Ohio Valley serving as a volunteer aide-de-camp or assistant to British major general Edward Braddock The young officer quickly learned that the British army’s American Indian opponents did not follow the European style of battle They avoided large battles preferring instead surprise and stealth in small-scale attacks Washington Washington on horseback takes command of the regiment after British major general Edward Braddock center is injured in the Battle of Fort Duquesne on July 9 1755 12
encouraged Braddock to use similar strategies but the general refused to abandon the traditional European rules of war His stance cost him his life when the French and American Indians defeated the British in a battle near Fort Duquesne After the general’s death Washington led Braddock’s remaining troops out of the Ohio Valley He was hailed as a hero for his courage and was given command of his own regiment In 1758 he was part of another attack on Fort Duquesne that resulted in British victory This painting shows Washington in his uniform as part of the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War Following this major military achievement Washington retired from military life He returned to Mount Vernon where in January 1759 he married Martha Dandridge Custis a wealthy widow with two children With his marriage George gained control over though not ownership of Martha’s property including 18,000 acres 7,284 hectares of Custis land For sixteen years Washington lived a profitable life as a landowner He grew tobacco and other crops on his lands and he owned more than a hundred slaves to do the backbreaking work of tending those crops All his life he would be an active manager of his estate and would think of himself as a farmer above all else 13
