Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

George Washington

Powerful Essays
1266 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
George Washington
George Washington George Washington was born February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His mother and father, Augustine Washington and his second wife Mary Ball, got married in 1731. George was the oldest of their six children. He also had an older half-brother, Lawrence Washington. Augustine Washington moved his family from Potomac River to another Washington home called Little Hunting Plantation later named Mount Vernon in 1738. In 1738 the family moved once again to Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River opposite of the Fredericksburg, Virginia where the young George Washington spent much of his youth.
Little seems to be know about George,s childhood but there have been many stories. One story says he was strong enough to throw a silver dollar all the way across the Potomac River which was about a mile wide. The most famous tale however is the tale of him chopping down the famous cherry tree. When George was around six years old he received a hatchet. He loved his hatchet and chopped down everything that came his way. He was chopping down his mothers pea sticks one day when he came across a beautiful large cherry tree. He tried cutting the tree but could only cut away the bark but he cut so much of it that it died. The cherry tree was his fathers most priced possession. He would not trade anything for it. When Augustine discovered his dead cherry tree he was so very angry. He confronted the young George. Instead of lying or making excuses George simply said, “I can not tell a lie, father, you know I can not tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet”. He told his father the truth which made Augustine proud to have an honest son.
From age seven to fifteen George was homeschooled and studied with the local church sexton. The majority of his education was taught to him by his father and step-brother. Later he became a schoolmaster in practical math, geography, latin, and the english classic. He gained most of his knowledge though from an acquaintance with backwoodsmen and the plantation foreman, this is the information he would mostly use in his life. By his early teens he had already become very good at growing tobacco, stock raising and surveying. George Washington is the greatest American for multiple things he did for our country. The first aspect would be his many contributions in developing the United States of America. Another compelling factor would be that the hard work and determination as well as the exceptional leadership abilities of George Washington was something every man should look up to in today’s generations. The third and final contributing item would be that Washington also played a key role in the creation of the constitution, which makes America, America.George Washington helped build America to what it is today and that is why he is the greatest American. The first aspect would be his many contributions in developing the United States of America.One significant event that affected our government would be The American Revolutionary War of Independence began as a war between The Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen colonies in North America. The conflicts evolved into a global war between several European great powers. The war started because Americans felt they deserved all the rights of Englishmen ,but the British believed that the colonies were created to be used in the way that best suited the crown and parliament. George Washington was the leader of all the soldiers in the thirteen colonies. He led our country to great victory leading us Americans to have the freedom we have today. After The American Revolutionary War of Independence was over several men came to George Washington wanting to be king of the United States. He refused, however he is known for being responsible for our democracy. America wouldn’t be what it was today without George Washington forming our democracy. Essentially, we would not have our freedom that we have today without George Washington stepping up during The Revolutionary War and leading us to victory. Another compelling factor would be that the hard work and determination as well as the exceptional leadership abilities of George Washington was something every man should look up to in today’s generations. George Washington would definitely be considered a "Visionary Leader." A visionary leader has very clear, encompassing and far-reaching vision in regard to the cause or organization involved. George Washington always had an optimistic yet realistic look on every event he took part in. Every vision included ideas and goals which remain constant no matter how long it took to realize them and regardless of the difficulties which Washington encountered. Washington focused on the final outcome of the situation regardless of the hardships he encountered on the way to reach his goal. He was skillful in designing and creating an organizational culture which would make possible the attainment of the his vision and ideas. In fact, creating this organizational culture may be the most lasting contributions we received from Washington. Everything that Washington did throughout his life consisted of the enduring values, vision ,and beliefs that are shared by members of the People involved in what Washington happened to be doing at the moment. Washington was also a person who could attract others to follow him in his seeking attainment of the vision. But more than that, being as such a charismatic person as Washington was, he was then able to instill in others the ideas, beliefs and values of his vision so that he became empowered to move beyond his own expectations. The third and final contributing item would be that Washington also played a key role in the creation of the constitution, which makes America, America. The Constitution plays a numerous amount of roles in our society today. Firstly, the Constitution serves as the “rule book” for our government. It specifies what government can and cannot do. We have seen this very recently in the Supreme Court case over whether “Obamacare” was justifiable under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Without George Washington playing a significant role in the writing of the Constitution the United States wouldn’t be as organized as it is today. Secondly, the Constitution serves as a set of ideals that our society should live by. People on all sides of political debates try to use constitutional ideals to defend their side of an argument. For example, the Tea Party uses the idea of limited government to promote a reduction in the size of government while gay rights activists use the idea of equal protection and personal freedom to push for their goals.The Constitution, then, is used both as a legal document and as a set of ideals in our society today. In conclusion, George Washington is the greatest American for multiple things he did for our country. The first aspect would be his many contributions in developing the United States of America. Another compelling factor would be that the hard work and determination as well as the exceptional leadership abilities of George Washington was something every man should look up to in today’s generations. The third and final contributing item would be that Washington also played a key role in the creation of the constitution, which makes America, America.George Washington helped build America to what it is today and that is why he is the greatest American. Overall, WAshington was a phenomenal man who did wonders for our country and that is why I believe that George Washington is The Greatest American.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    It states that George came from England as an indentured servant that had experience as either being an artisan or a mechanic. Also, he wrote statements about the “favorable” side of the servant life because many writers wrote about how slavery is similar to life in the Chesapeake.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Straight Bat

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George is seen as a dominant figure who expects his son to live under his shadow. This is demonstrated through the speech of George. Before Timothy goes to his boarding school George gives him a cricket bat as a present. “What do you say?” This shows us how controlling he is towards his son. George also reminds him that he must become a good cricket player. “You must score lots of runs with it, Timothy… Hundreds of them” He expects his son to love cricket and to become a star just like he was when he was at the same school. He doesn’t give his son any freedom to do what he wants to “You have a tradition to keep up. Your father still holds the record for the quickest century” he expects his son to be just like him. Through the speech of George we can see that George expects too much from his son and tries to control how his son lives.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the pact

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George was one of the three young men talked about in the book. He spent fives years living in the Stella Wright Housing Projects with his mother Ella Jenkins Mack and his older brother Garland, for families with low-income. He said, "Our building was a graffiti-covered, thirteen-story high-rise with elevators that smelled like urine and sometimes didn't work." George had become responsible at a young age since his mother worked all the time; he stayed out of trouble, was very smart in school, participated in school events and surrounded himself with positive people.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Pact

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages

    3. Describe George’s step and biological fathers. How were they alike? How were they different.…

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ragged Company

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    was he incredibly intelligent, he was a realist. Realism seems to be something Amelia and George…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thomas Jefferson

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Strongly opposed the purchase, favoring close relations with Britain over closer lies to Napoleon, and were concerned that the US had paid a large sum of money just to declare war on Spain…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Kate Schamberger-Ruth and George Herman Ruth, Sr., who tended bar and eventually owned his own tavern near the Baltimore waterfront. The Ruths had a total of eight children, but only two survived past infancy: a daughter named Mamie and a son named George, Jr.--the boy who would grow up to be an American hero.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    the pact

    • 1835 Words
    • 21 Pages

    3. Describe George’s step and biological fathers. How were they alike? How were they different.…

    • 1835 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    George Washington

    • 2488 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Ramsay, D. (2009). Life of George Washington, The. (Reprint ed.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Editorium…

    • 2488 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia on an estate along the Potomac River. He was the oldest son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington. When Washington was eleven, his father died and left only himself, his mother and his five other brothers and sisters. After the his father's death, Washington could not go to school because he needed to help at the family farm to acquire enough money for his family to live. In his free time he practiced land surveying for fun with his father's tools. Later, Washington started his occupation as a surveyor. When Washington turned 16, he surveyed lands of the Shenandoah for Thomas, Lord Fairfax.…

    • 1116 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Washington

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In 1735 Augustine moved the family up the Potomac River to another Washington home, Little Hunting Creek Plantation (later renamed Mount Vernon). In 1738 they moved again to Ferry Farm, a plantation on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia, where George spent much of his youth. Little is known of Washington's childhood, and it remains the most poorly understood part of his life. Popular fables illustrating his youthful honesty, piety, and physical strength have long taken the place of documented fact. Some of these fables are more plausible than others. The story that Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River -- an impossible feat -- had its origins in the recollections of a cousin that George could throw a stone across the much narrower Rappahannock River. But others, including the familiar story of Washington and the cherry tree, seem to have been invented by one of Washington's first biographers, Mason Locke Weems.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the story progresses the reader is told that George has to work the fields because he's the oldest, while his younger brothers and sisters get to go to school and learn to read and write. George lives a life of working very hard and getting paid very little but his motto is:…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    George Washington

    • 4952 Words
    • 20 Pages

    “Journals of the Continental Congress, Saturday, June 17, 1775.” United States Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875.…

    • 4952 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the story, George is a worker. He only talks about working, and when he does he seems to be very confident about it. When him and Lennie left Weed, they needed a job, so George was concentrated on getting it. George is a worker when Slim says “I gotta pair of punks on my team that don’t know a barley bag from a blue ball. You guys ever bucked any barley?” and George answers: “Hell, yes.” (34). George is so eager to get the job when he answers for Lennie “No, he ain’t, but he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull.” (22) George didn’t want Lennie to mess the job up for him so George makes sure he answers everything. In the middle of the book, George becomes a caretaker.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    To start, Horney says that personality development is largely based on the amount and form of parental involvement. In one of my observations, George called his mother to tell her that he had gotten engaged. She asked to speak to his fiance, Susan, and immediately said “May I ask why?”, when Susan claimed her love for George. George's father, also unsupportive, asked George if his fiance was even a woman. This is just one example of how George doesn't feel warmth and love from his parents. In my other observations, when George is in the presence of his parents, there is constant bickering, fighting and arguing. I would assume that, throughout George's childhood, he had an unsupportive, cold childhood that did not allow him to feel wanted.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays