The First President of the USA - Father Founder of True Principles - Research Paper Example

 George Washington (Life & Death) Early Life & Education: George Washington was born on 22nd February, 1732, the name of his parents were Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. George took his initial education at home by his father and his eldest brother. In his youth he was a surveyor and took the information about the terrain around Virginia. He attended the University of Pennsylvania on the base ball scholarship Career: Washington started his career as a planter which according to historians is that person who held 20 or more slaves. In 1749, he took his 1st public office as the surveyor of Culpeper County. Through his brother Lawrence Washington, he got interest in Ohio Company which was interested in exploiting the western lands, in 1751 George with his brother went to Barbados and stayed there for some time waiting for his brother’s tuberculosis to improve a bit but Lawrence died there and George as a result inherited part of his state and performed some of his brother’s duties as the adjutant of the colony. This was the only occasion when George Washington traveled outside what is now called the United States of America. Zane Grey explained in his book ‘George Washington, frontier man that George Washington suffered from chicken pox in Barbados and had to stay there in quarantine until he was recovered from the disease considered deadly at that time and then he was allowed to return to Virginia. 1753, the tension and the enmity between the French and the British was increasing over the dispute of Ohio valley control, soon after this there was the eruption of French and the Indian war which opened new horizons for the young and the ambitious George Washington. He gained public notice for the 1st time when as the adjutant of one of the Virginia’s districts he was sent to warn French commander at Forte Le Boeuf against any more encroachment on the British owned land. His experiences and the difficulties which he faced during his journey helped him to get to the post of lieutenant colonel. Though he was very young, in fact 22years of age, he learned very swiftly about how to manage the problems of recruitment, supply and other military issues by his inborn abilities that made him respectable in the eyes of his seniors. French and the Indian War: After becoming lieutenant colonel George conveyed his feeling to the authorities that French forces are planning to move a bit further so after his commission as lieutenant colonel by his commandant Dinwiddie, he was sent along with 400men for the reinforcement of the post which Dinwiddie ordered to built at the junction of river Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. But before he could reach that area, French captured that post and on hearing about their strength, Washington rested in the Great Meadows to construct an entrenched camp (Fort Necessity). In May that year he had his 1st victory when he defeated a small group of French troops. French in return to this defeat, defeated him at Fort Necessity in July. These battles were among the last of the French and Indian wars in America in which Washington took part. In 1755, he became the commander in chief of Virginia for the defense of that frontier; in 1758 he commanded one of the three brigades under the supervision of Gen. John Forbes which won the Fort Duquesne, this was his last participation in military expeditions before the revolution in America. American Revolution: George Washington commanded the troops involved in the British occupied Boston and devoted some of the upcoming months to train and organize the 14,000 man army which lacked discipline and in addition to this he tried hard to get the ammunition and the supplies of other goods. In 1776, he occupied Dorchester Heights and commanded the city ultimately forced the British to leave the area in March that year. After this expedition he travelled to fight against the huge land and the sea forces of Sir William Howe. In New York he acquitted the fatal military mistake of having an untenable position at the Brooklyn, although he somehow saved his army by retreating from Manhattan into Westchester County and by the way of New Jersey into Pennsylvania. In late 1776, Washington got disappointed due to shortage of supplies of ammunition and of military men. George had a defeat to the British in New York, the morale of the civilians as well as the military troops was falling rapidly The morale both military and civilian was a bit high after the capture of Trenton N J, in this impressive expedition, he crossed the Delaware river on the Christmas night and on this expedition, hessian garrison was highly astonished. On his way to Princeton N J, he had retreats at Pennsylvania, Brandywine and Germantown. The major military achievements in that year were the defeat of British at Saratoga, NY and this victory belonged mainly to Benedict Amold and Horatio Gates. After keeping his dispirited army in difficult times, George had an assumption that French were ready to admit American’s independence. With the advice from his colleagues, he tried to convert army into an effective fighting force and in June 1778, he attacked the British near Monmouth Courthouse on their retreat from Philadelphia to New York. Though American general’s lack of planning vanished the plans of George to make a major hit at the British army at Monmouth, George swift steps in the war field prevented the defeat to America. In 1780, the main focus of the war shifted to southern part of the country, despite of the fact that the war in the areas of Carolina and Virginia was conducted by other generals but the main person responsible for the direction of the war was still this man; George Washington. In 1780 after the French Army arrival , he concentrated on the allied struggle against the French military men and as a result an excellent campaign against Charles Comwallis was executed which led to the American victory. During the revolutionary war, Washington’s stature was at a distinct height, he had become the man of wisdom and integrity, initially he started with acting upon the advise of his senior colleagues like Gates and Charles Lee but quickly after this he was mature enough to trust his own decisions. He became angry with congress at times due to their failure to supply ammunition and the troops. But slowly with the passage of time, he learned what was his greatest ability that is to deal with the civil authority. Apart from his personal opinions and differences, his relations with the congress and the government of the states were outstanding but one fact cannot be ignored that his wartime authorities sometimes gave a feeling of dictation authority. He practiced the policy of trial and error in the war field and in the last he transformed to be the expert of improvising the war conditions. Most of the times he acted very cautiously which is considered to be one of his weakness but he proved that he could be bold provided the success is possible. One of his strengths was to combine the green military men with the local population to produce an effective military force. At the end of war, Washington returned to Mount Vemon, which declined in the absence of Washington, despite of the fact that he was the president of the society of the Cincinnati which was the organization of former war officials; he tried to avoid involvement in Virginia politics. In his attempts to restore Mount Vemon, he added a green house, an Iceland, a mill and new land to the area. His ventures in an attempt to develop the state included crop rotation and bred hunting dogs and horses and he also run some commercial projects. In 1787, he headed the delegation of Virginia in the constitutional convention in Philadelphia and there he was elected as the presiding officer unanimously. In this convention, instead of giving his own ideas, he mainly supported the politicians who were in the favor of strong central government. Once the new constitution of America was submitted to the states government for final approval and as soon as it became legally operational, George Washington became the 1st unanimously elected president of America. Life of George Washington as a Person of Character: An Example for Every One: The life of George Washington is extremely interesting, as the 1st president of America. He was among the particular type of persons who are examples for every age group and who can be set as a symbol of leadership. He was such a disciplined person and everyone can have a lesson about how one can achieve success in life. A lifestyle full of Purpose: The basic quality of George Washington life was a well defined purpose, according to David Barton, who was a known author, historian and the President of Wall Builders, “which was an organization which was aiming to present the history and the heroes of America who are forgotten with the passage of time, the main emphasis of this foundation was on the moral, religious and the constitutional base on which America is standing,” wrote an article which had the title, “Was George Washington a Christian?”.In this book he included some of the letters written by the adapted daughter of George Washington. These letters clearly show the differences which the thoughtful persons can easily appreciates that what makes George so different and unique from others in his or our era. According to her daughter, he never missed the attendance at the church in the morning unless he was having some ill health, on that day (Sunday)), he used to spend afternoon in his own room, the evening with his family, occasionally an intimate friend called to see the George family for an hour or two but otherwise no visitors were allowed to meet him on that day. He had a custom to spend an hour in his library before he went to his chamber on daily basis. He had a habit of rising early in the morning and studying in the library before the time for breakfast. He was not among the persons who either act or pray rather his mottos were,” deeds not words”; and “for GOD and my Country”. These words not only show the religious side of the George but also show the purposeful decision making which was always based on facts and figures and this quality was his hall mark. Visible for Everybody to See & Act Accordingly: His life was eminent and his character can easily be studied from his performance of duties whether these were as a military leader who is leading the army or as a president who is leading his nation. People around him were aware of his capabilities so they knew about the stature and wisdom of their leader. Whether it is his personal life or official duties as the president of the country, he spent a life with purposeful living, wasting of time was never a trait of him. George Washington as a consequence of his faithfulness, obedience and respectfulness for the others was always respected and blessed with the dignity and the confidence. His decision making was always full of purpose as well as the component of strong beliefs in GOD were also evident from his thinking. Emulating as a Hero for Every One: Having a look on all the wrong deeds which are becoming more common now a days, every body including men and women of all the ages do require to have a look on the life of the persons who always lived it the righteous way and George Washington is among those persons and on a thorough search of his life one can easily come to the conclusion that the purposeful & the righteous living is a troublesome task. But when one decides to have a purposeful living with a thinking to place GOD and the duties ahead of selfish desires, he may find it difficult placing him in the right spot but the success as a result will be long lasting and full of satisfaction. This type of lifestyle can change the world to a place of harmony which flows from the inside of this and the future generations. As 1st President of United States of America On April 30, 1789, Washington took the oath as the 1st president of the United States in the federal hall, New York, and there he said,” As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent," he wrote James Madison, "it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles." He was not concerned about the powers which constitution gave to congress but he as the President, was quite concerned about the foreign policy and its implications on his country. When the French Revolution resulted in a major war between British and the French, he insisted being on the neutral side until the time when America would be standing in a more commanding position. Unfortunately opposite to his expectation, he sensed the development of two parties by the end of his 1st term, so as a result of this set back, he started feeling old and retired at the end of his 2nd term and addressing his farewell, he warned his Countrymen to be particularly careful about the long term coalitions at international level. Major acts as President of U.S.A: He was the 1st person to establish the cabinet and the system of Federal Judiciary. He played important role in the ratification of the United States Bill of rights He played a significant role in the establishment, location and the planning of the future District Columbia. Death of George Washington (The Founding Father): On the 13th of December 1799 his condition was improving and as usual he was making some observations on the paper with his own instruments, but later that day, rain started, and he became considerably wet in the rain and at about 1’o clock, he started chilling and had a nauseating feeling, but he changed his clothing and sit for the indoor work. On that night, meeting his family members he complained of a feeling of being unwell and then he went to his library where he remained till about 12 am. Mrs. Washington become worried due to his condition and asked him about this when he came out of the library, and he made his memorable reply, “I came as soon as my business was accomplished. You well know that through a lengthy life period, it has been my unvaried rule, never to put off till the morrow the duties which should be performed today.” On that night, he remained disturbed the whole night but did not disturb anybody during the night, the next day, his family physicians were called upon and they performed all the measures which they thought were appropriate to save the life of this gift of GOD. Then the night of 14December came which was his last night, he was looking very distressed and said to his doctor that he was dying, asked his wife to bring two papers from his drawer about which he told that one of them was his will and the other paper was burnt according to his wish. He finally died at about 10pm and the American nation mourned him for several months to come. References: 1. George Washington. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 8, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington#Early_life 2. Zane, Grey., & Carlton, Jackson. (1994). George Washington, Frontier man. New York, NY. 3. George Washington. Retrieved May 8, 2010, from website: http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/gwash.html 4. The French and Indian War. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Info Please website: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0861865.html 5. Life of George Washington- A Leader of Character. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from All about History website: http://www.allabouthistory.org/life-of-george-washington.htm 6. George Washington First President of the United States (1789- 1797). Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Presidential Rhetoric.com website: http://www.presidentialrhetoric.com/presidents/washington.html 7. The Death of George Washington, 1799. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from Eyewitness to History website: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/washington.htm Read More