George Washington Ms. Alexander US History at Moorpark High School

What do you know about President Washington?

His early life He was born on February 22, 1732 Westmoreland, Virginia (by the way, Lincoln was also born in February and this is the reason why we celebrate President’s Day in February) He had eight brothers and sisters His father died when he was young (11 years old) He was very close to his half brother, Lawrence Washington When Lawrence passed away he left his estate, Mount Vernon to George

What jobs did Washington have? Scout and surveyor –Means he went around and measured the areas and described them Farmer –He ran a plantation that grew a lot of food including wheat Military leader –Leader for British in French and Indian War –Commander of the Colonial Army in the Revolutionary War President –First Constitutional President of the USA!

What was so important about George Washington? He did a lot to set the tone for the United States and President He knew what he did was important and could affect the future of the country

A Leader is Honest He knew he could not do the job by himself so he had people around him to help him, his ‘cabinet’

A Leader is Courageous When he was a military leader he was constantly being shot at but he never hid. There were even bullet holes in his uniform! When he retired, he told the country to avoid involvement with other countries –This is called neutrality –Not everyone agreed with him and it took courage to speak out

A Leader takes Personal Responsibility He owned slaves and knew it was wrong. When he died, he freed his slaves in his will. He also offered his former slaves jobs.

A leader uses good judgment When he became President he decided to dress as a… –Civilian, this means he dressed as a regular person, not a military leader –He did not want to seem “power hungry” He felt the president should be in office for only two terms-he did not want the president to become too powerful. He selected the land where our national capital would be.

A leader learns from his mistakes When he was serving in the military he lost many battles…but never gave up He learned from his mistakes and came up with great ideas such as attacking on a holiday (Christmas)

A leader is humble When asked what to call him he simply said… –Mr. President He did not brag about his accomplishments He was a leader by example He knew he was not the best at everything- this is why he created the presidential cabinet

Fun Facts about Mr. President He wanted an education but because his father died when he was young he could not go to school, he even tried to create a national university when he was president His teeth were not wooden- they were made of hippopotamus tusk or old teeth There is no proof that he cut down a cherry tree He was 6’2” tall and 175 pounds He was a great dancer!

Pictures from DC and Mount Vernon

Remember…