We all know who George Washington was and what his achievements are. So today we are here to learn some fun facts about George Washington.
George Washington was born in Westmoreland County Virginia on February 22, 1732. He is undoubtedly the most important person to the founding of the United States. His story, charisma, along with his dignity, made him a popular figure and the talk of the town. He was the first president of the states. We will take a look at some interesting facts about George Washington.
New York and Philadelphia were the cities where Washington was inaugurated. He had a fine habit of writing letters. It is estimated that within his lifetime, Washington wrote innumerable letters. He was self-taught due to financial difficulties, perhaps that is why he understood the countryside much better than his other counterparts.
Here is a list of 20 fun facts about George Washington.
#1. Surveyor’s License
In 1749, at the age of 17, Washington received a surveyor’s license. George Washington worked as a surveyor. It was his job to assess land and develop maps. Eventually, George affiliated with the Virginia army. He was put in charge of a whole militia. He was part of that militia during the start of the French and Indian war.
His mastery in the field of mapping the countryside helped in strategizing his battles. His utilization of surveyor skills also helped him in acquiring new property for himself. He could very well defend the boundaries of his property as well.
#2. Military Volunteer
A military volunteer is a person who signs up for military service out of free will. As the war broke out, he read and studied multiple military-strategic treatises he could get hold of, and hoped to one day redeem himself on the battlefield. He displayed his bravery by participating in conflicts. He would put himself in danger as a tactician.
In 1755, George Washington decided to voluntarily serve as an assistant to General Edward Braddock, who was leading an expedition to expunge French forces out of the Ohio Country. After Washington heard that the British were facing difficulties, he entered the battle, despite still being very sick. He reassembled the spared soldiers and helped them retreat. After this act of bravery, Washington’s honor was redeemed.
#3. Contacted Tuberculosis
In 1751, 19-year-old George Washington made his only trip overseas as he voyaged with his aged step-brother Lawrence to Barbados. Lawrence had been suffering from tuberculosis and unfortunately, he would die next year. Washington contracted tuberculosis himself on the trip, and later also got smallpox, which left his face scarred and perhaps also made him uncanny.
#4. Surrendered, Humiliated, And Resigned
Washington suddenly put people in a fort without much planning, which he called Fort Necessity, but the French and their American Indian allies soon surrounded him with superior forces and he was forced to surrender. Washington’s melee would ultimately be a big cause of what became known as the French and Indian War.
He was outnumbered by his opponents. Washington faced defeat on the battlefield. He was humiliated and had to resign from his post. It was the first major military event in which he was involved.
#5. Politician
People hardly remember that he was also a politician. For seven years, Washington represented Frederick County in the House of Burgesses, the elected representative branch of the Virginia General Assembly. Believe it or not, the then-future president lost in the first election he ran in back in 1755, although he may have not even known that he was running as his friends put his name in as a candidate.
Anyway, it was in the House of Burgesses that he became a vocal critic of Great Britain’s action policy and unfair business policies that hurt American business owners. This is probably because Washington personally often got screwed over by predatory merchants over in London and made less money due to the British government’s regulations.
In May 1769, Washington introduced a proposal for the House of Burgesses that called for a boycott of British goods. George and a bunch of other landowners were unhappy with England because they made a lot of rules that the colonists thought were unfair.
#6. Farming & Early Life
George Washington was born in a settlement in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Washington spent his teenage times scraping by to make ends meet on the farm. Because of this, George didn’t go to school much, principally only receiving the modern equivalent of a grade school education. Washington family lived together on a farm in Mount Vernon. He would attend church with his siblings.
Little is known about his formal education. He had to leave academics as his family wasn’t capable of funding his college education. His mother Mary ball Washington, equipped him with basic education from an early age. Strangely, he had no middle name. His father was a proprietor of a plantation. In terms of his religious life, he did have connections with the Anglican Church.
#7. Slavery
George inherited 10 enslaved people from his dad. Martha, his wife also had dozens of slaves. Washington Family had control of further than 500 enslaved people throughout his entire life. Yeah, this is not a proud legacy of Washington. His slaves were also exploited ostensibly and occasionally physically mishandled.
The Revolutionary War changed Washington’s perception of the world. For example, he began to question slavery. However, even though he began to see slavery as immoral, he wasn’t willing to give up his slaves any time soon. After all, Washington still needed labor to work his farms, and giving up his slaves meant giving up all of his lands.
Under Washington’s leadership, they were able to resolve big differences that different delegates had, mostly revolving around slavery and representation in Congress. During these debates, Washington realized he probably needed to make a move to show that he wanted slavery to ultimately end. Unfortunately, he did not free his slaves, but this was around the time he decided to free his enslaved people in his will.
Before his death, Washington ordered his slaves to be liberated after Martha. Following George’s instructions in his will, finances for food and apparel were provided to all his former slaves until the 1830s.
#8. Delaware Heroism
One of the most famous stories from the revolutionary war involves General Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas in 1776. It was a cold and wintery night the wind was blowing and it was snowing on one side of the Delaware River.
General George Washington and the continental army camped on the other side and a British army held the town of Trenton new jerseys with the icy cold Delaware river separating the two armies. The adversaries didn’t expect anyone to attack.
The Hessians, who the opponents hired to help them fight the colonists, were generally hungover after Christmas celebrations and didn’t see the attack coming. General George Washington led a daring crossing of the icy Delaware River in the dead of night.
When George Washington’s army arrived in Trenton with his army. The British army was shocked and eventually surrendered and what became known as the Battle of Trenton became a huge morale booster for Washington’s troops.
#9. President With 100% Electoral Votes
Washington is the only President in history to win 100 per cent of the total electoral votes. The electors chose John Adams as his Vice President, and the two complemented each other. He officially became the first President on April 30, 1789.
Washington never resided in the presidential mansion. His birthday is observed as a national holiday throughout the country. He devoted his time at the office to structure the roles and responsibilities of the members of the executive branch.
#10. Wooden Teeth?
George Washington did have some teeth problems throughout his life and he did have some fake teeth. But his false teeth were not made from wood. As per the forensic experts, Washington’s dentures were made from a combination of horse, donkey, and even human teeth.
#11. Nonpartisan
Washington was extremely nonpartisan and strenuously was against the creation of political parties, fretting they would do way more damage than good. He was right about that. If we compare today’s political landscape, politicians tend to trump their interests over the much more important national interests.
He believed that political factions work as an impediment in the execution of indispensable legislation which directly affects the growth, security & prosperity of any country. For the very same reason, he did not represent any political party as the president. He was an independent president who rejected all sorts of political factions.
#12. Advocated for Peace
Washington declared the United States neutral when wars broke out once again between Great Britain and France. After living through two major wars in his life, he wanted peace other than anything for the new country.
In his second term, Washington avoided war and allowed for peaceful trade with Britain by submitting the Jay Treaty. Washington ended the Whiskey Rebellion, a violent uprising led by farmers in Western Pennsylvania. He had to deploy forces in Pennsylvania.
#13. What About His Hair?
George Washington had a full head of hair. He did not wear a wig but he did wear extensions on either side for the curls. His hair just looked white because he powdered it. It was kind of the style back then.
Washington was going after the fashions of the time which were set by the European kings but Washington powdered his hair instead of wearing a wig.
#14. Perseverance
George let a disorganized group of volunteers and soldiers fight against a well-trained Majesty’s Armed Forces. George’s group was constantly low on food and supplies. His army would even sometimes march into battle without shoes however, he managed to hold the army together even during tough times.
Washington had to employ a winning strategy every time despite facing continuous losses. He was able to keep the cause of independence enshrined after facing defeats from the enemy forces. But his firm resolution for independence kept him on his toes. His military career is truly impressive.
#15. Unifier
Washington made plenty of mistakes. He was mostly self-taught and often out of place, often with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. But he was an undeniably outstanding leader. Sure, big reasons why included his charisma and command for attention, as well as his virtue, dignity, and open-mindedness.
Strangely, he lost more battles for the revolutionary cause than won. But his greatest strength was that he was a unifier for the Continental Army. Someone who brought very different people together for eight years. He was the glue that kept the factions together in the early years of the Republic, and the perfect person for the job of guiding the new country as it attempted to figure out how to move forward.
Simply put, the country needed him and it’s hard to even imagine another President accomplishing what he did.
#16. Vouched For Democracy
America could have become a subject of royal monarchies after the American Revolution. Washington easily could have stated himself as the King of the United States. Americans loved him so much that it would have been accepted. The world had known enough nothing but lords and tyrants throughout most of human history.
But nope, George turned it down. He had no ambitions or intentions to be a king. Washington truly knew what John Dalberg-Acton eloquently described later on- “That power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
#17 Love And Marriage
In the spring of 1758, Washington returned to his home and met a woman and eventually fell in love with her. Her name was Martha Custis. She was smart, kind, and rich since she was a widow of a wealthy plantation owner. But she and George were the same age and they hit it off. They married on January 6, 1759. Washington didn’t have any natural children.
She had two young children from the previous marriage, John and Martha. George grew fond of them as well. They lived at Mount Vernon. Washington had requested to be buried at Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon has the Washington family tomb where the family of George Washington rests in peace.
#18. Special Mission
In October 1753, Robert Dinwiddie, the lieutenant governor of Virginia, sent the military leader Washington on a special mission. Backed by a frontier companion named Christopher Gist and varied American Indian chiefs, Washington was to go to a French post on the frontier and demand they shut down the fort and leave since the English had formerly claimed the land.
On the expedition, commander in chief Washington was also to make peace with the Iroquois Confederacy and gather more insight about the enemy forces. The mission went well, and Washington led troops through harsh winter conditions. This got George a promotion. Dinwiddie promoted him to lieutenant colonel and alternate-in-command of the Virginia Regiment in the ensuing period.
His only major flaw was his inability to control the troop as the battle unfolded, perhaps that’s why he did face defeats and suffered from severe losses.
#19. French And Indian War
Lieutenant Dinwiddie sent Washington and around 150 men out once again to kick out more soldiers who were on English land. However, things got ugly as Washington’s soldiers ensnared a group of French soldiers, killing ten of them, including their leader, Joseph Coulon de Jumonville. It was here, where he fired his first shot.
Well, at the time, commander-in-chief Washington hadn’t realized the seriousness of what he had done, but word soon reached him that the French were angry and wanted revenge.
#20. Whiskey Business At Mount Vernon
Washington was involved in the whiskey business. In 1797, one of Washington’s estate managers proposed he open a whiskey distillery at Mount Vernon. Washington agreed, and by the time of his death in 1799, the distillery manufactured nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year, making it the largest manufacturer in America at the time.
Conclusion
George eventually died on December 14 1799 at his home in Mount Vernon. Today he’s still learned about by kids all over the country. He’s even honored with giant monuments in Washington and Mount Rushmore along with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson.
Under the leadership of Washington, the Constitutional Convention was envisioned, and the convention played a vital role in resolving critical differences different delegates had. His journey is filled with thrills. His larger strength lay in keeping the colonial army together. Washington was involved with several domains of American life. He perfectly displays the good, bad & ugly of American life.
His contribution to the foundation of America as one of the founding fathers is immense. He has also been termed the father of the American foxhound. As America’s first president, he explicitly outlined the American ethos. His lack of college education couldn’t stop him from becoming the major founding father of America.
Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma