Washington, George (1732–1799)

George Washington was the first president of the United States and the “father of his country.” Washington fought for the Virginia colony early in the French and Indian War, and he later commanded the Continental Army in America's fight for independence. He presided over the Constitutional Convention and served for two terms as president under the new Constitution of the United States. Washington was fervently committed to the cause of republicanism, which embraced the view that political liberty was an inalienable right. Indeed, he played leading roles in nearly every major event of America's founding. As such, a number of historians have regarded his role as indispensable in delivering liberty to America.

Washington was born in 1732 at Wakefield Plantation, Virginia, to Augustine Washington and his ...