George Washington, Hero of America
By, Aishani Basu
George Washington
George Washington was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. George Washington is known throughout the United States of America for being the first president of the U.S. He is also one of the founding fathers of the U.S.
Family
George had nine siblings - three sisters and six brothers. His wife, Martha, had two children of her own. Patsy died at age 17, and John died after one of the battles, because of fever.
Young George
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the oldest child from his father's second marriage, with three older siblings, and six younger ones. His first tragedy happened when his father died, leaving Lawrence, George's half-brother, the head of the family. Lawrence helped George learn the necessary things in life, such as hunting, reading, writing, and knowing arithmetic. The two became inseparable. Later on, Lawrence grew ill. Soon after, he passed away.
Going into War
When the French and Indian War started, George was chosen to be Major, 21 years of age. When he came back with a triumphant victory, Parliament started to really act up. The colonists had to pay unfair taxes, and quarter soldiers.
As the war was starting, the colonists made a Continental Congress, where there would be representatives from each colony, and they would meet to discuss these problems that the Parliament and King had thrown on their shoulders. They decided that George Washington would be the best person to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, since he had had a lot of experience in the French and Indian War.
Problems
Nearing the end of the Revolutionary War, George begin to come across some problems. He had been planning to attack many of the British forts, but someone had been giving the British information about the attacks - someone close to George. It turned out to be Benedict Arnold, who had been a general, but now a traitor.
A War Over, But New Problems
On September 3, 1783, George Washington led a triumphant victory in Yorktown. Now that the American Revolutionary War was over, new problems were born. Since Parliament didn't control the Americans, they needed a new leader. John Adams led the others in the Continental Congress believe that George was right for the job.
A Life Over
George Washington died on December 14, 1799. He died of strep throat, but it is predicted that half his blood was lost, because of numerous blood tests. This seemed to hasten his death. His diagnosis was unknown, until recently.