General and American statesman. George Washington was the craftsman of independence and the first president of the United States, and there remains the most prestigious figure of the history of the Union. Its brilliant military career indicated it to be placed in charge of the State with the birth of which it had so brilliantly contributed; however, its presidencies were marked by competitions of doctrines and people who tarnished her glory of hero of the war of independence.
The hero of independence
Son of an easy grower of Virginia, Washington was orphan at eleven years, and had to earn his living as of the sixteen years age; he was named in 1749 intendant of the county of Culpeper, in Virginia. In July 1752, his/her Lawrence half-brother died after him to have bequeathed the family property of Mount Vernon, on the edges of Potomac.
Washington took part as British officer in the Seven Year old war as of its beginnings, by gaining in the valley of Ohio its first victory, on on May 28th, 1754, over the French troops. Promoted lieutenant-colonel, associated of the Braddock general, it was illustrated in particular by the catch of Strong Duquesne, on on November 25th, 1758; at the end of the hostilities, he was the officer undoubtedly most popular among his troops. Washington then left the army while remaining member of the militia of Virginia; its social concerns led it to worry about the fate of the men of the colonial militia who had fought during the Seven Year old war, and he asked for them the ground attribution.
In 1759, he married a rich person and young person widowed, Martha Custis, which enabled him to become one of the easiest growers of Virginia, and he devoted himself consequently primarily to the exploitation of his cultures of tobacco - for which he used slaves although he declared himself for the abolition of the draft.
As most growers, it protested soon against the colonial policy of Great Britain. It took share with the two continental congresses of Philadelphia (1774-1775), adopted the movement favorable to independence, and was seen allotting by the second congress, because of its military experiment, the command of the army charged to fight the British forces (1775). Washington, soon conscious of the immense difficulties which awaited it because of inexperience of its troops and the lack of equipment, chooses initially a careful tactic. The fight was going to continue during six years, until the capitulation of the British general Cornwallis with Yorktown, in 1781.
The president of the United States
After the recognition of American independence by the treaty of Paris, Washington presented to the Congress, on on December 23rd, 1783, its resignation of the post of commander-in-chief, and was withdrawn in its property of Mount Vernon. It however continued to be concerned with questions of policy, and in particular of the development of the country, and its prestige remained immense.
Also had it to agree to chair the Convention of Philadelphia in July 1787, during which was elaborate the federal Constitution. Elected official chair of the young republic in March 1789, re-elected in November 1792, it respected the constitutional texts scrupulously and never encroached on the powers of the Congress. It had to face, lasting this first mandate, with the opposition between Jefferson, Secretary of State, and Hamilton, the secretary with the Treasury; Washington supported, as a whole, the theses of Hamilton, which was favorable to a federal power extremely.
It is because of persistence of the conflict between its two ministers that Washington chooses to be represented with the presidency, in order to avoid a political bursting. During its second mandate, it alienated part of the public opinion while proclaiming, on on June 5th, 1793, the neutrality of the United States in the European conflict, and while refusing to help revolutionary France, whose orientation towards Terror worried it.
Washington refused a third mandate and withdrew in September 1796, by leaving to its fellow-citizens a message of good-bye where he preached the union inside and the mistrust with regard to the parties and of the political intrigues, as well as non-interference in the European quarrels; its speech carried thus germinates of it the Monroe doctrines which were going to dominate the foreign policy of the United States lasting more than one century. Washington died on on December 14th, 1799, after having recommended to his wife to free her slaves.