George Washington (1732-1799) was an American military officer and statesman who led the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and served as the first president of the United States (1789-1797). Often regarded as the 'Father of His Country', Washington remains one of the most revered and iconic figures in US history.
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Definition
Timeline
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22 Feb 1732George Washington is born at 10 am on Pope's Creek plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
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12 Apr 1743Augustine Washington dies; 11-year-old George inherits the property of Ferry Farm and 10 slaves, goes to live with his brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon.
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Mar 1748George Washington embarks on his first land surveying expedition into western Virginia.
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Nov 1751 - Dec 1751George Washington accompanies his older brother Lawrence to Barbados; while there, George contracts smallpox but recovers .
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26 Jul 1752Lawrence Washington dies of tuberculosis, aged 34.
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11 Dec 1753Major Washington arrives at Fort LeBoeuf to demand the French stop building forts on the Ohio River. He is politely, but firmly, rebuffed.
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28 May 1754Washington and Mingo chief Tanacharison ambush a party of French soldiers at Jumonville Glen, killing the French commander.
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3 Jul 1754Battle of Fort Necessity; the French allow Washington and his men to return home after signing a document admitting they 'assassinated' a French diplomat.
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9 Jul 1755A British expeditionary force under Gen. Braddock is ambushed by French and Indians near the Monongahela River in modern PA; 800 British casualties, including Braddock.
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Aug 1755Colonel Washington appointed commander of the Virginia Regiment.
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6 Jan 1759George Washington marries the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis, becomes stepfather to her two children.
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1761George Washington becomes the sole owner of Mount Vernon upon the death of Anne Fairfax, Lawrence's widow.
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10 Feb 1763Treaty of Paris of 1763 ends the French and Indian War.
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19 Jun 1773George Washington's stepdaughter, Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis, dies of an epileptic seizure, age 17.
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Aug 1774 - Oct 1774Washington becomes increasingly involved in the American Revolution; attends the First Virginia Convention and the First Continental Congress.
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15 Jun 1775The Second Continental Congress adopts the Continental Army, names George Washington as commander-in-chief.
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2 Jul 1775George Washington arrives in Cambridge, MA to take command of the Continental Army, implements army reforms.
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17 Mar 1776George Washington's troops enter Boston, MA after an 11-month siege.
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9 Jul 1776Gen. George Washington reads the Declaration of Independence aloud to his troops in NYC; a statue of King George III on Bowling Green is torn down and melted into bullets.
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27 Aug 1776 - 27 Dec 1776George Washington's depleted army is chased across the Delaware River in the New York and New Jersey Campaign.
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27 Aug 1776Battle of Long Island; the Continental Army is defeated by British troops and German auxiliaries.
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26 Dec 1776After recrossing the Delaware River, Gen. George Washington surprises and defeats a Hessian garrison at the Battle of Trenton.
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11 Sep 1777Battle of Brandywine Creek; George Washington's army is defeated by British forces after 11 hours of fighting. Lafayette is wounded.
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Nov 1777 - Apr 1778The Conway Cabal threatens to remove George Washington from his role as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army but is ultimately thwarted.
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19 Oct 1781Gen. George Washington accepts the surrender of Lord Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
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May 1787 - Sep 1787George Washington serves as president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
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4 Feb 1789In the first US presidential election, George Washington wins all 69 electoral votes; John Adams is elected vice president.
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30 Apr 1789George Washington is inaugurated as president of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City.
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30 Apr 1789George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States, having been unanimously voted in by the electors.
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4 Mar 1793President George Washington is sworn in for his second term.
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22 Apr 1793President George Washington issues a Proclamation of Neutrality, stating that the U.S. would remain neutral in the French Revolutionary Wars .
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Sep 1794 - Oct 1794President George Washington assembles a 13,000-man militia army to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western PA.
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19 Nov 1794Controversial Jay Treaty reopens trade with Great Britain.
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19 Sep 1796President George Washington delivers his 'Farewell Address' in which he warns of the dangers of political parties.
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4 Mar 1797President George Washington leaves office at the end of his second term, retires to Mount Vernon.
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14 Dec 1799President George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, at the age of 67.