Biography of george washington pdf application

He wrote home to Martha that he expected to return safely to her in the fall. The command kept him away from Mount Vernon for more than 8 years with only one very brief visit while en route to Yorktown. It was a command for which his military background, although greater than that of any of the other available candidates, hardly prepared him.

His knowledge lay in frontier warfare, involving relatively small numbers of soldiers. He had no practical experience maneuvering large formations, handling cavalry or artillery, or maintaining supply lines adequate to support thousands of men in the field. He learned on the job; and although his army reeled from one misfortune to another, he had the courage, determination, and mental agility to keep the American cause one step ahead of complete disintegration until he figured out how to win the unprecedented revolutionary struggle he was leading.

His task was not overwhelming at first. The British position in Boston was untenable, and in March they withdrew from the city. But it was only a temporary respite. Howe commanded the largest expeditionary force Britain had ever sent overseas. Defending New York was almost impossible. An island city, New York is surrounded by a maze of waterways that gave a substantial advantage to an attacker with naval superiority.

Howe's army was larger, better equipped, and far better trained than Washington's. They defeated Washington's army at Long Island in August and routed the Americans a few weeks later at Kip's Bay , resulting in the loss of the city. Forced to retreat northward, Washington was defeated again at White Plains. The American defense of New York City came to a humiliating conclusion on November 16, , with the surrender of Fort Washington and some 2, men.

Washington ordered his army to retreat across New Jersey.

Biography of george washington pdf application

The remains of his forces, mud-soaked and exhausted, crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania on December 7. The British had good reason to believe that the American rebellion would be over in a few months and that Congress would seek peace rather than face complete subjugation of the colonies. The enlistments of most of Washington's army were due to expire at the end of December.

However, instead of crushing the remains of Washington's army, Howe went into winter quarters, with advanced garrisons at Trenton and Princeton, leaving Washington open to execute one of the most daring military operations in American history. On Christmas night Washington's troops crossed the Delaware River and attacked the unsuspecting garrison at Trenton , forcing it to surrender.

A few days later Washington again crossed the Delaware, outmaneuvered the force sent to crush him, and fell on the enemy at Princeton, inflicting a humiliating loss on the British. For much of the remainder of the war, Washington's most important strategic task was to keep the British bottled up in New York. Although he never gave up hope of retaking the city, he was unwilling to risk his army without a fair prospect of success.

An alliance with France and the arrival of a French army under the Comte de Rochambeau in July renewed Washington's hopes to recapture New York; however, together Washington and Rochambeau commanded about 9, men -- some 5, fewer than Clinton. In the end, therefore, the allied generals concluded, that an attack on New York could not succeed. Instead, they decided to strike at the British army under Cornwallis, which was camped at Yorktown, Virginia.

Washington's planning for the Battle of Yorktown was as bold as it had been for Trenton and Princeton but on a much larger scale. Depending on Clinton's inactivity, Washington marched south to lay siege on Cornwallis. On October 19, , he accepted the surrender of Cornwallis's army. Although two more years passed before a peace treaty was completed, the victory at Yorktown effectively brought the Revolutionary War to an end.

To the world's amazement, Washington had prevailed over the more numerous, better supplied, and fully-trained British army, mainly because he was more flexible than his opponents. He learned that it was more important to keep his army intact and to win an occasional victory to rally public support than it was to hold American cities or defeat the British army in an open field.

Over the last years, revolutionary leaders in every part of the world have employed this insight, but never with a result as startling as Washington's victory over the British. On December 23, , Washington presented himself before Congress in Annapolis, Maryland, and resigned his commission. Like Cincinnatus, the hero of Classical antiquity whose conduct he most admired, Washington had the wisdom to give up power when he could have been crowned a king.

He left Annapolis and went home to Mount Vernon with the fixed intention of never again serving in public life. This one act, without precedent in modern history, made him an international hero. Washington surrendering his military commission to Congress United States Senate. Most popular revolutions throughout history have descended into bloody chaos or fallen under the sway of dictators.

So how did the United States, born of its own 8-year revolution, ultimately avoid these common pitfalls? Although Washington longed for a peaceful life at Mount Vernon, the affairs of the nation continued to command his attention. He watched with mounting dismay as the weak union created by the Articles of Confederation gradually disintegrated, unable to collect revenue or pay its debts.

He was appalled by the excesses of the state legislatures and frustrated by the diplomatic, financial, and military impotence of the Confederation Congress. By Washington had concluded that reform was essential. What was needed, he wrote to James Madison , was an energetic Constitution. In , Washington ended his self-imposed retirement and traveled to Philadelphia to attend a convention assembled to recommend changes to the Articles of Confederation.

He was unanimously chosen to preside over the Constitutional Convention , a job that took four months. He spoke very little in the convention, but few delegates were more determined to devise a government endowed with real energy and authority. My wish, he wrote, is that the convention may adopt no temporizing expedients but probe the defects of the Constitution to the bottom and provide a radical cure.

After the convention adjourned, Washington's reputation and support were essential to overcome opposition to the ratification of the proposed Constitution. He worked for months to rally support for the new instrument of government. It was a difficult struggle. Even in Washington's native Virginia, the Constitution was ratified by a majority of only one vote.

Once the Constitution was approved, Washington hoped to retire again to private life. But when the first presidential election was held, he received a vote from every elector. He remains the only President in American history to be elected by the unanimous voice of the people. George Washington traveled far and wide during his lifetime. Texts Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip.

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Although the tax was hard to collect, Washington avoided an escalation of the rebellion and helped to establish the principle of federal taxes. This included the creation of a cabinet system, the inaugural address and title of Mr President. His Republican values had a lasting impact on American society and government. Despite being a popular president, he had to be persuaded to stand for a second term.

Both Thomas Jefferson of Democrat-Republicans and Alexander Hamilton Federalist Party put aside their policy difference to encourage Washington to stand for a second term. They believed Washington was the only one who could hold the new country together. He refused to join the Federalists, despite mostly agreeing with their policies.

In some respects, Washington preferred the idea of strong central government. Although he fought the British, he appreciated the strength of a unified political body. However, Washington was keen to avoid the pomp and ceremony associated with Monarchs. In , he published a Farewell Address which offered his thoughts on civic virtue and political governance.

It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. George Washington was widely considered to be an able administrator and person of exemplary character. This is an automatically generated summary.

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