author
George Washington
1732–1799
A planter, soldier, and statesman, he became the commanding figure of the American Revolution and the first president of the United States. His life also reveals the contradictions of the nation’s founding, including his deep ties to slavery at Mount Vernon.
4 Audiobooks
Washington's Masonic Correspondence As Found among the Washington Papers in the Library of Congress
by George Washington
George Washington's Rules of Civility Traced to their Sources and Restored by Moncure D. Conway
by George Washington, Moncure Daniel Conway
State of the Union Addresses
by George Washington
About the author
Born in colonial Virginia in 1732, George Washington first built his reputation as a surveyor, landowner, and military officer. During the American Revolution, he served as commander in chief of the Continental Army, holding the fragile army together through years of setbacks before the victory at Yorktown helped secure independence.
After the war, Washington’s decision to give up military power added greatly to his public standing. He later presided over the Constitutional Convention and then became the first president of the United States, serving two terms from 1789 to 1797. His presidency helped establish many of the customs and expectations that shaped the new federal government.
Washington spent much of his life at Mount Vernon, where he managed a large plantation and enslaved many people. That reality is an essential part of his story. He died in 1799, but his influence on American political life, public leadership, and national memory has remained enormous ever since.