Essay Topic:

The career and personality of George Washington as a vital element of American history.

Essay Questions:

Why is the name of George Washington so important for American history? Why do contemporary Americans consider George Washington to be a national pride? What was the brightest peculiarity of George Washington’s life?

Thesis Statement:

For contemporary people George Washington is more than just a politician – he is a national pride and an example for many of his followers.

George Washington essay

Introduction: Among all the names listed in American history the name of George Washington will always remain to be one of the brightest names. This is not just due to the fact that this man was the first president of the United States of America, but also due to his personality. For contemporary people George Washington is more than just a politician – he is a national pride and an example for many of his followers.

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. His parents were Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. As Mary Ball Washington was Augustine’s second wife, George had two half brothers. One of them – Lawrence, became a substitution of his father when Augustine Washington died in 1943[Warren, Part 1]. Lawrence’s home – Mount Vernon became George’s real home after his father’s death. Young George did not get proper formal education and had to grow up very quickly as he had to occupy his brother’s place in the Army and inherit Mount Vernon. By 1754 George Washington was already a lieutenant colonel [White House info.] and everything he went through while being an aide to General Edward Braddock turned him into the commander of Virginia's entire military force [Warren, Part 2]. After this, in 1759 George married a beautiful widow Martha Dandridge Custis and started a happy life with her and her two children. Though George Washington was in love with his wife, his heart was constantly worrying for everything happening to the country and it was very hard for him to stand away from the most prominent events. In 1775 he visits the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia and becomes the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army [White House]. During this period George Washington had both - victories and defeats while fighting the French.It was a very hard type for the troops did not have enough supply and the battles very dangerous. Even though Washington, in spite of him being on of the best commanders, did not have enough experience to fight and those were the moments when he turned on his improvisational-powers. He always showed his soldiers the courage to keep doing ahead no matter what and did not consider retreating a crime if it saved priceless lives of healthy soldiers. He was the one who defended Boston and New York City, showing American strength to the British Army. In 1781 he George Washington made the Cornwallis’s army surrender and brought America one of its outstanding victories [Warren / Part 3]. After that Washington comes back to Mount Vernon but does not spend much time there. He heart always stayed with his country no matter how much he loved his home and family.

Conclusion: The year of 1789 became the time when he was elected as the first president of the United States of America and stayed there for two terms until 1797, showing dedication and love for his country. A lot of myths are connected with the name of George Washington; nevertheless most of them are not true and are usually the creation of the authors who dedicated books to one of the most outstanding men in the history of America – George Washington. He died in 1999 as a happy man back in Mount Vernon surrounded by his family. This brave man was and will always stay an example for every single young person now. An example of how a man can stay pure in his heart even going through so many hardships.