George Washington facts for kids

George Washington facts for kids - social studies skills studied in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades.

He’s known by so many people as being one of the very best presidents to rule America; in fact, he was the very first president. Not many people know exactly what he did as a president, though. Below, you can find out all about George Washington and his presidency.

Let’s start with his early childhood. He was born in Colonial Virginia. His family was wealthy, seeing as they owned tobacco plantations and slaves. Later in his adolescence, he became a senior officer in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War.

Born in the early 1730s, George Washington was both a politician and a soldier. He served two terms as the first president of the United States of America from the years 1789 to 1797. George Washington was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States (he was joined by John Adams, Bejamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Jay). Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin later went on to create the Declaration of Independence. Most often, it is George Washington who is revered as being the father of the nation and is thought to be the main reason for the United States’ establishment.

As a soldier, George Washington served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. As Commander-in-chief, he had command over the armed forces of the U.S. In this war, he forced the British out of Boston; however, he later lost and was nearly captured in New York City. He also won the hearts of Americans when he suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion, which was a tax rebellion that arose in response to the tax imposed on whiskey.

George Washington imposed several systems which are still used today; including, the cabinet system, the inaugural address, and the general title used to address presidents: Mr. President. George Washington was unanimously elected by The Electoral College in both 1789 and 1792. To date, he is the only president to have received all of the votes from The Electoral College.

The reason Washington was so respected as a president was that he was considerate of voices for the opposition, he wasn’t afraid to delegate; meaning, he wasn’t afraid to hand out tasks to make himself more available to deal directly with being president, and he spoke to department heads before making decisions.

Due to personal reasons, George Washington refused to be part of a political party because he feared that it would cause conflict among politicians, and that it would incite anger in the American population.

Overall, George Washington was known as a respectable man and is thought to be one of the best presidents that the United States has ever been governed by. Although he was the president, George Washington was much more than that. He set the ideal standard for tolerance across the United States. It was George Washington who established the maximum of two terms for a president, and it was later solidified by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.