It is the morning of February 11th 1732, on the old calendar. The British later switched to the calendar we use today which makes it February 22nd. A new born baby lies in Mrs. Washington ' s lap in the farm house on Ferry Farm tobacco plantation. Little did she know that her son would become America's most beloved hero.

George grew up pretty much like the other plantation boys in Westmoreland County, Virginia, except for one thing, his thirst for knowledge. His dad hired a tutor who taught George basic math and reading. In his teens he started copying books, such as a list of 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. The list included rules such as: sleep not when others speak; wear not your clothes, foul, unkept, or dusty , but see that they be brushed once every day at least. George also desired to be in the Royal Navy because his half brother Lawrence was in the Queens Navy, and he guaranteed him a spot. Would his bossy mother let him go? No, she would not!

George was eleven when his father died. After his father died he inherited some cash, and when he turned twenty two he got Ferry Farm. When he was sixteen Lawrence often invited his half brother to his plantation, Mount Vernon, which was named after Admiral Edward Vernon, an admiral he served under in the Royal Navy .

As George grew older he often visited Belvoir, the estate next door to Mount Vernon. The owner of the estate, Lord Fairfax, was the largest landowner on Virginia. Many afternoons he and the old nobleman would ride through the Virginia countryside on fox hunts. Soon George became a fine mannered young gentleman.

One day George ran into his grandfather's surveying kit, and began to teach himself how to survey. His first break came when Lord Fairfax hired him and some other surveyors to sort out a land boundary dispute between him and some back woods man.

After his excursion into the Virginia back woods, Lawrence came down with tuberculosis, and so they went to the Caribbean island of Barbados, hoping that the tropical air would help him. And for a while it did, so they returned to Mount Vernon. Soon the tuberculosis came back, and Lawrence died.

Since Lawrence had held the position of commander over all Virginia militia, the post was up for grabs, and George wanted it. But there was one problem. To get the commission you had to pay 500 pounds, and that was 500 pounds too many for George! The other way to get the commission was to apply for a commission as an officer in the militia and rise through the ranks, and that's exactly what George did.

One day he heard that the Royal Governor of Virginia wanted two men to go on an expedition to the French fort of Le'bouf, which means buffalo. George was the best man, so he and a hired guide went to the Ohio region. When he got there he was rudely turned away by the commanding French officers.

Later that year, George was sent on an expedition to build a fort for the English crown. The fort was named Fort Necessity. The fort was just a wooden stockade. One night the French attacked, and the British were forced to surrender. George signed a surrender treaty, but he didn't realize that he was also signing a paper that said he killed thirty French men!

Later George went as an advisor for General Braddock's infamous expedition to capture Fort Le'bouf. Braddock was ambushed arid killed. George led the remaining men back to Virginia.

After that George retired from the militia to become a gentleman farmer at Mount Vernon. Later he married Martha Custis, the richest widow in Virginia. They led a happy marriage for many years. During that time George served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the colony wide assembly, but all that was soon to change.

In 1769, the British parliament began to pass stamp acts against the colonies. The stamps were these stamps you would have to put on most things, like legal documents and newspapers. The colonists were really mad, so mad that one day an American liberation group, the Sons of Liberty , dumped tea in to the port of Boston. This sparked the American Revolution.

The top colonists met in Philadelphia to decide what to do, whether to take military action or try settle peacefully. They decided to appoint George Washington to command of the Continental Army. George quickly marched his army into shape, but that only worked for a little while.

It was nearing the end of 1776, the enlistments of the men were expiring, and the men were demoralized from constant defeats. George needed a victory, and he needed it now. British and Hessian forts were spread out over all of New Jersey. George decided to attack the fort of Trenton. While the Germans were sleeping, the continental army crossed the Delaware River and advanced on Trenton. George caught the half drunken Hessians on the night after Christmas. Only two Americans were wounded. Later that month George raided more British outposts and when the British came after him, he attacked their rear guard and beat them badly.

In the winter of 1777-78, at Valley Forge, the colonial army suffered terribly. There was one blessing that winter though, and that was Prussian (German) general Baron Von Steuben. He drilled the troops so they could face the English on the battlefield. When the first rays of spring came, George heard news that the French had joined the war on the continental side. George planed to use French navy and army to surround New York, but the French said no and so they attack Yorktown instead. The siege was a total success, thousands of English were captured. This battle convinced the British that they could not hold the colonies, so both sides signed the Treaty of Paris which ended the war.

A few years later the "founding fathers" met in the Philadelphia State House to write the constitution, and George was president of this meeting. In April 1789, George was inaugurated President under the new constitution. On the way to Federal Hall in New York he could scarcely go through a village without a celebration being held. After he was inaugurated he went about hiring the first cabinet members, passing and vetoing laws created by the Senate and House 'of Representatives. Soon the next election for President was coming up and his cabinet urged him to run again. He did and won. During his second term he grew older and grayer until he couldn't stand it any more, he did not run for a third term.

George retired and became a farmer and gentleman. In 1798 President John Adams recalled the General when war loomed with France. On December 12, while he was inspecting his grounds, he caught a cold. On December 14, after 60 years, he died. The whole country mourned his death. In his will George freed all his slaves, and left the plantation to Martha. Martha, for no apparent reason, burned all the letters George had written over the years.