George Washington

Founding Father, first President of the United States, 18th-century Virginia planter

4 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

George Washington (1732-1799) was born in Virginia. Self-taught, he worked as a surveyor and then as an officer during the French and Indian War. A member of the House of Burgesses, he commanded the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, securing the decisive victory at Yorktown in 1781. President of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was unanimously elected the first President of the United States in 1789 and re-elected in 1792. He established the presidential cabinet, issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793, and suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion. Declining a third term, he set the two-term precedent. A slaveholder, he emancipated the slaves he owned in his will.

Key milestones

1775Appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on June 15.
1789Elected first President of the United States unanimously.
1797Declines a third term and publishes his Farewell Address.

Themes

American independencePresidency and governanceNeutrality and foreign policySlavery and emancipationConstitutional precedents

Sources: mountvernon.org · findingaids.loc.gov · firstladies.si.edu

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”

— George WashingtonTheme · Leadership

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“Nothing is more harmful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army superiority over another.”

— George WashingtonTheme · Leadership

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“'Tis better to be alone than in bad company.'”

— George WashingtonTheme · Wisdom

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“Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.”

— George WashingtonTheme · Politics

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