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- George Washington
- George Washington was born on his father's estate in Westmoreland County,
- Virginia, on February 22, 1732. He was the oldest son of a Virginia farmer,
- Augistine Washington , by his second wife, Mary Ball, The Washington family was
- descended from two brothers, John and Lawrence Washington, who emigrated from
- England to Virginia in 1657. The family's rise to modest wealth in three generations was
- the result of steady application to farming, land buying, and development of local
- industries.
- George seemed to have received most of his schooling from his father and, after
- the father's death in 1743, from his older half-brother Lawrence. The boy enjoyed
- mathematics, and he applied it to acquiring a knowledge of surveying, which was a skill
- greatly in demand in a country where people were seeking new lands in the West. For
- the Virginians of that time the West meant the upper Ohio River valley. Throughout his
- life, George Washington maintained a keen interest in the development of these western
- lands, and from time to time he bought properties for himself.
- Under the terms of the Constitution, the formal election for the president was
- done by electors, who were collectively called the Electoral College. Each elector was to
- vote for the two persons he considered most qualified; the winner would be the president,
- and the runner-up would be the vice president. The electors themselves were chosen
- January 7, 1789, by the direct vote of the people in some states, and by the legislature in
- other states. The electors met en each state on February 4 and unanimously voted for
- George Washington, who thereby became president. Their second choice, far from
- unanimous, was John Adams of Massachusetts. This pleased Washington because he
- had feared that the vice presidency might ho to Governor George Clinton of New York,
- who favored drastic amendment of the constitution. Washington, considering these
- amendments dangerous, had allowed amendment word to go out that votes for Adams
- would be agreeable to him because he considered Adams to be a safe man and a strong
- supporter of the constitution. Also, Washington still had a lingering hope that, after
- getting the government well started, he might resign from office and hasten home to
- Mount Vernon. He could not reconcile this hope with his conscience unless a man he
- considered safe was next in line of succession.
- In the spring of 1790, Washington was struck by a severe cold and then by
- influenza. For several days it was thought that George would not live. The illness and
- the anxiety it caused throughout the country underlined Washington's importance to the
- new nation. Abigail Adams, wife of the vice president, wrote: It appears to me that the
- union of the states and consequently the permanency of the government depend under
- Providence upon his life. At this early day when neither our finances are arranged nor
- our government sufficiently cemented to promise duration, his death would …have…the
- most disastrous consequences. (page 322 Encyclopedia)
- Washington attended the inauguration of President John Adams on March 4,
- 1797, and left Philadelphia two days later for Mount Vernon. There he wrote to an old
- friend that he did not intend to allow the political turmoil of the country to disturb his
- ease. I shall view things, he said, in the light of mild philosophy.
- But he did not always agree to this resolve. He strongly opposed the Kentucky
- and Virginia Resolutions of 1798, which where an attempt to limit federal powers in line
- with Jefferson's beliefs. These resolutions seemed to Washington a formula for the
- dissolution of the Union. In that year also, he accepted the nominal command of the
- army should the undeclared hostility with France develop into open war. The last
- journey of his life, in 1799, were to the army camp at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and to
- Philadelphia to consult on any matters.
- Early on the morning of December 14, 1799, Washington awoke with an inflamed
- throat. His condition rapidly got worse. He was further weakened by medical treatment
- that involved frequent blood letting. He faced death calmly and died at 11:30 later that
- night.
- In the national mourning that followed, many tributes were paid to Washington.
- President Adams call the most illustrious and beloved person that the country had
- produced. Adams later added: His example is now complete, and it will teach wisdom
- and virtue to magistrates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age but in future
- generations as long as our history shall be read.
- <br><br><b>Bibliography</b><br><br>
- I am going to show you a few domes and tell you their names, and locations. I will also tell you a brief idea of the domes surface areas, and volumes, and how and when they were built. That is pretty much the idea of my project. I think you will enjoy the pictures of the domes that I included.
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- Words: 750
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