The Father of the Nation
During the American revolution, George Washington led the American army, which gave America freedom from Great Britain. Washington became the country’s first president and that is why he has been called the “Father of the Nation”.
George Washington has been carved into rock on Mount Rushmore along with Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, i dagligtale Mount Rushmore, er et nasjonalt minnesmerke som ligger i Keystone, Sør-Dakota, USA.
Childhood
George Washington was born in the state of Virginia in 1732. Originally, his wealthy family came from England. They owned a tobacco plantation.
The family used slaves from Africa to harvest. George Washington’s father died when he was 11 years old and his carefree childhood ended.
Since George didn’t like school that much, his mum was worried. He was more interested in the plantation and the practical work that they did there.
When his brother Lawrence died, George inherited lots of land. Lawrence had married into a rich family with a lot of land, so George got to make use of his practical skills.
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Tobakkplantasje
War between France and Great Britain
The Europeans that moved to America in the 17th Century took land from the native people. This land became controlled by European laws.
📷 Statue of George Washington in Boston, Massachusetts.
George Washington joined the Virginia Military in the 1750s and fought in the French and Indian War. The war was between France and Great Britain over control of North American land. The British won in 1763 and took control over the whole of North America.
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The fatherland, Great Britain
The people of the colonies in North America were under the British Crown. They paid taxes to Great Britain but had no people in Parliament in London.
From protest to revolution
The people weren’t happy. Lawyers said that the colonies didn’t have to follow the laws made by the parliament. Among the protesters, there was a group who called themselves “The Sons of Liberty”.
When Congress organised an army in 1775, a revolution was led by the protesters. George Washington was at this point a congressman and took charge of the army.
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The Declaration of Independence
The Congress signed a declaration of independence on the 4th of July 1776. Now, they were free from Great Britain. In 1781 Washington won over the British in Yorktown.
A new nation is born
A new nation was born, the United States of America. George Washington became the first president of the United States in 1789. He did a good job and was able to calm the tensions in the country.
Papirbakgrunn 8
Final years
Many people liked Washington and he was elected three times in total. He turned down the final term because he felt that the same person should not have power for such a long time, and that two terms as president was enough.
After being president, he lived a quiet life running a whisky distillery. He died in 1799.
He was greeted as a great leader after his death. He became a legend: “a leader in war, a leader in peace and a leader in the hearts of patriots.”
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A simple landowner or also the owner of slaves?
Washington owned a lot of land and several properties. On the land, he used slaves from Africa. He didn’t agree with slavery but still didn´t do anything to end it when he was president.
Historians think that Washington didn’t speak up against slavery because he needed support from the rich landowners. They were an important part of the country’s economy. All Washington did was to sign the Slave Trade Act in 1794. This made the US less involved in slave trade.
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Washington D.C.
The capital city of the United States of America was named after George Washington. D.C. is short for District of Columbia. Columbia is a historical name for the United States. The word Columbia comes from Christopher Columbus.
📷 «Be Patriotic»-poster from around 1917-18.
Sources:
- Historiens største ikoner (2020)
Orage Forlag AS
- History.com (15.03.2021): How did Washington, D.C., get its name?
https://www.history.com/news/how-did-washington-d-c-get-its-name
- Thuesen, Nils Petter; Nordlie, Haavard; Skatvik, Frida; Hoprekstad, Odd Egil: Washington D.C. i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
Hentet 15. mars 2021 fra https://snl.no/Washington_D.C.
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Paul Stahr / Herbert Hoover Library / National Archives and Records Administration
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