Shell Primary Source Readers George Washington

8/14/2019 Shell Primary Source Readers George Washington

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Table of Contents

Who Was George Washington? 3

Before He Was Famous 4–5

Joining Forces 6–7

French and Indian War 8–9

Trouble with Britain 10–11

In Charge of a New Army 12–13

Sneaking Up on the British 14–15

Rest for His Men 16–17

The End of the War 18–19

Washington Becomes President 20–21

Home at Last 22–23

Glossary 24

Index 25

Who WasGeorge Washington?

George Washington was an important man in American

history He was a hero in the French and Indian War He led

soldiers in the American Revolution (rev-uh-LOO-shuhn)

Then, Washington became the first president of the new coun

General George Washi



Before He Was Famous

When Do We

Celebra te ?

Washing ton ’s bir thda y is

celebra ted on Februar y 22. He

was ac tuall y born on Febr

uar y 11,

1 732. Wh y is there a di f ference ?

In 1 752, 11 da ys were add

ed to

the calendar. This change

helped

mak e the calendar line up

wi th

the seasons again.

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County,

Virginia His father died when he was 11 So, he moved in

with his brother, Lawrence Lawrence owned a large farm

in Virginia called Mount Vernon

At age 16, Washington became a surveyor (suhr-VAY-

uhr) of land He helped measure and map new towns in

western Virginia

When Lawrence died, Washington inherited (in-HAIR-

uh-ted) Mount Vernon This plantation became his home

for many years

Washington surveying

land in Virginia

Surveying level

Map of the land around Mount V



Unit ing t he C oloDur ing t his dif f ic ult t ime pt hought t he c olonist s needt o w or k t oget her . T o help t hem, Ben jamin Fr ank lin dra sk et c h c alled “ Join or DieIt w as t he v er y f ir st Amer ic apolit ic al c ar t oon.

Joining ForcesIn the 1750s, two countries wanted to control the colonies

Both France and Great Britain wanted the new land

The French were building new forts The forts were used

for their army This made the British trappers angry They

needed the land where the forts were built

France got some American Indian tribes to help them

The French gave guns to the Indians The Indians used the

guns to help France attack the British

Death of a British gene

Indians surrounding a British fort







In Charge of a New ArmyEngland kept putting new taxes on the colonies The

colonists decided that they had to go to war They wanted to

be free of English laws This was the start of the American

Revolution

At the Second Continental Congress, Washington was

named commander (kuh-MAN-duhr) of the Continental

Army

He knew this was a hard job The army had a lot of

unskilled men Washington trained them and made them

stronger

His new army went to Boston There, they set up cann

at night This surprised the British Boston was captured

(CAP-chured) without a fight

H i s T at t l e t al e T e eW as hi ng t o n had f al s e t e e t h o f i v o r y . I n 17 8 1 , he w r o t e a l e t t e r t o hi s d e nt i s t . I n t he l e the as k e d f o r t o o l s t o c l e an hi st e e t h. T he B r i t i s h s o me ho w g t he l e t t e r . T hi s t o l d t he m w he r

W as hi ng t o n’ s ar my w as !

Washington is named commander in chief.

Medal awarde

to Washingto

for the recapt

of Boston



Sneaking Up on the BritishWashington knew the British had more weapons than he

did Therefore, he had to be very smart to win many battles

Otherwise, the British would overpower his men

James Madison and James Monroe crossed

the Delaware River with Washington. They

became presidents of the United States, too.

Who Else Crossed the River?

Washington made a sneak attack to capture Trenton, N

Jersey Washington’s army crossed the Delaware River on

Christmas night The British did not know they were com

The colonists landed in Trenton and captured the city No

of Washington’s men were hurt in the battle

Washington crossing the Delaware River

James Madison

James Monroe



Rest for His MenWashington’s men grew tired of fighting The army

rested at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania They stayed there from

December 1777 to June 1778

There was very little food, and it was a cold winter

Diseases spread in the camp Many men died In February,

food and other supplies arrived After that, the army started

to get strong

Washington asked Baron

von Steuben to train his

soldiers Von Steuben helped

Washington discipline the

men Finally, the army was

ready to fight the British

again

As the commander, Washington c

have stayed in a nice warm house

at Valley Forge. Instead, he lived

the same cold cabins as his men.

made the men respect him.

A Wise Leader

Washington at Valley Forge Valley Forge soldiers’ cabin

Baron von Steuben



The End of the WarThe last major battle of the war was at Yorktown,

Virginia General Charles Cornwallis led the British He was

waiting for supplies from New York

Washington marched to

Virginia to catch Cornwallis off

guard Washington asked the

French to help The French

set up a blockade in the water

Washington blocked the British

on land

Cornwallis was not able to

get his supplies He surrendered (suh-REN-duhred)

the British armies The American Revolution was over

T r ic k ing t he E nW ashingt on t r ic k ed C or nby pr et ending t hat his ar mc amping in t he Nor t h. InsW ashingt on’ s ar my quic k lmar c hed sout h t o Y or k t owC or nw allis nev er k new t hac olonials w er e c oming.

Surrender of the British troops

Victory march through New York



20

Washington BecomesPresident

People knew that Washington was a great leader So, he

was elected as the first president of the United States

Washington believed the country had to have a strong

government to be powerful He asked for help as president

He called his assistants the “cabinet”

One time, Washington became upset with Congress H

thought they took too long to make laws He said he wou

never go to Congress again Instead, he would just write

letters to them Presidents still write letters to Congress to

Short but Sweet

Washington suffered from stage

fright. So, he had the shortest

inaugural (in-OG-yuhr-uhl)

speech in history.

Washington’s inauguration in 1789

Letter from Washington to the House of Representatives



Home at LastPeople wanted Washington to be president for a long

time He did not want to be a dictator (DIK-tay-tuhr) So, he

stepped down after eight years

Washington moved back to Mount Vernon He was happy

to be home with Martha

One day, Washington was riding his horse He became

sick with chills and a sore throat He died that night, on

December 14, 1799 He is buried at Mount Vernon

George Washington was a

to many people He led a you

country to victory in the AmerRevolution Then, as presiden

helped the United States beco

what it is today

Choosing a Capi tal

Washing ton chose land on

the Po tomac Ri ver for the

coun tr y ’s capi tal. This is w

here

Washing ton, D.C. is toda y.

Washing ton ne ver li ved th

ere,

though. The capi tal was in

Philadelphia when he was

presiden t. I t took 10 year

s for the

ne w capi tal to be buil t.

The death of Washi

Washington at Mount Vernon



Glossaryblockade—to block a place from outside contact

cabinet—a group of people the president goes to for advice

captured—caught

colonists—people who settle a new country

commander—the person in charge of an army

Continental Congress—a meeting of the colonists to make laws and decisions

dictator—all-controlling ruler

discipline—to train or teach people to follow directions

elected—voted into office

forts—places where an army stays

inaugural speech—a formal talk given by the president as he takes office

inherited—to receive something after someone has died

plantation—a large farmpolitical cartoon—a picture that uses symbols and humor to share a point of view

soldiers—people who fight in an army

surrendered—gave up

surveyor—a person who maps out land boundaries and distances

taxes—extra money people pay on goods; this money goes to the government

trappers—people who capture animals for their fur

24

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Shell Primary Source Readers George Washington

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