Follows the life of George Washington, including his childhood, education, employment, political career, and term of presidency.

An introduction to the life of George Washington, a brave man and good military leader who became the nation's first president.

By the age of twenty-five. George Washington was an experienced wilderness traveler, a surveyor, and a soldiet. When the American Revolution began, his natural leadership and practical experience made him the obvious choice as general of the Continental Army. He lost many battles, but kept his army together and eventually led it to victory. Soon he was chosen chairman of the Constitutional Convention, then was elected the first president of the United States under the new Constitution. Just as he had done with his army in wartime, he held the nation together through difficult times. He also set many presidential precedents that continue to this day. Book jacket.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN NPR CONCIERGE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “In her form-shattering and myth-crushing book….Coe examines myths with mirth, and writes history with humor… [You Never Forget Your First] is an accessible look at a president who always finishes in the first ranks of our leaders.” —Boston Globe Alexis Coe takes a closer look at our first--and finds he is not quite the man we remember Young George Washington was raised by a struggling single mother, demanded military promotions, caused an international incident, and never backed down--even when his dysentery got so bad he had to ride with a cushion on his saddle. But after he married Martha, everything changed. Washington became the kind of man who named his dog Sweetlips and hated to leave home. He took up arms against the British only when there was no other way, though he lost more battles than he won. After an unlikely victory in the Revolutionary War cast him as the nation's hero, he was desperate to retire, but the founders pressured him into the presidency--twice. When he retired years later, no one talked him out of it. He left the highest office heartbroken over the partisan nightmare his backstabbing cabinet had created. Back on his plantation, the man who fought for liberty must confront his greatest hypocrisy--what to do with the men, women, and children he owns--before he succumbs to death. With irresistible style and warm humor, You Never Forget Your First combines rigorous research and lively storytelling that will have readers--including those who thought presidential biographies were just for dads--inhaling every page.

Why is George Washington known as the father of our country? What was the country like when he served as its very first president? Young readers will find out as they read about his dramatic life and important role in history. They will also make connections to their own lives as they learn about the many ways Washington is remembered and honored today.

"Describes the life of George Washington, focusing on his service during the Revolutionary War and his presidential inauguration"--Provided by publisher.

A simple biography of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

George Washington was an affluent slave owner who believed that republicanism and social hierarchy were vital to the young country’s survival. And yet, he remains largely free of the “elitist” label affixed to his contemporaries, as Washington evolved in public memory during the nineteenth century into a man of the common people, the father of democracy. This memory, we learn in The Property of the Nation, was a deliberately constructed image, shaped and reshaped over time, generally in service of one cause or another. Matthew R. Costello traces this process through the story of Washington’s tomb, whose history and popularity reflect the building of a memory of America’s first president—of, by, and for the American people. Washington’s resting place at his beloved Mount Vernon estate was at times as contested as his iconic image; and in Costello’s telling, the many attempts to move the first president’s bodily remains offer greater insight to the issue of memory and hero worship in early America. While describing the efforts of politicians, business owners, artists, and storytellers to define, influence, and profit from the memory of Washington at Mount Vernon, this book’s main focus is the memory-making process that took place among American citizens. As public access to the tomb increased over time, more and more ordinary Americans were drawn to Mount Vernon, and their participation in this nationalistic ritual helped further democratize Washington in the popular imagination. Shifting our attention from official days of commemoration and publicly orchestrated events to spontaneous visits by citizens, Costello’s book clearly demonstrates in compelling detail how the memory of George Washington slowly but surely became The Property of the Nation.

The Indian World of George Washington offers a fresh portrait of the most revered American and the Native Americans whose story has been only partially told.