George Washington: Profile of a President
George Washington was the first president, and he left after two terms. Before that he commanded the Continental Army and presided over the Constitutional Convention. In office he appointed the first Cabinet and federal judges, proclaimed neutrality in 1793, and suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. He then proved a republic could hand power on in peace. Mount Vernon, his home, was also a plantation worked by enslaved people. Early life Washington was born in 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He worked as a surveyor, then became a planter at Mount Vernon. He served as a colonial officer in the French and Indian War. The early path is land, surveying, and a British colonial war. Enslaved people lived and worked at Mount Vernon. Surveying gave him first-hand knowledge of western land. Career He commanded the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 and led the victory at Yorktown in 1781. In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention. The key to his career was trust. War fame...