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17. George Washington

Colonial Virginia, military command, two terms in office, the Farewell Address, and Mount Vernon's unresolved contradiction.

17. George Washington

In this portrait, Washington at Window, circa 1948 (artist unknown), a thoughtful George Washington pauses from his writing for a moment. A brilliant group of…

17a. Growing up in Colonial Virginia

Charles Willson Peale portrays George Washington as Colonel of the Virginia Provincials in this oil painting from 1772. Believe it or not, George Washington wa…

17b. The Force of Personality and Military Command

The Marriage of Washington to Martha Custis, by Junius Brutus Stears, (1849). Martha's 2 children from her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis are standing w…

17c. The First Administration

Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives rendered this portrait titled The Inauguration of Washington in 1875. Washington happily resigned his military command…

17d. Farewell Address

The commercial center of Philadelphia in 1796 was located along the western shore of the Delaware River. Washington departed the presidency and the nation's th…

17e. Mount Vernon and the Dilemma of a Revolutionary Slave Holder

This painting, from the late 1700s, is an idyllic portrait of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. George Washington, like most powerful Virginians of the…