Heroes of History: George Washington
Liberty Street.
George Washington is revered as the “Father of his Country.” His image is everywhere, from currency to portraits and statues. But who exactly was he? Heroes of History: George Washington sets out to explain the man behind the myth.
. . . a clear and concise history of the man and his times.
Washington was born into a wealthy Virginian family in 1732. As a young man his thirst for adventure awoke when he undertook a survey of lands on what was then the wild frontier of western Virginia. The experience stood Washington in good stead when the French laid claim to the lands along the Ohio River, placing them on a collision course with Britain. Washington gained a place in the army that confronted and defeated the French in the French-Indian War, but his experiences with the autocratic British soured him against Britain. A political career followed the war, and Washington found himself at the forefront of the events leading to the Revolution. Placed in command of the Colonial armies, Washington faced great hardships with his men and constant strife with a Congress that could not or would not give him the backing he needed. Eventual victory over Britain led to peace and Washington’s two terms as the first president of the United States. He was the first and only president to be elected on a unanimous vote not once but twice. Although he faced contentious times during his terms of office, his country sincerely mourned his death in 1799.
Heroes of History: George Washington is a clear and concise history of the man and his times. Well illustrated and designed, Washington’s story is fully revealed to the young reader, but there is much for older readers to learn from it, too. A definite keeper for any school library.
