This is a story about George Washington. He is known as "The Father of our Country." He was our very first president. Here is his story.

Do you see red on the map?  This is Westmoreland County, Virgina.  This is where I was born on February 22, 1732.

I bet that you did not know that I did not have a middle name.

Yes, that is right. My name is George Washington.

I was the very first president. I was elected in 1789. Every single person voted for me.

 I am the only president that never lived in the White House.

Before I talk about leading our country, let me tell you about my younger years. My father died when I was eleven. After that we did not have much money so I was not able to get a formal education.

I was home-schooled from the time I was seven until I was fifteen. I had tutors to help me but I really wanted to learn as much as I could so I started reading books on my own. My favorite was "The Rules of Civity." It was all about respect and how to act. It helped make me a better person.

I really admired my brother, Lawrence. He was in the army. It strengthened my desire to join the army. I joined and was appointed major in 1754.

I married Martha Dandridge Custis on January 6, 1759

Many people called her Lady Washington

This is a picture of me as commander of the Virginia militia. In 1775 I was elected commander in chief. The Revoultionary War started April 19, 1775.

The French and Indian War was a successful mission for me. I was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia Regiment.

I really did not have a lot of experience leading an army, and I lost many battles in the American Revolution. Even though I did not have the experience that I thought I needed, I was a very strong leader.

I was leading in the Revoultionary War. Do you remember war? The thirteen colonies won their independence from Great Britain and established the United States of America.

I was elected president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

In 1787 our country was in trouble. We met in Philadalphia at the Constitutional Convention to start working on the Articles of Confederation. They were weak and we needed to make them stronger.

Once the Constitutional Convention began, it took four months to come to an agreement. Once we did, I was the first to sign the constitution.

Once the constitution was approved we began working on our government. It was expected that I would be president of the United States. I did not really think I had the experience to do this.

You know how the story ends, I became the first President of the United States. This is a picture of me taking my first oath into office.

I was the very first president of the United States. I was elected in 1789 and I served as president until 1797. I was president for eight years.

On April 30, 1789 gave my first speech as president. I gave this in New York, City. In my speech I talked about how we needed a strong constitution and Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights were ratified in 1791. Many of the personal freedoms that you enjoy today are because of the Bill of Rights.

I spent most of my first term as president joining the states and I formed the Federal Government.

I did not want to be in charge of the government by myself. I want our government to be a free government to be a free government.

My second term as president was from 1793-1797. Every single person voted for me again. I really though about not being president again, but our country was so divided that I decide to do it again. I really loved our country and wanted to do all I could to help it.