1732

Birth of George Washington

George Washington is born to Augustine Washington, a prosperous planter, and Mary Ball, his second wife.

1754
Washington Starts French & Indian War

1755
Battle of the Monongahela

En route to defending a strategic point, Washington and his forces encounter and slaughter a small detachment of French forces, including their commander, the noble Monsieur Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. The Battle of Jumonville Glen, as it came to be known, is generally considered the first encounter of the French and Indian War. After a disastrous defeat at the Monongahela River that will cost Braddock his life, Washington rallies the British troops for an organized and protected retreat. Washington will emerge from the "Massacre at Monongahela" with a reputation for bravery under fire.

1758
Attack on Fort Duquesne

Washington leads several hundred colonial troops as part of a victorious British attack on Fort Duquesne. The victory effectively marks the cessation of hostilities around Virginia for the remainder of the French & Indian War.

1759 1775

Reflecting his new status as a leading man in the community, Washington is elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He will become increasingly radical over the course of his fifteen-year service in the House.

Virginia House of Burgesses

British soldiers and colonial militia clash at Lexington and Concord in what will come to be known as the first battles of the Revolutionary War.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

1776

Washington, now in New York, orders that the newly published Declaration of Independence be read aloud to the troops.

Reading of Declaration of Independence

George Washington 1732-1799

1776 1777

After a series of defeats around New York, Washington scores a surprise victory against the British in a daring attack at Trenton. He will follow it up with another spectacular victory at Princeton a week later.

Crossing the Delaware

General Horatio Gates captures British general John Burgoyne's army at the Battle of Saratoga. The surprising Continental victory spurs France to enter the war as a colonial ally.

Battle of Saratoga

1777
Valley Forge

Washington famously sets up winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Due to lack of funding and poor organization, the Continental army is in tatters.

Washington leads a joint ContinentalFrench force to victory over British general Charles Cornwallis's forces at Yorktown, Virginia. It is the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.

1781
Victory at Yorktown

1783
Newburgh Address

Washington delivers his famous Newburgh Address, quieting mutinous officers.

1787
Constitutional Convention

Frustrated by the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, Washington chairs the Constitutional Convention to revise them. His signature on the final document guarantees it will be taken seriously.

1789 1789 1790 1793 1796

Farewell Address

Washington is inaugurated the nation's first president in the temporary capital of New York City.

Washington Inaugural

French revolutionaries storm the Bastille prison in Paris, marking the start of the French Revolution. The Marquis de Lafayette, Washington's close friend, will be an important player in the ongoing Revolution.

Beginning of French Revolution

Congress instructs Washington to select the location of the permanent capital on the banks of the Potomac River, all but within sight of Washington's Mount Vernon estate. He will spend the next years of his life planning the city that will bear his name.

Beginnings of Washington, DC

Convinced that the new division between Federalists and Republicans demands he stay on, Washington stands for a second term. He is reelected unanimously.

Reelection to Second Term

George Washington 1732-1799

Washington publishes his "Farewell Address" in Philadelphia's American Daily Advertiser .

-1799

1798
Washington Assumes Military Command

Worsening relations with France convince Washington to accept nominal command of American military forces. He is commissioned lieutenant general, the rank he will officially hold until his death.

1799
Washington's Will and Death

Washington drafts his will. In it, he frees all his slaves upon Martha's death.