(#8) He Was a Moonshiner
George Washington produced a variety of goods at Mount Vernon, including whiskey. By the today's standards, the homespun style of the strong whiskey Washington produced is more akin to moonshine. However, he did pay taxes and had a license. At one time, his distillery produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey and made money selling it.
Besides making whiskey, he also grew plenty of hemp, since it was considered a cash crop. Washington's enslaved workers also used hemp to make rope, paper, and other products.
He also grew corn and wheat on his land, among many other crops.
(#12) He Was Technically a French Citizen
France's support during the American Revolution was valuable politically. So when France began its own revolution in 1789, some revolutionaries looked with admiration on what the Americans had accomplished in declaring their independence and building a nation built on democracy, rather than monarchy.
In that spirit of democratic brotherhood, George Washington was actually made an honorary citizen of France in 1792. Other Americans who received French citizenship at the time included Thomas Paine and Alexander Hamilton.
(#9) He Had a Rocky Relationship with His Mother
When George Washington was only 11, his father passed. His mother, Mary Ball Washington, never remarried; instead, she decided to raise her five surviving children on her own. To do this, she often called upon George to pull his weight and set an example for his younger siblings.
Mother and son butted heads spectacularly. George perhaps resented her for barring him from joining the Navy - she didn't think it would be a good life for her son. Their distance continued in adulthood, and she never came to Mount Vernon.
Mary Ball Washington eventually succumbed to breast cancer.
(#4) He Obsessively Pursued Enslaved Workers That Fled Slavery
George Washington first became a slave-owner when he was 11 and inherited 10 enslaved workers. By the time he passed, he and his wife Martha oversaw no less than 317 human beings.
Though Washington is celebrated for being the only Founding Father to will his slaves freedom, he also spent some of his life committed to the institution of slavery. For example, he purposefully pursued enslaved workers who attempted to escape to freedom. Ona Judge, for example, escaped to New Hampshire. Despite Washington's repeated attempts to track her down, she evaded capture until her passing in 1848. Another enslaved worker by the name of Harry actually fled Mount Vernon to enlist in a loyalist regiment and gain his freedom, first in Nova Scotia and finally in Sierra Leone.
(#6) By The Time He Became President, His Dental Issues Limited What He Could Eat
When George Washington was sworn in as President, he had lost or extracted every single one of his adult teeth - save one. He thus had to rely on dentures to function as teeth. Made from different materials, Washington's dentures were likely painful to wear. They also limited what he could eat: in the White House, he largely couldn't eat hard food.
(#16) He Had A Limited Formal Education
George Washington's education isn't as well known as some of his contemporaries. However, it is clear that his formal education - if he had one - was limited. It also did not include any schooling in England, which is a privilege his older half-brothers received. Some of his education also appears to have been self-taught.
Washington was definitely finished with his education by his teenage years, when he took up work as a surveyor.
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George Washington was born in a wealthy family in Virginia. From 1759 to 1774, he was a member of the Virginia House of Commons and took the lead against British rule, and led the American Revolutionary War to victory, becoming a pioneer of American independence. In 1789, he was elected the first president of the United States and was re-elected in 1793.
George Washington had many achievements in history and made great contributions to America's independence and development. The portrait of Washington is often used as one of the symbols of the United States. The random tool shares 16 incredible facts about George Washington that few people know.
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