History UsefulNotes / GeorgeWashington

* RankInflation: One of the United States' two six-star generals, the other being [[WorldWarI General John Pershing]]. Interestingly, the United States posthumously awarded Washington the six-star grade, and then made it retroactive to July 4, 1776. This means that no one ever has or ever will outrank Washington.

* ''DeadliestWarrior'' has GeorgeWashington go up against NapoleonBonaparte. [[spoiler:George barely manages to win over Napoleon.]]
* Portrayed as TheEeyore in the musical ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'', where he never appears but his letters from the front line are a constant discouragement to the Continental Congress.

Still, he did enjoy the battlefield for as long as he did, he once wrote to his brother of one of his battles saying "I heard the bullets whistle and, believe me, there is something charming to the sound of bullets."[[note]]When he caught news of this, King George II, the last British monarch to lead troops in battle, reportedly remarked that Washington's attitude would change if he'd heard a few more.[[/note]]

Washington was also extremely well-traveled,[[note]]Within America, that is; unlike several other Founding Fathers--e.g. Franklin (first Minister to France, and had also served as the Pennsylvania legislature's agent in London in the 1760s-70s), Jefferson (Minister to France after Franklin), and Adams (Minister to France with Franklin and later first Minister to Britain)--Washington never left the US or territory that would eventually become part of it[[/note]] both for military and presidential purposes. You can find a plaque or exhibit claiming "Washington slept here" at just about every city and inn along the Atlantic coast--especially in Virginia.

* CannotTellALie: [[TropeNamer The Trope Namer]], of sorts. The story goes that when he was young, Washington chopped down his father's favorite cherry tree and afterwards confessed because he could not bring himself to lie. However, the story goes like that because it is just that: a story. Washington Irving made up the annecdote to [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade glorify Washington's well-known real life honesty]].

Commander of the American forces during the Revolutionary War, as chosen by the Continental Congress. Before that, he was a Lieutenant Colonel and later Colonel during the French-and-Indian War. And before *that* he was the head of a small diplomatic mission to try and get the French to evacuate their forts who ''started'' the French-Indian War by [[GeneralFailure bungling every conceivable aspect of the mission horribly.]] He was captured by the French after losing the Battle of Fort Necessity, but he was soon set free. Highlights from his command during the revolution include the Battle of Trenton (where he led a group of American soldiers across the frozen Delaware River to slaughter a bunch of Hessian mercenaries in the middle of the night on Christmas of 1776) and his encampment at Valley Forge (where his troops rested for the bitter winter of 1777-1778 - many of them died and all suffered terribly, but Washington is remembered as being very noble about the whole thing). After America's victory in 1783, Washington resigned his commission and went back to private life, leading King George III to claim that he would be "the greatest man in the world" if he actually went through with it. He was instrumental in persuading Army officers not to carry out a planned mutiny over their lack of pay. When he was unable to persuade them because of the disgrace or the fact that mutinying would not get them their pay, he tried to read a letter to them to persuade them. He had to pull out his glasses to do so, and the officers realized that his health was failing, and so refrained to avoid distressing him. Even better, according to legend, he said "Forgive me, for I have grown blind as well gray at the cause of Liberty" while doing so. Many of the men present were reportedly [[ManlyTears driven to tears]]. These events were instrumental in presenting him as an American {{Cincinnatus}}.

He served two terms (refusing a third, ''despite'' popular demand), then retired to live on his plantation at Mount Vernon. This set a tradition for a "maximum of two terms in office" for Presidents, which was kept until FranklinDRoosevelt was elected President ''four'' times in a row, after which the Constitution was amended to have the maximum of ten years be an actual rule. (Usually it's just eight, since the President can't serve half a term, unless he was a vice president who succeeded halfway through his predecessor's term.)

** He would have served only one term as President, but UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton and ThomasJefferson both convinced him that he needed to serve a second term for the survival of the government. To put it in perspective, it was the only time Hamilton and Jefferson ever completely agreed on ''anything.'' Washington indeed proved to be an awesome Chief Executive.

* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' he's revered to saint like levels, along with Creator/BenjaminFranklin and ThomasJefferson.

* TheHero: To most Americans, at least, thanks to HistoricalheroUpgrade, particularly when portrayed in popular media. Otherwise, [[GreyAndGrayMorality less so]].

* TheHero

* PlotArmor: Washington's luck on the battlefield can only be matched by the heroes of fictional stories. No bullet could touch him. Even from his more youthful escapades as a colonial officer, people trying to shoot him even at close range never left a mark. He had horses shot under him during the disastrous Braddock campaign of the SevenYearsWar, and was never injured during the Revolution even in the battles where Washington was in the thick of fighting. He also survived a childhood smallpox outbreak, and was thus immune to the disease for the rest of his life.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. George and Creator/BenjaminFranklin were friends with Barnabus Stinson (Barney's ancestor) who wrote "The Bro Code". George and Ben also once did a "Devil's Threesome".

* ShirtlessScene: [This statue [http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/ImagesML/Fashion/Washington.jpg]] by Horatio Greenough.

* ShirtlessScene: [[This statue http://www.google.com.ph/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=980&bih=574&q=horatio+greenough+george+washington&oq=Horatio+Green&gs_l=img.1.0.0l4j0i24l6.2400.9709.0.11933.13.12.0.1.1.0.248.1230.2j4j2.8.0....0...1c.1.37.img..5.8.1237.FppQUqVNweQ#biv=i%7C4%3Bd%7CNbcwiW7sPTpX6M%3A]] by Horatio Greenough.

** * When he died, the British Navy flew their flags at half-mast.

* In the live action segment of ''TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'', Mario and Luigi decided to turn their home into a boarding house and tried to lure potential guests with a sign reading "George Washington Slept Here". Washington came back to haunt them for that lie.

* ''FairlyOddParents'' depicts him as a maniac with an axe with an uncontrollable urge to chop wood.

** There ''does'' exist some, but old Georgie is so lionized in modern American society that, assuming anyone could prove it to be true, (which, as with any historical figure, is a big if due to both historic and contemporary bias and a complete lack of living witnesses) it is ''very'' likely no one would listen/care.

* GeneralFailure: Played with. While even his strongest advocates recognize his less than ideal tactical mind, his NiceGuy persona and [[AFatherToHisMen father to his men]] qualities made him ''very'' strong suited to keeping his generally [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits ramshackle, unprofessional army]] together and getting [[ObstructiveBureaucrat the Second Continental Congress]] [[GondorCallsForAid to give the Continental Army the supplies and financial support, what have you, it needed.]] [[NeverLiveItDown But of course, there was that one time he]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom accidentally ignited a world war...]]

* GeneralFailure: Played with. While even his strongest advocates recognize his less than ideal tactical mind, his NiceGuy persona and [[AFatherToHisMen father to his men]] qualities made him ''very'' strong suited to keeping his generally [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits ramshackle, unprofessional army]] together and getting [[ObstructiveBureaucrat the Second Continental Congress]] to give the Continental Army the supplies and financial support, what have you, it needed. [[NeverLiveItDown But of course, there was that one time he]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom accidentally ignited a world war...]]

** There ''does'' exist some, but old Georgie is so lionized in modern American society that, assuming anyone could prove it to be true, (which, as with any historical figure, is a big if due to both historic and contemporary bias and a complete lack of living witnesses) it very likely ''no one would listen/care.''

The "Father of His Country", '''George Washington''' (1732-1799) was the commander-in-chief of the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution Continental Army]] and the first President of the United States under the Constitution, beginning his term [[AntebellumAmerica in 1789 and finishing it in 1797]]. He was succeeded by JohnAdams, and preceded by no-one, 'cause he was the first. There were a number of people who led the country as specified under the Articles of Confederation, but those are generally glossed over when most Americans think about history, mainly because the national government under the Articles was a total joke with no power whatsoever. He was the only president that wasn't from a political party; in his Farewell Address, he warned Americans against [[{{Foreshadowing}} the dangers that political parties could cause]].

The original Articles of Confederation did not work well. As such, a new Constitution was written in 1787 (with Washington serving as the president of the Constitutional Convention), and Washington was unanimously elected President in 1788 and again in 1792. He remains, to this day, the ''only'' man ''ever'' to be elected American President by unanimous vote, which admittedly wasn't hard to accomplish, as he was essentially running unopposed (it's generally accepted among historians that the office's powers were designed with Washington's qualities and temperament in mind). His runner-up, JohnAdams, served as Vice President because that's how things worked back then. As president, he used a cabinet system of Secretaries (which wasn't mentioned in the Constitution) to oversee and advise him on certain issues, knowing that it would be borderline-impossible for one man to keep check of everything by himself. The tradition has been carried on by all of the succeeding presidents. Supported the economic policies of UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton, who was his chief-of-staff during the Revolutionary War and his Secretary of the Treasury as President; these policies included the federal government assuming the debt the states gathered as colonies and under the Article of Confederation and the creation of a national bank. Stopped the Whiskey Rebellion without using the national army (he instead used state militias) and without firing a single shot. On the foreign policy front, he announced that America would not get involved in TheFrenchRevolution and all of its resulting conflicts (resulting in a policy of American neutrality in European affairs that lasted for over a century) and oversaw improved relations with Great Britain through peaceful means and the signing of very good trade treaties. Admitted Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee to the Union, the first states that were not former colonies. During his presidency, the District of Columbia (created between Virginia and Maryland) was chosen as the permanent seat of the federal government, though he didn't live long enough to see that happen.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Every February, President's Day is celebrated, and many commercials put up his likeness and/or AbrahamLincoln to sell products. He shows up more than Abe in commercials year-round because his face is on the dollar bill.

* PerpetualFrowner: The result of [[FalseTeethTomfoolery dentures]], making him look uncommonly grim in pictures. Washington's scary countenance so frightened JohnAdams that he refused to wear dentures himself.

* SweetTooth: According to [[GoodEats Alton Brown]], he spent $200 on ice cream over the course of one summer, "And this was a time when $10 could buy you a ''really'' fast horse."

The "Father of His Country", '''George Washington''' (1732-1799) was the commander-in-chief of the [[TheAmericanRevolution Continental Army]] and the first President of the United States under the Constitution, beginning his term [[AntebellumAmerica in 1789 and finishing it in 1797]]. He was succeeded by JohnAdams, and preceded by no-one, 'cause he was the first. There were a number of people who led the country as specified under the Articles of Confederation, but those are generally glossed over when most Americans think about history, mainly because the national government under the Articles was a total joke with no power whatsoever. He was the only president that wasn't from a political party; in his Farewell Address, he warned Americans against [[{{Foreshadowing}} the dangers that political parties could cause]].

* {{Cincinnatus}}: Refusing kingship of the United States on moral as well as practical grounds (Washington had no heirs, for one). When King George heard about this, he said, "If true, then he is [[WorthyOpponent the greatest man in the world]]."
** He would have served only one term as President, but UsefulNotes/AlexanderHamilton and ThomasJefferson both convinced him that he needed to serve a second term for the survival of the government. (To put it in perspective, it was the only time Hamilton and Jefferson ever completely agreed on anything.)