![]() Washington’s contradictory attitudes toward slavery are one of the great mysteries of his life and legacy. Washington and his slaves at Mount Vernon. He had a complicated relationship with slavery. ![]() And while he peppered his writings with references to Providence, there’s comparatively little mention of God or Jesus Christ. For many years, he served as a dedicated vestryman and church warden, but left services instead of taking communion. The first president encouraged his fellow Americans to show up for worship, for instance, but sometimes struggled to attend church himself for weeks at a time. ![]() The trouble is, even his most straightforward actions can, at times, appear contradictory. With so few accounts to draw from, historians are mostly limited to analyzing what Washington did, to try to understand what he may have believed. When it comes to his personal religious beliefs, Washington was tough to read. Washington was pretty cagey when it came to his religious beliefs. A huge dog lover, he selectively bred hunting dogs for speed over the years and gave them endearing names like Sweet Lips, Venus, Trulove, Taster, Tippler, Drunkard and Madame Moose. ![]() In addition to many varieties of birds, Washington kept many canine breeds at Mount Vernon, including Dalmatians, English foxhounds, French hounds, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, mastiffs, Newfoundlands, pointers, spaniels and terriers. (Mules=a mix of horse and donkey.) Recognizing the value of the mule for farmers, Washington is believed responsible for creating the mule stock that powered American agriculture in the South for generations.Īnd mules weren’t the only animals he bred. Washington wasn’t just America’s first president, he was also its first mule breeder. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, “General Washington was more deeply involved in intelligence operations than any American general-in-chief until Dwight Eisenhower during World War II.” The story of Washington’s underground spy network, and how it helped Americans win their revolution, is replete with intrigue: There were letters written in invisible ink, a rare female agent who went by the mysterious moniker Agent 355, an African-American double agent, a patriot tailor who collected dirt while making clothes for British officers-and the gruesome execution of the spy Nathan Hale. Throughout the conflict, Washington’s spies helped him make bold, canny decisions that would turn the tide of the conflict-and in some instances, even save his life. So to triumph over one of the world’s most powerful military forces, he relied increasingly on his unseen weapon: a secret intelligence network. Washington struggled mightily to win the Revolutionary War with an army that was perpetually undermanned, undertrained and undersupplied. Washington wasn’t always a great general, but he was an excellent spymaster. He had to have his morning hoe cakes and syrup (chosen for their softness) cut into tiny pieces to make them easier to eat. The fake teeth caused him great discomfort, and were one of the reasons he rarely smiled. He had a little spring inside the dentures that helped them open and close. They also came from ivory, cow teeth and lead. Instead, they came largely from human teeth, pulled from the mouths of the poor and his enslaved workers. The dentures he had were made out of lots of things, but not wood. Washington ruined his teeth using them to crack walnut shells. The conflict between the French and the British escalated into the French and Indian War, and soon spread worldwide in what became known as the Seven Years’ War. Jumonville’s death enraged the French, who called Washington an assassin. Who fired the first shot remains in dispute, but at the end of the 15-minute skirmish, at least 10 French soldiers and one Virginian were dead-including, most notably, a minor French noble, Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville, who the French later said was on a diplomatic mission. Warned by local Native American allies that a small French force has set up camp within several miles of his position, he led an attack with 40 of his soldiers, along with a dozen native warriors. As an officer in the Virginia militia, Washington was sent to the Ohio Valley (now western Pennsylvania) with some 150 troops, to help repel any attacks by the French. George Washington receiving a message from chief Half-King at the start of the French and Indian War.Īs France and Britain fought for territory at the edges of the North American colonies, Virginia sided with the British.
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