George Washington: Timeline

Date	Event
February 22, 1732	George Washington is born in Popes Creek Plantation, Westmoreland County
1735	The Washington family move to Little Hunting Creek
1738	The Washington family move to Ferry Farm
April 23, 1743	George Washington's father, Augustine, dies
1748	George Washington goes on the surveying trip with Lord Fairfax and begins working as a surveyor in the Shenandoah Valley
July 1749	Washington becomes the official surveyor of Culpepper County, Virginia
1750 - 1752	George Washington works privately as a surveyor.
1752	Lawrence Washington, George's half brother, dies
1752	Washington is appointed to a position in the Virginia Militia
October 3, 1753	Washington is sent to assess the strength of the French in the Ohio Valley
November 1753	Washington is given the rank of major in the Virginia Militia
1754	Washington receives a commission as a Lieutenant Colonel in the newly formed colony-wide Virginia Regiment
May 28, 1754	Lieutenant Colonel Washington successfully attacks the French camp at Fort Dunquesne which was the first encounter of the French and Indian War
1754	Lieutenant Colonel Washington builds Fort Necessity but is forced to surrender it to overwhelming French forces
1755	Braddock and 2000 British regulars arrive in America
April 1755	Washington joins British General Edward Braddock's staff as a volunteer aid-de-camp
July 9, 1755	The Battle of Monongahela, General Braddock's and Lieutenant Colonel Washington's troops are ambushed and defeated by the French and Indians
October 1755	The governor of Virginia appoints Washington as commander-in-chief of an all Virginia force with the rank of colonel
November 1758	Washington successfully drives the French away from Fort Duquesne
December 1758	Washington resigns his commission as colonel and quits the Virginia Regiment
1758	Washington fails to secure a commission as a British officer and turns back to work as a farmer
January 6, 1759	George Washington marries Martha Curtis and begins to raise her two children, Jack and Patsy
1759	Washington is elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and serves for the next 15 years
1761	George Washington becomes the owner of Mount Vernon Plantation following the death of Lawrence's widow
May 1769	George Washington presents resolutions written by George Mason to the Virginia House of Burgesses that opposed taxation without representation
1770s	The American colonies begin to protest the high taxes imposed by England
June 19, 1773	George Washington's step daughter, Patsy, dies after suffering an epileptic fit at the age of 17
December 16, 1773	The Boston Tea Party
September 1774	George Washington is elected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress
1775	George Washington owns 6,500 acres on Mount Vernon and the sixteen-sided barn is completed on the plantation
April 19, 1775	Shots are fired at Lexington and Concord which begins the Revolutionary War
May 10, 1775	The Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. Washington attends in full military uniform
June 15, 1775	Washington is appointed General and Commander-in-Chief of the new Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress
July 4, 1776	The Declaration of Independence is signed.
July 9, 1776	Washington orders that the Declaration of Independence be read aloud to his troops
August 27-30, 1776	The battle of Long Island begins. Washington is forced to retreat and he and his men miraculously escape from the British
October 28, 1776	The Battle of White Plains - General Cornwallis forces General Washington to retreat to the west
December 25-26, 1776	The American Army crosses the Delaware and launch a surprise attack on the Hessians in Trenton
September 11, 1777	General Washington is defeated at the battle of Brandywine
Winter 1777-1778	The American Army winters at Valley Forge
June 18, 1778	General Clinton's army begins a march from Philadelphia to New York City
June 19, 1778	American General Lee moves out to attack General Clinton from the rear with the rest of the American army following
June 27-28, 1778	The Battle of Monmouth occurs in New Jersey. The Continental Army catches up with the British and attacks
July 8, 1778	General Washington sets up his headquarters at West Point
July 10, 1778	The French declares war against Britain and joins the colonists to help them fight for their freedom
1781	Lund Washington bargains with the British, keeping Mount Vernon from being destroyed.
August 1781	British General Cornwallis traps himself in Yorktown
August 19, 1781	The American and French armies begin their march to Yorktown
September 28, 1781	The French and Americans begin their attack on the British at Yorktown
October, 14, 1781	The French and Americans begin to charge the fortifications at Yorktown
October 17, 1781	The British under the command of General Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown
November 5, 1781	George Washington's step son, Jack dies of fever while serving in the army. Two of Jack's children move in with George and Martha
February 4, 1783	England officially declares an end to hostilities in America
September 3, 1783	The Treaty of Paris is signed by the United States and Great Britain officially ending the American War for Independence
November 2, 1783	George Washington delivers his farewell address to the army
December 23, 1783	Washington resigns his commission as commander-in-chief of the army to the Congress of the Confederation
1783	Congress first discusses building a memorial in honor of George Washington
May 25, 1787	George Washington is elected President of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
June 21, 1788	The ninth state ratifies the Constitution, making it the law of the new country
1789	Mary Ball Washington, George's mother dies
April 17, 1789	Washington is informed that he was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States
April 30, 1789	George Washington takes the oath of office as the first President of the United States in New York City.
July 16, 1790	Congress instructs Washington to select the location of the permanent capital. He chooses a location on the banks of the Potomac River
February 13, 1793	George Washington is unanimously re-elected for a second term as President of the United States
April 22, 1793	Washington issued the Neutrality Proclamation to keep the United States out of the war between France and Great Britain
November 19, 1794	The Jay Treaty is signed to maintain trade with Great Britain
September 19, 1796	George Washington publishes his Farewell Address which was issued as a public letter
March 1797	Washington retires to Mount Vernon
1797-1798	The Distillery is built on the Mount Vernon Plantation
1798-1800	The Quasi War with France
July 4, 1798	Washington is commissioned as Lieutenant General and Commander-in-Chief of the new United States Army
July 7, 1799	Washington drafts his will in which he frees his slaves upon Martha’s death
December 12, 1799	George Washington gets ill during a ride on his plantation
December 14, 1799	George Washington dies, at the age of 67, of a throat infection that was made worse by the medical treatment that he received.
1799, 1832	Congress discusses building the Washington memorial
1832	The Washington National Memorial Society is formed
1836	The Washington National Memorial Society asks for design ideas
1848	Construction is begun on the Washington Monument
1855	The Washington National Memorial Society runs out of money and construction on the monument is halted completely
1876	Congress passes a $200,000 contribution for the work on the monument
August 9, 1884	Final marble piece is placed on the top of the monument
December 6, 1884	Capstone placed on the top of the monument officially finishing construction
1976	George Washington is posthumously promoted to the General of the Armies of the United States, the highest rank possible.