George Washington was born in 1732 on a Virginia plantation. His family owned large tracts of land for farming, but also acquired land for resale, which is called speculation.
At the time there was little land left in Virginia. The great families hoped to extend the colonyColonizationColonization occurs when one country takes control of another country, territory, or people. It happens when... west of the Appalachians, but Indigenous Peoples, who were allied with the French, blocked their advance. Washington would have two great interests in life: the westward expansion and military affairs.
In 1752, George Washington was made an officer in the Virginia militia and later went to war against the French. At the age of 43, he commanded the armies of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. He went on to become the first president of his new country, the United States of America, in 1789.
