After decades of public service, George Washington finally got to retire to his estate on Mount Vernon as he had always dreamed. However, he wasn't there long before a sudden illness took his life. Washington's death was a major blow to the newly-formed United States. But his loss wasn't just felt at home - it reverberated around the globe - as the whole world mourned America's fallen leader.

George Washington became America's first President in April of 1789. From that day on, every decision he made, from minor things like what to wear and how to be addressed, to fatal decisions on slavery and war, broke new ground. His actions in that first term would set the precedent that every leader from then on would follow and build upon.

MUSIC BY: Soft and Furious, Lee Rosevere, Komiku, The US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, Kosta T, Free Piece of Tape, Nettle, Sam Shalabi, and Sergey Cheremisinov

George Washington became America's first President in April of 1789. From that day on, every decision he made, from minor things like what to wear and how to be addressed, to fatal decisions on slavery and war, broke new ground. His actions in that first term would set the precedent that every leader from then on would follow and build upon.

MUSIC BY: Soft and Furious, Lee Rosevere, Komiku, The US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, Kosta T, Free Piece of Tape, Nettle, Sam Shalabi, and Sergey Cheremisinov

Though it's hard to imagine now, George Washington spent most of the war as an underdog. It wasn't until 1781, with the help of French allies, that his fortunes began to change. Listen to learn just how far he fell before he was able to finally taste victory.

Our national memory esteems George Washington as a military genius and flawless leader. The reality, though, is that in service as Commander-in-Chief, Washington really stumbled out of the gate. Learn about the years of crushing defeat in battle, and thousands lost to disease and desertion, that shaped the military mind of America's first leader.

MUSIC

On Early Light; The Telling; Qi by Blue Dot Sessions

The Great Mission; No Other Choice by Lee Rosevere

Pulsar by Sergey Cheremisinov

The Bridge is Too Far by Laszlo Harsanyi

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Sad walk with sad melodica by Komiku

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Learn about George Washington's years between the French and Indian War and the Revolution, how he positioned himself as Commander-In-Chief, and the two methods used to amass his fortune: marriage and slavery.

To understand George Washington, the man who invented the Presidency and guided our nation through its infancy, it's imperative to study his early years. The events that transpired in his early life, giving him the tools to one day lead a nation, were a mix of hardship, tragedy, opportunity, and violence.

MUSIC

The Great Mission by Lee Rosevere

From: Free Music Archive

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode

Waltz for Zacaria; Early Light; by Blue Dot Sessions

From: Free Music Archive

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode

Meekness; Global Warming; Mercy by Kai Engel

From: Free Music Archive

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

The Bridge is Too Far by Laszlo Harsanyi

From: Free Music Archive

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Among the unsung heroes of the American Revolution are a group of regular citizens who were recruited to establish a complicated spy network called The Culper Ring. One of those spies was a woman who lived in the heart of enemy territory: Anna Strong.