Unit Introduction

George Washington’s Biography:

Lessons in Leadership

“I hope I shall possess

firmness and virtue
enough to maintain
what I consider the
most enviable of all
titles, the character of
an honest man.”
~ George Washington

Overview:
The purpose of this unit introduction is to provide students with an overview of George
Washington’s leadership qualities. By examining these leadership qualities, students will
begin to understand the events and issues in Washington’s life that influenced his character.
Using Washington’s example, students will explore and discuss the importance of such
qualities as honesty, perseverance, responsibility, innovation, and bravery.
George Washington: Lessons in Leadership is designed to align with the 4th or 5th grade
social studies curricula and also applies to language arts, technology, and math curricula
at the upper-elementary levels. Together the lesson activities will increase your students’
knowledge of Washington’s character and accomplishments. This unit introduction presents
an overview of Washington’s life experiences and how those experiences contributed to his
leadership roles in the development of a new nation.
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will gain a greater understanding of how George Washington’s character and
determination contributed to his success as the first president of the United States.
2. Students will be able to answer the question, “Was Washington a leader?” and find
evidence to support their answers.
3. Students will be able to explain how Washington’s life experiences as a youth
contributed to his leadership abilities and character.
4. Students will explore Washington’s experiences and journeys during the
Revolutionary War.
5. Students will discover ideas and methods that made Washington an innovative farmer.
6. Students will investigate how the labor of enslaved African Americans was critical to
the success of Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation.
7. Students will be able to explain how Washington contributed to the history of early
America and to the founding of the United States of America.

U N I T I N T R O D U C T I O N 1
 Preparing to Teach this Unit:
1. Prior to teaching this unit, read the George Washington Biography for Teachers, which
provides background information on Washington’s life and the founding era.
2. Read through each lesson plan prior to teaching the lesson.
a. Most lessons require the preparation of materials before the lesson is taught.

3. Create a word wall using the vocabulary terms found throughout the unit. (Note: Each word
is followed by the lesson number in the unit plan.) Vocabulary words include:

civility (2a) Gunter’s chain(2b) compass rose (2b) surveyor (2b)

tract of land (2b) scale (2b) perseverance (3) allied (3)

business diplomatic
cold war (3) descend (3)
venture (3) mission (3)

envoy (3) interpreter (3) pursue (3) treaty (3)

strategic (3) forks (3) official (3) headwaters (3)

inexpressible (4) endeavor (4) capacity (4) reap(ing) (4)

unalterable (4) felicity (4) flailing (5a) nutrients (5a)

treading (5a) hexadecagon (5a) innovation (5a) chaff (5a)

threshing (5a) barrel seeder (5a) compost (5a) cash crop (5a)

indentured economic
plantation (5b) abolition (5b)
servants (5b) system (5b)

dower slaves (5b) heirs (5b) brick mason (5b) spinner (5b)

hoeing (5b) rations (5b) inherit (5b) enslaved worker (5b)

traditions (5b) enslavement (5b) blacksmith (5b) enlist (6)

forge(s) (6) stronghold (6) retreat (6) pursuit (6)

Hessian (6)
soldiers (6) morale (6) mutiny (6)
soldiers
negotiate/
surrender (6) sacrifice (6) culprit (7)
negotiations (6)
Virginia House of
integrity (7) vestryman (7)
legislative body (7) Burgesses (7)
inaugural
campaign (7) veneration (7) precedent (7)
address (7)

2 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
4. Administer the “scratch and learn card” pre-test to determine what students already
know about George Washington.

Standards Alignment:
The lesson plans have been aligned to national standards in social studies and technology,
as well as to Common Core Standards in English, language arts, and mathematics. The
following standards were used for social studies and technology: the National Council for
the Social Studies (NCSS) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Materials:
1. Companion website: The companion website for the George Washington: Lessons
in Leadership units is found at: www.gwleadershiplessons.org. Here you can find
electronic versions of all lesson plans, additional student readers, images, primary
sources, and worksheets. Feel free to change the worksheets to meet the needs of
your students.
2. George Washington Leads the Way: This comic book is a great way to introduce
George Washington to reluctant readers and reinforce the themes of the biography
unit lesson plans. As the official graphic biography created by experts at Mount
Vernon, it corrects popular myths about Washington. It also serves as a template for a
student assessment in that students can make a one-page addition to the narrative or
make their own biography of another American figure.
a. There are specific graphic novel extensions in Lessons 3, 4, 6, and 7. These
lesson panels are tied to the story told in the graphic novel. Students can write
and draw on the pages as part of a creative writing or literacy exercise or they
can conduct research and then finish the pages with nonfictional information.
Students can demonstrate what they’ve learned about Washington by weaving
the information into visual storytelling.

3. Incorporate the use of the “scratch and learn cards” as a fun and interactive way for
students to discover what they already know (or don’t know) about George Washington.

Lesson Plans:
Elements of each lesson plan:
• Lesson objectives
• Alignment to national standards
• Primary sources
• Handouts/worksheets that can be adapted to fit the
needs of your students
• See the companion website at www.gwleadershiplessons.org for electronic files of
handouts and worksheets as well as supplemental PowerPoint presentations
• Formative assessments
• Extension activities
Resources:
At the end of this curriculum guide is an extensive list of reliable online resources focusing on
the life and accomplishments of George Washington. The list includes resources to enhance
the content knowledge of teachers, links to primary sources on George Washington, and
resources for students.

U N I T I N T R O D U C T I O N 3
 Extension Activities:
1. Graphic novel panels: Lessons 3, 4, 6, and 7
a. Use these pages to emphasize literacy work. Give students free rein to use their
imaginations to write and draw a story that spins into fiction. (The British attack
New York City and . . . King Kong comes to the patriots’ rescue!!)
b. Graphic novel panels can also incorporate additional student research as
students write nonfictional extensions. For example, when using the panel in
Lesson 6, students will need to research facts about the Battle of Long Island and
the New York City campaign.
c. The panels can also be used as lesson assessments. Instead of having
students fill out worksheets, they can demonstrate what they’ve learned about
Washington by weaving their information into visual storytelling.

2. The Treasures of Mount Vernon – a primary source “history mystery” (See Lesson
4 for details on teaching a “history mystery.”) All of the images below may be found
on the Mount Vernon website, please reference www.gwleadershiplessons.org and
locate the Unit Introduction section to find the correct link.
a. The following images are of important of Mount Vernon objects:
» Houdon Bust
» Presidential Chair
» Argand Lamps
» Fan Chair
» Letter Press
» Icehouse/Ice Cream Maker
3. Students can spend time learning more about George Washington’s world through
this engaging, interactive website: www.washingtonsworld.org
4. Students can visit an interactive timeline of Washington’s life at:
www.discovergeorgewashington.org
a. Through this website, students can become “myth busters” to learn the truth
behind Washington chopping down a cherry tree and Washington’s “wooden
teeth.” (His dentures were not made of wood!)
b. The timeline also includes an interactive battle map of the Revolutionary War and
a behind-the-scenes look at how experts used historical evidence to reconstruct
George Washington at age nineteen.

4 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
GEORGE WASHINGTON - A for the first few years. Later he went to another school,
BIOGRAPHY FOR TEACHERS either in Fredericksburg, Stafford County, or Westmoreland
County. He excelled in mathematics and learned the
Childhood 1732-1746 rudiments of surveying. But he was not taught Latin or
George Washington was born at his father’s plantation Greek, like many gentlemen’s sons, and he never learned
on Popes Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on a foreign language. Nor did he attend college. His formal
February 22, 1732. His father, Augustine Washington, was a education ended around the age of fifteen.
leading planter in the area and also served as a justice of the
Among the gentry class, strong social skills were also
county court. His first wife, Jane Butler, who died in 1729,
considered an essential part of a young man or woman’s
left Augustine with two sons, Lawrence and Augustine Jr.,
education. After the death of their father, George began
and a daughter, Jane. Augustine then married George’s
to spend a great deal of time with his older half brother
mother, Mary Ball, in 1731. George was the eldest of their
Lawrence, at his home, Mount Vernon. Lawrence became
six children.
a mentor to his younger brother, tutoring him in his studies,
In 1735 Augustine moved the family up the Potomac River to teaching him social graces, and helping to introduce him
another Washington home, Little Hunting Creek Plantation into society.
(later renamed Mount Vernon). In 1738 they moved again
Throughout his life, Washington regarded his education as
to Ferry Farm, a plantation on the Rappahannock River
“defective.” He consciously made up for some of what he
near Fredericksburg, Virginia, where George spent much
did not learn in school through reading and studying on his
of his youth. Little is known of Washington’s childhood,
own. Over the years, he amassed a large and diverse library,
and it remains the most poorly understood part of his life.
and in his later years he subscribed to several newspapers.
Popular fables illustrating his youthful honesty, piety, and
He became a skilled and prolific writer. Perhaps partly as
physical strength have long taken the place of documented
a result of his own lack of formal education, he strongly
fact. Some of these fables are more plausible than others.
advocated for education as essential to America’s future
The story that Washington threw a silver dollar across the
success and left money in his will for the establishment
Potomac River – an impossible feat – had its origins in the
of a school in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as money for a
recollections of a cousin that George could throw a stone
national university.
across the much narrower Rappahannock River. But others,
including the familiar story of Washington and the cherry Young Man Washington 1746-1759
tree, seem to have been invented by one of Washington’s In 1746 his brother Lawrence proposed that George join
first biographers, Mason Locke Weems. the British navy. Although George was excited at the idea
When George was eleven years old, Augustine died, leaving of a military career, Mary Washington refused her consent,
most of his property to George’s older half brothers. The and George was spared the harsh discipline of a life at
income from what remained was just sufficient to maintain sea. Despite missing the opportunity to travel the world,
Mary Washington and her children. As the oldest child, Washington’s young adulthood became one of the great
George undoubtedly helped his mother manage the adventure stories of American history.
Rappahannock River plantation where they lived. There Young Washington applied himself to surveying, a valuable
he learned the importance of hard work and efficiency – skill in a colony where land was being settled constantly. In
practical lessons he carried with him through life. 1748 he joined a surveying expedition to western Virginia at
Little is known about George’s formal education. the invitation of Lawrence’s neighbors, the powerful Fairfax
Commonly, the children of Virginia gentry were taught at family. The next year the Fairfaxes helped secure him an
home by private tutors or in local private schools. Boys appointment as a county surveyor. By the age of seventeen
generally began their formal education around the age of he was well on his way to a successful and profitable
seven with lessons focusing on reading, writing, and basic career. In an effort to establish himself as a landowner and
arithmetic. Later they were taught Latin and Greek, as a member of the gentry class, he worked hard, saved his
well as practical subjects such as geometry, bookkeeping, money, and bought unclaimed land.
and surveying. Wealthy planters often sent their sons to In 1751 he accompanied Lawrence, who was suffering
England to finish their schooling, as was done with George’s with tuberculosis, on a voyage to the British island colony
two elder brothers, Lawrence and Augustine. The death of of Barbados. Lawrence hoped the tropical air would ease
their father, however, made that an impossibility for George his suffering. While in Barbados Washington saw some
Washington. He may have attended a school near his home of the most extensive fortifications in British America and

U N I T I N T R O D U C T I O N 5
socialized with military men - experiences that probably bullet holes shot through his coat while attempting to rally
stimulated his interest in military service. He also contracted the British soldiers. Although he behaved with conspicuous
smallpox. Though he recovered quickly, the illness may have bravery, Washington could do little except lead the broken
rendered him unable to have children. survivors to safety.
Lawrence died in 1752, and shortly thereafter George In recognition of his conduct, Washington was given
inherited Mount Vernon. He also obtained Lawrence’s place command of Virginia’s entire military force. With a few
in the Virginia militia and received a major’s commission - hundred men he was ordered to protect a frontier some 350
the first step in his military career. miles long. It was a frustrating assignment, but provided
him with experience in commanding troops through an
In 1753 the governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, learned
arduous campaign. In 1758 the British finally took the forks
that French troops had moved south from Canada and were
of the Ohio. Peace returned to Virginia, and Washington
constructing forts in the region south of Lake Erie, an area
resigned his commission to return to Mount Vernon, his
claimed by Virginia (now in western Pennsylvania). Both
duty faithfully performed.
France and England recognized the commercial potential of
the region. French trappers had been working in the area for Although barely twenty-seven years old, he was the most
some time, and Dinwiddie was concerned that the French experienced native military officer in Virginia. In 1759 he
troops would also fortify the forks of the Ohio - the strategic married Martha Dandridge Custis, the young widow of
point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to one of the wealthiest men in the colony. He retired to his
form the Ohio River. This point (now Pittsburgh) was the plantation with many of his early ambitions satisfied.
eastern gateway to the Ohio Valley.
Gentleman Farmer 1759-1799
In the fall of 1753 Dinwiddie sent twenty–one–year-old Major Washington spent the years between 1759 and 1775 as a
Washington to deliver a message to the French, demanding gentleman farmer at Mount Vernon. He worked constantly
that they leave the area. With the help of a frontier guide to improve and expand his mansion and the plantation that
and local Indians, Washington reached French-held Fort surrounded it. He established himself as an innovative farmer
Le Boeuf with Dinwiddie’s message. The return trip tested who switched from tobacco to wheat as his main cash crop in
Washington’s endurance. He hiked for days through snowy the 1760s. Over the years, he experimented with new crops,
woods, fell off a raft into the ice-choked Allegheny River, fertilizers, crop rotation, tools, and the breeding of livestock
nearly drowned, and was forced to spend a freezing night in an effort to improve his farming operation. In an effort to
on an island without shelter. His guide, an experienced make Mount Vernon more profitable, he also expanded the
backwoodsman, suffered frostbite, while Washington work of the plantation to include flour milling and commercial
suffered no ill effects. His account of the arduous 900-mile fishing. By the time of his death in 1799, he had expanded the
journey was published in both Williamsburg and London, plantation from 2,000 to 8,000 acres comprising five farms,
establishing an international reputation for Washington by with more than 3,000 acres under cultivation.
the time he was twenty-two.
Shortly after his marriage, Washington wrote to his brother:
A few months later Dinwiddie dispatched Washington, now
a lieutenant colonel, and some 150 men to assert Virginia’s I am now, I believe, fixed at this Seat with an agreeable Consort
claims. As they advanced, Washington’s men skirmished for Life and hope to find more happiness in retirement than I
with French soldiers, killing ten men, including the French ever experienced amidst a wide and bustling World. (George
commander. Washington then retreated to an ill-placed Washington to Richard Washington, September 20, 1759)
and poorly constructed makeshift palisade he called Fort At this point in his life, Washington did not realize that he
Necessity, but was forced to surrender when the French would someday re-enter public life and have a profound
surrounded the fort. The campaign ended in humiliation for impact on establishing a new nation. Rather, his attention
Washington and ignited the French and Indian War. focused on farming and on sound land management.
Washington resigned his commission after the surrender He became a methodical and farsighted businessman,
but returned to the frontier in 1755 as a volunteer aide to who expanded and diversified his operations to create
General Edward Braddock, the British general sent to lead a profitable business venture. He established a fishery at
an expedition to drive the French from the Ohio Country. Mount Vernon where, in one year alone, more than 1.5
Braddock’s army was routed near the Monongahela million fish were harvested from the Potomac. The fish were
River and fled in confusion to Virginia. During the battle, salted and sold locally and in the Caribbean. Later he built a
Washington had two horses shot from under him and four gristmill to process wheat and corn grown at his farms. The

6 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
processed flour and corn meal were sold in Europe and the Commander in Chief 1775-1783
West Indies as well as locally. Later in life, in the mid-1790s, In June 1775 the Congress commissioned Washington
he began another profitable business venture - a distillery at to take command of the Continental Army besieging the
his mill complex that transformed grain into whiskey. In just British in Boston. As he was leaving Philadelphia, he wrote
one year, he earned a net profit of more than $11,000 from home to Martha that he expected to “return safe to you in
the sale of whiskey alone. the fall.” However, in the end, the command would keep him
When home at Mount Vernon, Washington rode daily to away from Mount Vernon for more than eight years.
oversee the work taking place on his farms. Constantly It was a command for which his military background,
experimenting, he improved the quality of his soil through a though greater than any of the other available candidates,
crop rotation system, fertilizers, and other land conservation had hardly prepared him. As a result of his French and
techniques. Unlike many farmers of the 18th century, he did Indian War experience, his knowledge lay in frontier
not focus on just one crop, but instead diversified production warfare involving relatively small numbers of soldiers. He
to include wheat, corn, potatoes, buckwheat, oats, and rye. had no practical experience maneuvering large formations,
He also planted grasses to help keep his soil fertile. handling cavalry or artillery, or maintaining supply lines
Washington also took tremendous interest in the latest adequate to support thousands of men in the field. He
innovations in farm implements. When a tool did not suit learned on the job; although his army reeled from one
his needs, he either sought tools to improve it or created an misfortune to another, he had the courage, determination,
entirely new tool for the desired purpose, such as a barrel and mental agility to keep the American cause one step
seeder he designed in 1761. His most dramatic invention ahead of complete disintegration until he ultimately figured
was a sixteen-sided treading barn that he designed for out how to win the unprecedented revolutionary struggle
processing wheat and other grains. It seems Washington’s he was leading.
success as a farmer lay in his realization of the integral His task was not overwhelming at first. The British position
connection between every agricultural element - from in Boston was untenable, and in March 1776 they withdrew
laying out fields, to selecting viable crops, to enhancing the from the city. But it was only a temporary respite. In June a
soil through careful crop rotation and fertilizers, to effective new British army, under the command of Sir William Howe,
methods of cultivating the soil, to harvesting and processing arrived in the colonies with orders to take New York City.
crops. Over the course of his lifetime, he established Howe commanded the largest expeditionary force Britain
creatively a system of sustainable agriculture that vastly had ever sent overseas.
improved the productivity of his 8,000-acre plantation.
Defending New York was almost impossible. An island city,
Early Political Career 1754 - 1774 New York is surrounded by a maze of waterways that gave a
Although most of this time was dedicated to his private substantial advantage to an attacker with naval superiority.
affairs and family life with his wife, Martha, and her two Howe’s army was ten times larger, better equipped, and
children, Washington also participated in public life. He was far better trained than Washington’s. The British defeated
elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758 (after Washington’s army at Long Island in August and routed the
being defeated twice) and served several terms. As both a Americans a few weeks later at Kip’s Bay, resulting in the
businessman and a public servant, he viewed accelerating loss of the city. Compelled to retreat northward, Washington
disputes between Britain and the American colonies with was defeated again at White Plains. The American defense
deep concern. He was not a political firebrand, stirring of New York City came to a humiliating conclusion on
orator, or cloakroom deal-maker, but he impressed his peers November 16, 1776, with the surrender of Fort Washington
as a modest, dependable man of strength and good sense. and loss of some 2,800 men. Washington ordered what was
left of his army to retreat across New Jersey. His remaining
In the fall of 1774, Washington was chosen as one of seven forces, mud-soaked and exhausted, crossed the Delaware
Virginia representatives to the second Continental Congress, River into Pennsylvania on December 7, 1776.
which was held in Philadelphia. Upon his arrival, other
delegates immediately recognized him as a man of patriotic The British had good reason to believe that the American
views and sound judgment. At six-foot-three, he towered over rebellion would be over in a few months and that Congress,
the other delegates with an athletic grace and commanding which had fled to Baltimore, would seek peace rather than
presence that impressed everyone he met. Although face the colonies’ complete subjugation. The enlistments of
Washington spoke very little in Congress, many of the most of Washington’s men were due to expire at the end of
delegates noticed what one called his “easy, soldier-like air.” December. But instead of delivering a final crushing blow,

U N I T I N T R O D U C T I O N 7
Howe went into winter quarters, with advanced garrisons at Middle Atlantic summer. Washington planned a quick blow
Trenton and Princeton, leaving Washington open to execute at Clinton’s flank, and attacked the British near Monmouth
one of the most daring military operations in American Court House, New Jersey. The Battle of Monmouth,
history. On Christmas night he crossed the Delaware and although a tactical standoff, proved that the Continental
attacked the unsuspecting garrison at Trenton, forcing it to Army could stand up to British regulars in the open field
surrender. A few days later he again crossed the Delaware, without its customary element of surprise. The battle
outmaneuvered the force sent to crush him, and fell on the also confirmed Washington’s position as the pre-eminent
enemy at Princeton, inflicting a humiliating loss on surprised American military leader and energized the patriot cause.
British regulars.
For much of the remainder of the war, Washington’s most
Though these victories were not militarily decisive, they important strategic task was to keep the British bottled up
proved to be a turning point of the war. Washington had in New York. He never gave up hope of retaking the city,
inflicted little damage on the British army; Howe still enjoyed but he was not willing to risk his army in doing so without
a numerical superiority, and there was nothing about these a fair prospect of success. An alliance with France and the
modest victories to suggest that the Americans were capable arrival of a French army under the Comte de Rochambeau
of defeating the British army in a pitched battle. Trenton in July 1780 renewed Washington’s hopes for a successful
and Princeton instead marked a watershed in the way operation to recapture New York, but because Washington
Washington conceptualized the war. He began to see it as a and Rochambeau together commanded about 5,000 fewer
political problem as much as a military one. The enthusiastic men than Clinton, they ultimately concluded that an attack
public response to the victories at Trenton and Princeton on New York could not succeed.
taught him the importance of public opinion to sustaining
They decided instead to strike at an encampment of the British
a popular war of resistance. With little conventional
army under General Lord Cornwallis, which was stationed at
military education to discard in an unconventional conflict,
Yorktown, Virginia, and Washington marched south to lay
Washington learned from experiences that perplexed and
siege on Cornwallis. The allied troops prevailed; on October
frustrated his opponents.
19, 1781, Washington accepted the surrender of Cornwallis’s
The truth of the situation - that the American rebellion army. Although two more years would pass before a treaty
would not end unless Washington’s army was totally of peace was completed, the victory at Yorktown effectively
destroyed - ran against the established conventions of brought the Revolutionary War to an end.
European warfare. Howe never seems to have abandoned
To the amazement of the world and with considerable
the belief that once the Americans were deprived of their
help from the French, Washington had prevailed over the
major cities, the rebellion would wither. In the summer
more numerous, better-supplied and fully trained British
of 1777, he mounted an offensive against Philadelphia.
army because he was more flexible than his opponents.
Washington moved to defend the city and was defeated at
He learned that it was more important to keep his army
the Battle of Brandywine. Philadelphia fell two weeks later.
intact and win an occasional victory to rally public opinion
An American counterattack on the main British camp at
than it was to hold American cities or defeat the British
Germantown, just outside the city, was repulsed, but not
army in the open field. Revolutionary leaders in every part
without demonstrating that Washington and his army,
of the world have successfully employed this insight over
even if outmaneuvered and outfought, still possessed
the last two hundred years, but never with a result as
considerable fighting spirit.
startling as Washington’s final victory over the British in the
Gradually it occurred to the British high command Revolutionary War.
that capturing the Continental capital of Philadelphia
really meant very little. The supplies that had flowed to American Cincinnatus 1783-1789
Washington’s men through the city simply flowed to them Having secured victory in the field, Washington presented
through other channels because Congress could pack up himself before Congress in Annapolis, Maryland, on
and move the government headquarters to another town. December 23, 1783, and resigned his commission, like
Philadelphia was no more essential to the American cause Cincinnatus, the hero of classical antiquity whose conduct
than New York City. Howe was relieved of command early in he most admired. Washington left Annapolis and returned
1778, and his replacement, Sir Henry Clinton, was ordered home to Mount Vernon, with the fixed intention of never
to evacuate Philadelphia. serving in public life again. This one act of giving up power
when he could easily have seized it was without precedent
Clinton decided to return to New York by land in a rapid in modern history and made him an international hero.
retreat from Philadelphia through the unsparing heat of the

8 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
Washington devoted most of his time in the years after the the government to operate with the energy and efficiency
Revolutionary War to rebuilding Mount Vernon, which he he believed were essential to the future of the republic. An
had neglected during the war, and promoting the role of astute judge of talent, he surrounded himself with the most
agriculture in securing the success of the new nation. He able men he could find. He appointed his former aide-de-
not only experimented with new crops and fertilizers but camp, Alexander Hamilton, as secretary of the treasury.
also in breeding mules, which were stronger and easier to He appointed Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, and
keep than horses. his former artillery chief, Henry Knox as secretary of war.
Although not an official member of his cabinet, James
He also served as president of the Potomac Company,
Madison served as one of Washington’s principle advisors.
which worked to improve the navigation of the Potomac
River in order to make it easier for upstream farmers to get In his First Inaugural Address, Washington confessed that
their produce to market. Although Washington longed for he was “unpracticed in the duties of civil administration.”
a peaceful life at Mount Vernon, the affairs of the nation Nonetheless he proved to be one of the most able
continued to command his attention. He watched with administrators ever to serve as an American president. He
mounting dismay as the weak union created by the Articles administered the government with fairness and integrity,
of Confederation gradually disintegrated, unable to collect assuring Americans that the president could exercise
revenue or pay its debts. He was appalled by the excesses extensive executive authority without corruption, and he
of the state legislatures and frustrated by the diplomatic, executed the laws with restraint, establishing precedents
financial, and military impotence of the Confederation for broad-ranging presidential authority. “His integrity
Congress. By 1786 Washington had concluded that reform was most pure,” Thomas Jefferson wrote, “his justice the
was essential. What was needed, he wrote to James most inflexible I have ever known, no motive of interest
Madison, was an “energetic Constitution.” or consanguinity, friendship or hatred, being able to bias
his decision.” Washington set a standard for presidential
Washington ended his self-imposed retirement in 1787
integrity rarely met by his successors, although he
and traveled to Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional
established an ideal by which they all are judged.
Convention, where representatives from twelve of the
thirteen states convened to recommend changes to the During Washington’s first term, the federal government
Articles of Confederation. Washington was unanimously adopted a series of measures proposed by Alexander
chosen to preside over the convention, whose deliberations Hamilton to resolve the escalating debt crisis and establish
took four months. Although he spoke very little in the the nation’s finances on a sound basis. His administration
convention, few delegates were more determined to devise also established peace treaties with the southeastern
a government endowed with real energy and authority. Indian tribes and designated a site on the Potomac River
“My wish,” he wrote, “is that the convention may adopt for the permanent capital of the United States. But as
no temporizing expedients, but probe the defects of the Washington’s first term ended, a bloody Indian war
Constitution to the bottom, and provide a radical cure.” continued on the Northwestern F\rontier. The warring
After the convention adjourned, Washington’s reputation tribes were encouraged by the British, who retained military
and support were essential to overcome opposition to posts in the Northwest in defiance of the treaty ending
the ratification of the proposed Constitution. He worked the Revolutionary War. In addition, the Spanish denied
for months to rally support for the new instrument of Americans use of the Mississippi River. These problems
government. It was a difficult struggle. Even in Washington’s limited the westward expansion to which Washington was
native Virginia, the Constitution was ratified by a majority of committed.
only one vote.
Growing partisanship within the government also
Once the Constitution was approved, Washington hoped concerned Washington. Many men in the new government
to retire again to private life. But when the first presidential - including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other
election was held, he received a vote from every presidential leaders of the emerging Republican party - were opposed
elector. He remains the only president in American history to Hamilton’s financial program. Washington despised
to be elected by the unanimous voice of the people. political partisanship, but he could do little to slow the
development of political parties.
President Washington 1789-1797
Washington served two terms as president. His first term During his first term Washington toured the northern and
(1789-1793) was occupied primarily with organizing the southern states, and found that the new government enjoyed
executive branch of the new government and establishing the general support of the American people. Convinced that
administrative procedures that would make it possible for the government could get along without him, he planned to

U N I T I N T R O D U C T I O N 9
step down at the end of his first term. But the members of Washington in Retirement 1797-1799
his cabinet convinced him that he alone could command the By 1796 Washington was ready for retirement, and no one
respect of members of both burgeoning political parties. could persuade him to accept a third term. With the help of
Thomas Jefferson visited Washington at Mount Vernon to Alexander Hamilton, he composed his “Farewell Address”
urge him to accept a second term. Although longing to return to the American people, which urged his fellow citizens to
home to Mount Vernon, Washington reluctantly agreed. cherish the Union and avoid partisanship and permanent
Washington’s second term (1793-1797) was dominated foreign alliances. In March 1797, he turned the government
by foreign affairs and marred by a deepening partisanship over to John Adams and returned to Mount Vernon,
in his own administration. Washington assumed the determined to live his last years as a simple gentleman
presidency on the eve of the French Revolution, a time of farmer. In 1798, events conspired to draw him again into the
great international crisis. The outbreak of a European war public arena. President John Adams named Washington
in 1793 forced the crisis to the center of American politics. commanding general of a provisional army to be raised to
Washington believed the national interests of the United defend the republic against a perceived French invasion. For
States dictated neutrality. War would be disastrous for several months Washington devoted himself to organizing
commerce and shatter the nation’s finances. The future of the the officer corps, but he refused to assume another public
country depended on an increase in wealth and opportunity role and rejected a suggestion that he stand for president
that would come with commerce and westward expansion. again in 1800.
One of Washington’s most important accomplishments On December 12, 1799, he was caught in sleet and snow
was keeping the United States out of the war, giving the new while riding over his farms. The resulting illness progressed
nation an opportunity to grow in strength while establishing rapidly and he suffered from a throat inflammation that
the principle of neutrality that would shape American made breathing extremely painful. Doctors arrived early
foreign policy for more than a century. on the morning of December 14, but there was little they
Although Washington’s department heads agreed that the could do to ease Washington’s pain. He faced death with
United States should remain neutral, disagreements over characteristic courage, saying, “I die hard, but I am not
foreign policy aggravated partisan tensions among them. The afraid to go.” With his wife at his side, George Washington
disagreements were part of the deepening division between died at around 10:00 p.m. on December 14, 1799. Four days
the Federalists and the Republicans. Opposition to federal later a funeral was held at Mount Vernon.
policies developed into resistance to the law in 1794, as As news of his death spread, the nation plunged into
distillers in Western Pennsylvania rioted and refused to pay mourning. Mock funerals were held in major cities and small
taxes. Washington directed the army to restore order - a step towns. Hundreds of eulogies and orations lamenting the
applauded by Federalists and condemned by Republicans. loss of the “great and good” Washington were hurried into
Partisan tensions reached a new height during the last print. Many feared his loss, but Washington believed that
years of Washington’s presidency. To secure peace with the new nation had developed the character and strength to
Britain, Washington sent Chief Justice John Jay to London survive without him.
to negotiate a treaty. The treaty was extremely unpopular George Washington has been acclaimed for two hundred
with Republicans, who charged that Washington himself years as the indispensable man of the American founding.
had become a tool of Britain. Few things ever troubled But he secured immortality by insisting that he was
Washington more deeply than these attacks on his character. dispensable. He asserted that the cause of liberty was
Despite Washington’s disappointment with the rise of larger than any individual.
partisanship, the last years of his presidency were marked “It should be the highest ambition of every American,”
by important achievements. The long Indian war on the Washington wrote, “to extend his views beyond himself,
Northwest Frontier was won, Britain surrendered its forts and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect
in the Northwest, and Spain opened the Mississippi to himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that
American commerce. These accomplishments in turn its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp
opened the West to American settlement. political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.” This call
to his fellow citizens was meant for each one of us as well.
Jack D. Warren, Jr.

10 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
 UNIT TITLE: GEORGE WASHINGTON – LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

U N I T
Lesson Length of
Lesson Title & Content Lesson Objectives Materials Needed Assessment
# Lesson
The Qualities of a 1. Students will be able to identify the 1. Post-it Notes (Various colors so
Great Leader characteristics of a leader. that groups can be color-coded)
The purpose of this lesson 2. Students will be able to apply the 2. Images (Laminated for posting
characteristics of a leader to a variety of on a wall or whiteboard) Leadership qualities self
is to introduce students
reflection

I N T R O D U C T I O N
Approx 45 to the qualities of a great prominent individuals in history.
1
minutes leader and to provide 3. Students will be able to explain what qualities Acrostic
the groundwork for their they themselves possess that could make name poem
understanding of George them leaders.
Washington’s leadership 4. Students will be able to predict what qualities
qualities. of leadership George Washington possessed.

1. Students will be able to explain how Rules of 1. Image: Rules of Civility

Civility influenced a young George Washington. 2. Text Version of Rules of Civility
Do You Follow the Rules?
2. Students will be able to interpret a selection of 3. Quote on overhead or big paper:
The purpose of this lesson Rules of Civility. No. 1 “Every Action done in Students will select a
is to introduce students 3. Students will be able to relate the relevance of Company, ought to be with rule from Rules of Civility
Approx 75 to George Washington. Rules of Civility to their own lives. Some Sign of Respect, to those and write about how
2a Students will learn how
minutes that are Present.” that rule will guide their
Washington’s early behavior as it guided
4. Worksheet: Primary Source
experiences influenced his Washington’s behavior.
Analysis – Written Documents
later life and helped to foster
his development as a leader. 5. Worksheet: What Do These
Rules Mean Anyway?
6. Worksheet: A Rule for Me

Surveying the World 1. Students will be able to discuss the 1. PowerPoint: Surveying in the 1. Review their
Around Me importance of land ownership and the purpose 18th Century responses on the
The purpose of this lesson is of land surveying in the 18th century. 2. Rope/string/yarn/twine (to Does It Measure Up?
to help students understand 2. Students will be able to apply the formula of serve as a “Gunter’s chain”) cut worksheet.
that George Washington’s AREA=BASE x HEIGHT. into 33-foot pieces (which is ½ 2. Have students create
Two early career as a surveyor 3. Students will be able to apply the formula of a Gunter’s chain) marked off at a written and visual
2b 60-minute provided skills he used in his PERIMETER = SUM OF ALL SIDES. one-foot intervals. description of the land
lessons later roles and impacted the 3. Calculators they have “surveyed,”
evolution of his character. 4. Students will be able to analyze a primary source.
4. Sidewalk chalk modeled after George
Students will also be able 5. Students will be able to measure a specified area. Washington’s 1793
to discuss the basic uses 6. Students will be able to explain why honesty is 5. Worksheet: Compass Rose survey of his farms.
of surveying in the 18th an important quality for a surveyor. Graphic Organizer (Image found in the
century and practice basic 6. Worksheet: Does it Measure Up? PowerPoint.)

11
surveying skills
 L E A D E R S H I P
UNIT TITLE: GEORGE WASHINGTON – LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Lesson Length of
Lesson Title & Content Lesson Objectives Materials Needed Assessment
# Lesson
1. Students will be able to explain the 1. Map of Ohio Valley
purpose of George Washington’s
2. Reading - 1753: George

I N
mission to the Ohio Valley.
Washington’s Mission to the Ohio

L E S S O N S
2. Students will be able to describe the Valley Students act as
Upstart Colonial Officer events that occurred at Ft. LeBoeuf. reporters and write
3. Worksheet: Map Analysis
3. Students will be able to explain the a news report using
The purpose of this lesson is to 4. Reading comprehension questions
Two outcome(s) of that mission. the 5 Ws & H,
introduce students to the role that
45-minute 5. Reading comprehension answer explaining George
George Washington played in the

W A S H I N G T O N :
3 lessons 4. Students will be able to discuss Washington’s role
French and Indian War and how key
Washington’s experiences in the Ohio in his Mission to
his experiences in the Ohio Valley Valley. 6. A set of index cards. One card per the Ohio Valley and
demonstrated perseverance as he vocabulary word and one card per how his experience
faced overwhelming challenges. definition. demonstrated
7. Graphic Novel pages 5-7 perseverance.

G E O R G E
1. Students will be able to identify 1. Manila envelopes (1 envelope
members of Washington’s family. for each group of 3 – 4 students)
George Washington –
with “Confidential” marked on the
Father of the Year? 2. Students will be able to interpret
outside of the envelopes.
primary sources.
The purpose of this lesson is to show Students
2. Laminated primary sources
George Washington’s deep sense 3. Students will examine primary source write a letter
(Listed in the lesson plan)
Approx of responsibility towards his family. documents to find information to the editor
4 Through a “history mystery” students regarding George Washington’s familial 3. Worksheet: History Mystery nominating
75 minutes
will gather information on George relationships. Washington
4. Worksheet: Letter to the Editor
Washington and his family. They will as “Father of
then use this information to write a 5. Newspapers the Year.”
letter to the editor nominating George 6. Graphic Novel pages 8-9
Washington as “Father of the Year.”

12
 UNIT TITLE: GEORGE WASHINGTON – LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

U N I T
Lesson Length of
Lesson Title & Content Lesson Objectives Materials Needed Assessment
# Lesson

George Washington – 1. Students will be able to define 1. Table Top Blog 1. Students use Photo Story
Gentleman Farmer hexadecagon. to create a slide show of
2. Image and Text Suggestions
images and information
2. Students will be able to discuss for Table Top Blog
The purpose of this lesson is to comparing farming during
Washington’s reasons for
introduce students to George 3. PowerPoint: George Washington’s time and

I N T R O D U C T I O N
changing the way in which wheat
Washington as an innovative Washington, Innovative today.
was processed.
farmer. Students will gain a deeper Farmer
Two 2. If Photo Story is not an
understanding of how Washington’s 3. Students will be able to explain
60-minute 4. Notetaker for the PowerPoint. option, have students create
innovation and experimentation in Washington’s decision to design a
5a lessons 5. Notetaker answer key a poster.
such areas as crop rotation, fertilizers, sixteen-sided barn.
and the modification and design 6. Photo Story (a free program 3. If students are interested in
4. Students will be able to provide
of agricultural tools, transformed available for download - using technology to create
examples of George Washington
Mount Vernon into a diversified farm conduct a Google search for their posters, Glogster
as an innovative farmer.
where he grew wheat, corn, potatoes, “Photo Story”) downloaded EDU provides an excellent
buckwheat, oats, rye, and a variety of onto computers or use poster platform for creating digital,
other crops. board. interactive posters. Please
locate link at: www.
gwleadershiplessons.org

1. Image: The Life of George

1. Students will learn how 1. KWL chart
Washington: The Farmer.
historians use primary
2. Vocabulary Development
documents to gain a deeper 2. Reading: George Washington
worksheet
understanding of slave life at and Slavery
Mount Vernon. 3. Image: 1799 Census of Slaves 3. Reading Comprehension
at Mount Vernon Questions
2. Students will gain an
understanding of the slave 4. Handout: KWL chart 4. The 1799 Census worksheet
George Washington and Slavery community at Mount Vernon. 5. “Exit Slip”
5. Worksheet: Vocabulary
The purpose of this lesson is to 3. Students will be able to discuss Development
Two
introduce students to George George Washington’s changing 6. Worksheet: Reading
60-minute
5b Washington as a slave owner and attitudes towards the institution Comprehension Questions
lessons
to increase their understanding of of slavery.
how the labor of enslaved African 7. Worksheet: Examining George
Americans was critical to the success Washington’s 1799 Slave
of Washington’s farming operation.. Census
8. Vocabulary Development
answer key
9. Reading Comprehension
Questions answer key

13
10. Examining George
Washington’s 1799 Slave
Census answer key
 L E A D E R S H I P
UNIT TITLE: GEORGE WASHINGTON – LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Lesson Length of
Lesson Title & Content Lesson Objectives Materials Needed Assessment
# Lesson
1. Students will be able to 1. Using Google Earth instructions 1. Students’ new
identify key locations visited vocabulary
2. Sentence strips made for each vocabulary word

I N
by General Washington sentences
using the sentences from the General George
and his troops during the
Washington’s Revolutionary Journey KMZ file. 2. Worksheet:

L E S S O N S
Revolutionary War.
George
3. PowerPoint: Don’t Believe Everything You See
2. Students will be able to Washington
George Washington Forges 4. Computer lab or SMART Board with
describe the outcomes of Forges Ahead
Ahead Google Earth installed.
battles in which Washington
and his troops fought.

W A S H I N G T O N :
The purpose of this lesson is to 5. George Washington’s Revolutionary Journey KMZ file
Two 60- show students ways that George 3. Students will summarize
Washington demonstrated 6. Worksheet: George Washington Forges Ahead
6 minute Washington’s experiences
lessons bravery during the American during the Revolutionary 7. George Washington Forges Ahead answer key
Revolution. Students will also War.
explore Washington’s leadership 8. Graphic Novel page 15-29
through studying key battles of the 4. Students will be able to 9. Reading Comprehension Questions
American Revolution. explain how Washington’s
10. Reading Comprehension Questions answer key

G E O R G E
conduct during the war
demonstrated bravery.
1. Students will be able to 1. Sets of Washington’s quote(s) about being Students design
explain how Washington’s appointed to the presidency. and create a
life experiences played an campaign poster
2. Copies of George Washington’s resume.
Becoming Presidential – essential role in preparing and slogan
The Road to the Presidency him the presidency. for George.
Washington’s
Two 60- The purpose of this lesson is to 2. Students will be able to
campaign in
7 minute introduce students to George identify the characteristics
the run for the
lessons Washington’s political life and the George Washington
presidency.
qualities that made him a great possessed that made him a
leader. good candidate for president.

14
Lesson 1: The Qualities of a Great Leader

Lesson Title:

Got Greatness?
Lesson Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the
qualities of a great leader and to provide the groundwork for their understanding of
George Washington’s leadership qualities.
Lesson Objectives:
• Students will be able to identify the characteristics of a leader.
• Students will be able to apply the characteristics of a leader to a variety of prominent
individuals in history.
• Students will be able to explain what qualities they themselves possess that could
make them leaders.
• Students will be able to predict George Washington’s leadership qualities.

Curriculum Standards:
1. Common Core – English Language Arts: Grade 5 - Production and Distribution of Writing 
a. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

2. NCSS Standards: 4 - Individual Development and Identity

b. Personal identity is shaped by family, peers, culture, and institutional influences. 
In order to understand individual development and identity, learners should study
the influence of various times, cultures, groups, and institutions.

Time Frame for Completing Lesson: 45 minutes

Materials:
1. Post-it Notes (Various colors so that groups can be color-coded)
2. Images (Laminated for posting on a wall or whiteboard)

Here is a sample list of leaders who might be used for this lesson:

WOMEN MEN
Eleanor Roosevelt Martin Luther King
Harriet Tubman Benjamin Franklin
Rosa Parks George Washington
Susan B. Anthony Abraham Lincoln

Hillary Clinton John F. Kennedy

Betsy Ross Frederick Douglass
Pocahontas Neil Armstrong
Amelia Earhart Albert Einstein
Christa McAuliffe Gandhi

L E S S O N 1 : G O T G R E A T N E S S ? 15
Procedures: Discussing Leadership
Defining Leadership 1. Have each group leader post his/her group’s words on
the respective images.
1. Divide the class into small groups. Each group should
receive a supply of colored Post-it Notes. 2. After all Post-it Notes have been placed, identify as
a class what characteristics have been assigned to
2. As a class, brainstorm and record words that describe
each leader. Did more than one group assign the same
a leader (such as honesty, bravery, etc.).
characteristics? Discuss why this might be. Ask each
3. Have students record the words onto Post-its and group leader to explain their Post-it placements.
discuss within their groups.
3. What are the key leadership qualities assigned?
Leadership Posts 4. Ask: What qualities do you think George Washington
1. Give each group fifteen minutes to develop a list of possessed that made him a great leader?
five people whom they believe possess the leadership
qualities identified during the class discussion. Note: Keep this list and ask your students to add to it as your
study of George Washington continues.
2. Ask each group leader to explain his/her group’s list
of leaders to the class. They should be able to use one Assessment:
of the brainstormed characteristics for each of their 1. Have students write a self reflection answering the
selected leaders. following question: What leadership qualities do I
think I possess and why?
3. Next, post the images of the leaders you have
selected. 2. Have students create an acrostic name poem about
their own leadership qualities.
4. As a class, identify the leaders you have selected and
posted in the classroom. How many of these leaders Suggested Extension Activities:
were previously selected by the student groups?
1. 1. Have students read pages 2 -4 in the graphic novel,
5. Using the group Post-it Notes on leadership, ask the George Washington Leads the Way.
students to assign one leadership quality to each a. Pre-read: Students predict what qualities
of the leaders depicted in the images. If students Washington possessed that made him a great
determine that one of their selected characteristics leader.
applies to more than one leader, they can create
additional Post-it Notes.

16 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P
Lesson 2a: Honesty

Lesson Title:

Do You Follow the Rules?

Lesson Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to George
Washington. Students will learn how Washington’s early experiences influenced his later
life and helped to foster his development as a leader.
Lesson Objectives:
1. Students will be able to explain how Rules of Civility influenced a young George
Washington.
2. Students will be able to interpret a selection of Rules of Civility.
3. Students will be able to relate the relevance of Rules of Civility to their own lives.

Curriculum Standards:
1. NCSS Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change
a. Through the study of the past and its legacy, learners examine the institutions,
values, and beliefs of people in the past; acquire skills in historical inquiry and As a boy, GW studied
interpretation; and gain an understanding of how important historical events and reading, arithmetic,
developments have shaped the modern world. geography, astronomy
2. NCSS Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity and surveying. Spelling
and hand writing were
a. Personal identity is shaped by family, peers, culture, and institutional influences. 
In order to understand individual development and identity, learners should study practiced by writing in a
the influence of various times, cultures, groups, and institutions. “copybook.”

Time Frame for Completing Lesson: 75 minutes – From Mount Vernon

Booklet
Materials:
1. Copy Rules of Civility (primary source) found in Lesson 2a of the following website:
www.gwleadershiplessons.org
2. Text version of Rules of Civility: (Note: Prior to this lesson, review the rules and identify
those that are most applicable for use with your students. Be prepared to provide an
“excerpt” of the rules to students).
3. Display Rule No. 1: “Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of
Respect, to those that are Present” on display paper, a SMART Board, or overhead.
4. Worksheets:
a. Primary Source Analysis
b. What do These Rules Mean Anyway?
c. A Rule for Me

5. Magnifying glasses

L E S S O N 2 A : D O Y O U F O L L O W R U L E S ? 17
Vocabulary: Document Analysis
1. Civility: the formal politeness that results from 1. Distribute the image of Rules of Civility and a copy of
observing social conventions; a polite act the Primary Source Analysis worksheet to each student
to complete.
Background Information:
George Washington wrote his Rules of Civility & Decent 2. Ask the students to share their responses within their
Behaviour in Company and Conversation as a school exercise group.
sometime before he reached the age of sixteen. His 3. Next, provide students with an excerpt of the text
handwriting on the manuscript is boyish and his grammar version of Rules of Civility by visiting Lesson 2a at:
and spelling inferior, but what is of far greater importance is www.gwleadershiplessons.org
that this was the code of conduct that molded his character
and helped him assume the leadership of his country. The 4. Ask each student to read the assigned excerpt and
importance of this document cannot be denied; it influenced to complete the What Do These Rules Mean Anyway?
our first president and therefore an entire nation. worksheet.

The origin of Washington’s rules is said to have been a 5. As a class, discuss the importance of the rules and
17th-century book of etiquette called Youths Behaviour, or whether they have meaning today.
Decency in Conversation Amongst Men, by Francis Hawkins.
Assessment:
The young Hawkins had, at the age of eight, translated into
English a 16th-century set of behavior rules compiled by 1. A Rule for Me worksheet. Students will select one
French Jesuits. The code of conduct in Hawkins’ book was rule from Rules of Civility and describe how that rule
simplified and arranged for the schoolboy, Washington, by will guide their behavior as it guided Washington’s
an unknown instructor, and the future president carefully behavior.
copied the rules into his exercise book, now preserved at Suggested Extension Activities:
the Library of Congress.
1. Have students create their own Rules of Civility poster for
To read more about Rules of Civility visit Lesson 2a located at:
placing around the classroom.
www.gwleadershiplessons.org
2. Have students read the graphic novel pgs 3, 8, 9, 13, and
Procedures:
14 regarding the influence of Rules of Civility on George
Discussion of Manners Washington’s life.
1. Brainstorm the following question with students and
record their answers on the board:

Where do you learn table manners, how to greet

people, and other social skills?
2. Explain to students that George Washington learned
many of his social skills from his parents, his half
brother Lawrence, and his neighbors. Sometime
between the ages of twelve and sixteen, he was
inspired to copy Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in
Company and Conversation. This book provided him
with 110 rules that helped to guide his behavior for the
rest of his life.
3. Read out loud Rule No. 1: “Every Action done in
Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to
those that are Present,” which you have displayed in
the classroom.
4. In small groups, have students brainstorm the
meaning of this quote. Ask the students to share their
ideas with the class as a whole.

18 G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N : L E S S O N S I N L E A D E R S H I P