下面為大家推薦的是一篇關(guān)于美國首任總統(tǒng)喬治·華盛頓的SAT寫作素材。在這篇SAT寫作素材中，對于他的生平和在美國獨(dú)立時(shí)所做的貢獻(xiàn)以及在總統(tǒng)任期內(nèi)的一些政績都有詳細(xì)的介紹。下面我們來看看詳細(xì)內(nèi)容吧。

Washington, George( 1732 -- 1799 )

First U.S. president. Born February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father, a prosperous planter and iron foundry owner, died when he was 11, and Washington moved in with his elder half-brother Lawrence, who owned the plantation Mount Vernon. In 1748 Washington did some surveying for Lord Fairfax, a relative of Lawrence by marriage, meanwhile reading widely in Mt Vernon's library. In 1751, he accompanied the ailing Lawrence to Barbados; on his death the next year, Washington was left guardian of Lawrence's daughter at Mt Vernon, which Washington would inherit in 1761 after her death.

Having studied military science on his own, in 1753 Washington began several years' service with the Virginia militia in the French and Indian Wars, taking command of all Virginia forces in 1755 and participating in several dangerous actions. Commissioned as aide-de-camp by General Edward Braddock in 1755, he barely escaped with his life in the battle that took Braddock's life.

He resigned his commission in 1758, following his election to the Virginia House of Burgesses (1759--74).

In 1759, Washington married the wealthy widow Martha Custis, thus securing his fortune and social position. They had no children together but raised her two children, and later her two grandchildren. After a period of living the sociable life of a gentleman farmer, however, Washington risked it all by casting his lot with those rebelling against British rule, although his original motives probably had less to do with high principles and more to do with his personal annoyance with British commercial policies.

In 1774, Washington participated in the First Continental Congress and took command of the Virginia militia; by the next year the Second Congress, impressed with his military experience and commanding personality, made him commander in chief of the Continental army (June 1775).

With remarkable skill, patience, and courage, Washington led the American forces through the Revolution, struggling not only with the British but with the stingy Continental Congress and also on occasion with resentful fellow officers. Notable among his achievements were his bold crossing of the Delaware to rout enemy forces at Trenton on Christmas night of 1776 and his holding the army together during the terrible winter encampment at Valley Forge in 1777--8. His victory over the British at Yorktown (1781) effectively ended the war, but for almost two more years he had to strive to keep the colonists from splintering into selfish enterprises.

Washington returned to Mount Vernon in 1783, but maintained his presence in the debate over the country's future. He solidified that role when he chaired the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787. In 1789, the first electors unanimously voted Washington as president; he was reelected in 1793. A natural leader rather than a thinker or orator, he had great difficulty coping with an unruly new government, futilely resisting the growing factionalism that resolved into the forming of Hamilton's Federalist Party - to which Washington finally gravitated - and Jefferson's liberal Democratic-Republican Party.

In 1796, Washington announced he would not run again (thus setting a precedent for only two terms) and retired from office the next year. In 1798, he accepted command of a provisional American army when it appeared there would be war with France, but the threat passed. The following year, Washington died at Mount Vernon and was mourned around the world. He immediately began to attain almost legendary status, so that succeeding generations throughout the world could bestow no higher accolade than to call their own national hero, "the George Washington" of their country.

Key words: first president general

喬治·華盛頓(1732 -- 1799)

喬治·華盛頓1732 年生于美國弗吉尼亞的威克弗爾德莊園。他是一位富有的種植園主之子，二十歲時(shí)繼承了一筆可觀的財(cái)產(chǎn)。1753 年到1758 年期間華盛頓在軍中服役，積極參加了法國人同印第安人之間的戰(zhàn)爭，從而獲得了軍事經(jīng)驗(yàn)和威望;1758 年解甲回到弗吉尼亞，不久便與一位帶有四個(gè)孩子的富孀──瑪莎·丹德利居·卡斯蒂斯結(jié)了婚(他沒有親生子女)。

華盛頓在隨后的十五年中經(jīng)營自己的家產(chǎn)，表現(xiàn)出了非凡的才能，1774 年他被選為弗吉尼亞的一位代表去參加第一屆大陸會議時(shí)，就已經(jīng)成為美國殖民地中最大的富翁之一了。華盛頓不是一位主張獨(dú)立的先驅(qū)者，但是1775 年6 月的第二屆大陸會議(他是一位代表)卻一致推選他來統(tǒng)率大陸部隊(duì)。他軍事經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富，家產(chǎn)萬貫，聞名遐邇;他外貌英俊，體魄健壯(身高6 英尺2 時(shí))，指揮才能卓越，尤其他那堅(jiān)韌不拔的性格使他成為統(tǒng)帥的理所當(dāng)然的人選。在整個(gè)戰(zhàn)爭期間，他忠誠效勞，分文不取，廉潔奉公，堪稱楷模。

華盛頓于1775 年6 月開始統(tǒng)率大陸軍隊(duì)，到1797 年3 月第二屆總統(tǒng)任期期滿，他的最有意義的貢獻(xiàn)就是在這期間取得的。1799 年12 月在弗吉尼亞的溫恩山，他在家中病逝。華盛頓是美國第一任總統(tǒng)。美國有一位華盛頓這樣德才兼?zhèn)涞娜俗鳛榈谝蝗慰偨y(tǒng)是幸運(yùn)的。翻開南美和非洲各國的歷史，我們可以看到即使是一個(gè)以民主憲法為伊始的新國家，墮落成為軍事專制國家也是易如反掌。華盛頓是一位堅(jiān)定的領(lǐng)袖，他保持了國家的統(tǒng)一，但是卻無永遠(yuǎn)把持政權(quán)的野心，既不想做國王，又不想當(dāng)獨(dú)裁者。他開創(chuàng)了主動讓權(quán)的先例──一個(gè)至今美國仍然奉行的先例。