I am George Washington

I am George Washington BRAD MELTZER illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

I am George Washington.

You know what one of the hardest things in life is? Being the first. When you're the first to try something new, there's no one to show you the way. But when I was little, I wasn't the first. I was the fourth of nine children. THAT'S A LOT OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS. HOW DO YOU THINK I LEARNED TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE FIGHTING? When I was really little, I lived at a place called Mount Vernon, which had a huge river running through the backyard and unexplored forests in every direction. AT FIVE YEARS OLD. THIS WAS THE WORLD I KNEW IF YOU WANTED TO EXPLORE THE FOREST, YOU HAD TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO GO INSIDE. THINK YOU'RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO GO IN THERE, GEORGE? NOT YET. BUT SOON.

People will tell you that I was a perfect boy. They'll say I didn't tell a lie after I chopped down a cherry tree. But that cherry tree story isn't true. Like most boys back then, I liked swimming... fishing... and riding horses. I was a decent athlete, but nothing spectacular. Mostly, I was an ordinary kid. I liked books, and even liked to dance. I was great at it. In school, my best subject was math. I was pretty good at writing, but I was always a terrible speller. YOU SPELLED "BEGINNING" WRONG. AND "HARVEST" too. DON'T YOU REALIZE I'M GOING TO BE ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST LEADERS? I BELIEVE THAT ALMOST AS MUCH AS I BELIEVE YOU'RE A GREAT DANCER.

But remember when I said that it's hard to be the first? It's easier when there's someone showing you how it's done. THIS IS MY BROTHER LAWRENCE. HE WAS FOURTEEN YEARS OLDER THAN ME. NO ONE HAD A BIGGER IMPACT ON MY LIFE. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? MY MILITARY UNIFORM. SO I CAN FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY. YOU LIKE IT? IT'S AMAZING. I loved hearing the stories of his adventures. Thanks to my brother, I knew I wanted to serve in the military.

Soon, though, I saw how uncertain life could be. When I was eleven, my dad died. We couldn't afford proper schooling so my brothers had to teach me at home. I didn't go to high school or college. But I was committed to learning and building myself. YOU SPELLED IT WRONG. THEN I'LL DO IT AGAIN. AS A BOY, I COPIED ALL THE RULES FROM A BOOK OF VIRTUES. THERE WERE 110 IN ALL. #11: DON'T GNAW YOUR NAILS. #12: DON'T STAND TOO CLOSE TO PEOPLE WHEN TALKING, OR YOU'LL SPIT ON THEM. #100: DON'T USE A FORK OR KNIFE TO CLEAN YOUR TEETH. INSTEAD, USE A TOOTHPICK. THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS THE FIRST ONE. EVERY ACTION DONE IN COMPANY OUGHT TO BE DONE WITH SOME SIGN OF RESPECT. I GUESS THAT ONE COVERS SPITTING ON PEOPLE TOO.