George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796
Once his political career had ended, George Washington made a deliberate effort to
organize and preserve his personal papers. He
had the incredible foresight to know that his
life and career influenced the appeal of the
documents, and that they would become the
foundation for much knowledge about the
Revolutionary period and first presidency. At
one point he even considered building a
library to house them. Unfortunately,
Washington died in 1799 before the grand
library could be constructed.
Washington instead left the papers to his
nephew, Bushrod Washington. Upon
Washington's death, it became obvious that
he had been correct in assuming that people
would take interest in his documents. And
before the next fifty years had passed, both
Chief Justice John Marshall and future
Harvard president Jared Sparks borrowed the
papers to write their respective works on the
first president.
Here is a selection of documents and letters
written by Washington over the course of his lifetime and career that will grant some
insight into his personal character and the impact he had on U.S Constitutional History.
Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior
Colonial (1744-1775)
Lease of Mt. Vernon (December 17, 1754)
Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and
Conversation (1744)
Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
George Washington to John Banister (April 21, 1778)
George Washington to Martha Washington (June 18 & 23, 1775)
General Orders on Profanity (August 3, 1776)
Washington's Farewell Address to the Army (November 1783)
George Washington's Resignation Address to the Continental Congress (December 23, 1783)
George Washington's First Inaugural Address (1789)
Confederation Congress (1784-1788)
George Washington's Annotated Copy of the Constitution (1787): Pg 1, Pg2, Pg 3, Pg 4
George Washington to Richard Henry Lee (August 22,
1785)
Presidential Period (1788-1797)
Washington's Annual Messages to Congress: Jan 1790, Dec 1790, October 1791, Nov 1792, Dec 1793, Nov 1794, Dec 1795
, Dec 1796
Washington's First Inaugural Address April 30, 1789
The Farewell Address
George Washington to Henry Lee (January 20, 1793)
Post Political Documents (1797-1799)
The Will of George Washington
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