There are many individuals in American history, whom we Americans look up to for their courage and boldness in shaping our nation. In our history lessons we learn about the great achievements of our founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin. We learned much from another great founding father and our first president, George Washington. In school we learn that he is a great example of leadership, citizenship and overall individual achievement for his many contributions to our nation's early struggles. But even though we are taught that George Washington was a man of great character, no man is free from flaws. Many scholars have tried to enlighten people about these cracks in our first president's perspective of the Nation. The following composition will provide an analysis of the literature showing that George Washington was consistent regarding his views on slavery. Although Washington is well known for his many political successes, little is said about his views regarding slavery. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. Despite losing his father at a young age, 11, his half-brother Lawrence, 14 years older, quickly became the surrogate father figure to all of his younger siblings. Washington's mother, Mary, became very protective after the death of her husband (George's father), Augustine. He prevented George from joining the British Navy against the wishes of his older brother, Lawrence. George lived with his older brother since he was about 15 and attended school in Virginia without ever going to college. He was very good at mathematics, which suited his later occupation as a surveyor perfectly. In 1752, Lawrence also died his c...... middle of paper ......ncontributions he made to our society. But it may be that we are disillusioned with what we were taught as children, which is that we assume that these people have no flaws. Perhaps knowing that these great men had flaws helps us see them as more human. Character flaw aside, George Washington was still one of the architects of American society. Works Cited1. Bordewich, Fergus M. Washington: The Making of the American Capital. HarperCollins Publisher, 2008.2. Colbert, David. America's Eyewitness: 500 Years of America in the History of Those Who Saw It Happen. New York. Pantheon Books, 1997.3. Ellis, Joseph J. His Excellency George Washington. New York. Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.4. McCullough, David. 1776. New York. Simon & Schuster, 2005.5. Stevenson, Jay PhD and Budman, Matthew. The complete idiot's guide to American heroes. New York. Alpha books, 1999.