At home with the president: As America goes to the polls, George Washington's house in Virginia is proving to be a vote winner

When George Washington was a boy, nan communicative goes that he chopped down a family cherry character and past confessed pinch nan immortal words: ‘Father, I cannot show a lie...’

If only each politicians were truthful honest. The communicative is astir apt apocryphal and created by Washington’s early biographer, Mason Locke Weems. But, Washington, aft whom nan nation’s superior was named, was responsible for galore existent achievements.

This is clear erstwhile visiting Mount Vernon successful Virginia, nan location of America’s first president, overlooking nan Potomac River, 16 miles southbound of nan White House.

Before overseeing nan penning of nan Constitution and defeating nan English (with nan thief of nan French) and cementing US independency astatine Yorktown, Virginia, successful 1781, Washington had moved to his family location successful 1754.

His begetter had built nan ample mansion successful assemblage Virginia connected 8,000 acres immoderate 20 years earlier. 

George inherited nan estate, which produced whisky, raised cattle and grew baccy connected nan plantation – mostly worked by slaves – aft nan deaths of his begetter and elder brother.

Slave quarters are to nan near of nan section starring to nan imposing façade of nan house. Inside are unsmooth woody bunks and ceramic floors. By nan past twelvemonth of Washington’s life successful 1799, much than 300 enslaved African-Americans lived connected Mount Vernon’s plantation.

The main location has a veranda pinch sweeping views of heavy woodland successful Maryland crossed nan swirling Potomac. 

This woodland has been purchased by nan Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which oversees nan property (now 500 acres), truthful visitors will ever beryllium capable to bask nan vista arsenic Washington, his woman Martha and her children would person done. Their boy and girl were from Martha’s erstwhile matrimony (they did not person their own).

The location looks arsenic if it’s made of stone, though it’s woody and pasted pinch a masonry-like sand-mixture. 

Inside is simply a salient staircase and hallway pinch rooms dressed up successful vivid greens and blues, featuring framed landscapes and portraits, a piano, and ornamental stucco ceilings. 

Significantly nan hallway holds a show container pinch a cardinal to nan Bastille successful Paris, a awesome of nan French Revolution successful 1789 talented to Washington by Marquis de Lafayette, a French subject serviceman who joined nan Continental Army and helped successful nan triumph successful Yorktown.

Washington died astatine 67 of a pharynx complication; he rests successful a tomb to nan correct of nan house, adjacent a slaves’ graveyard. 

In his study, there’s nan table wherever he wrote his will, successful which he freed his slaves connected nan decease of Martha.

Washington had been swayed by abolitionists, says a guide, adding that his determination only to service 2 position of 4 years’ each group an ‘important precedent’.

Washington did not want to beryllium a ‘king’. What he would make of nan ongoing conflict for nan White House is unclear – suffice it to opportunity that nan America he led successful nan 18th period is acold removed from that of today.