A Revolutionary Life: Washington's Birthday Through the Years

The nine videos linked below, contributed by eight parks and historic sites, present early American history through the lens of what was happening in General George Washington's life around the time of his birthday over the years.

1732 - George Washington's Birth

George Washington was born in 1732 at Popes Creek in Virginia, today part of George Washington Birthplace National Monument.

Duration:4 minutes, 22 seconds

1776 - George Washington's 44th Birthday

On his 44th birthday at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, George Washington had yet to prove himself as a leader and military commander.

Duration:4 minutes, 49 seconds

1777 - George Washington's 45th Birthday

After the victories at Trenton and Princeton, General George Washington spent his 45th birthday encamped at Morristown, struggling to keep the army together in the face of disease and other challenges.

Duration:2 minutes, 14 seconds

1778 - George Washington's 46th Birthday

George Washington's 46th birthday took place during the Valley Forge winter encampment, which saw the General and the Continental Army facing a whole host of difficult challenges.

Duration:5 minutes, 1 second

1779 - George Washington's 47th Birthday

While there is no evidence of a birthday celebration for George Washington in 1779 per se, the General did attend -- and dance at! -- some parties in New Jersey around the time of his birthday that year.

Duration:3 minutes, 54 seconds

1780 - George Washington's 48th Birthday

Halfway through the war, General Washington finds himself back at Morristown on his 48th birthday, enduring the coldest winter of the eighteenth century.

Duration:2 minutes, 13 seconds

1783 - George Washington's 51st Birthday

1783 found George Washington in a headquarters overlooking the Hudson River in New York at the end of a long war.

Duration:5 minutes, 54 seconds

1790 to 1797 - George Washington's Birthdays as President

Extravagant celebrations of George Washington's birthday took place in Philadelphia during the years of his presidency, but leading the country in its infancy was not all fun and games for the first President of the United States.

Duration:6 minutes, 7 seconds

First in War First in Peace - The Legacy of George Washington and his Birthday Celebrations

After the war, Washington retired to Mount Vernon to rejoin civilian life, but steadily got pulled back into public service before becoming the country's first President. Celebration of his birthday continued after his presidency and well beyond his death in 1799, eventually becoming a nationally recognized holiday in 1885.

Duration:4 minutes, 10 seconds

NPS Animation / G. Purifoy

Contributing Sites

George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Virginia

Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site in Massachusetts

Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey

Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania

Wallace House State Historic Site in New Jersey

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in New York

Independence National Historical Park in Pennsylvania

George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia

This video series was hosted and coordinated by Valley Forge National Historical Park in 2021 and features talks from park rangers and historians at eight historic sites across five different states.

You can also watch the full playlist on the Valley Forge YouTube channel.

Where this belongs

• George Washington Birthplace National Monument
• Independence National Historical Park
• Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
• Morristown National Historical Park
• Valley Forge National Historical Park

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