George Washington Born: Father of American Democracy
George Washington was offered the chance to become king and said no. His aide Nathanael Greene called it one of the most consequential decisions in American history. Washington stepped down after two terms as president, which was not required — there was no term limit — setting a precedent that held for 150 years. He owned enslaved people his entire life, more than 300 at his death. He freed them in his will, the only Founding Father to do so, on the condition that they wait until his wife died. Martha freed them within a year. Washington's false teeth were made of ivory, hippopotamus bone, and the teeth of enslaved people — not wood, as the legend has it.
February 22, 1732
294 years ago
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