George Washington: How Self-Education Shaped America’s First President

“Nor am I less persuaded that you will agree with me in opinion that there is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.”

~ George Washington, First Annual Address

George Washington was completely self-educated. He had no formal education and achieved amazing success. His role as the President of the United States is even more remarkable when we consider that he was the first.

As the first President, he had no blueprint to follow. There was no predecessor to consult, and he ran the country better than most modern Presidents.

This may be surprising given the brilliance we typically ascribe to the master General of Mount Vernon. He worked very technical jobs, served in the political realm, was a skilled military leader, and then served eight years as the inaugural President of the United States.

The most amazing part of all this success? He was almost completely self-educated.

How did he get there?

It is difficult to piece together exactly what happened in George Washington’s early educational life. It seems clear that he never went to formal school, though scholars argue about whether he went to grammar school for a short time.

But there is no question that he certainly never attended college. The demands of the family farm required George and his brothers to work full-time after the death of their father. He likely received a basic education from a private tutor. So, how did he become so smart?

He Learned from Others

A clue might come from his charismatic personality. He made friends with people who taught him things he did not know. He became quite close to his brother’s in-laws — the Fairfaxes. They treated young George like family, and he loved them dearly. The patriarch of the family took George under his wing and often took him hunting. The Fairfaxes may have been the ones to teach him geometry, which he used in his work.

He Read Books

Another major source of knowledge was from reading all the books he could get his hands on. George Washington would take the time to copy books word from word, to helped him to understand the text. Doing this tedious act, allowed him to keep a copy of the book to keep in his library.

At the time of his death, George Washington’s personal library numbered more than a thousand books. A breakdown of the topics he kept in his library explains why he was such a powerful statesman and leader:

• Nearly 400 books on Economics, Politics, and Law
• 168 books on Agriculture
• 168 books on Religion and Philosophy
• More than 100 books on Military and Naval Affairs
• More than 100 books of fiction, including plays and poems
• About 85 books on History and biographies
• 60 reference books
• 60 books on Science, Industry, and Natural History
• Nearly 50 books on Travel, Accounting, Geography, and Atlases

Can you be an autodidact or self-taught?

He was devoted to knowledge and pursued it relentlessly. Washington, like many other important historical figures, was an autodidact, or self-taught.

Can you learn the same? Being an autodidact, however, is not reserved for people who lived hundreds of years ago, prior to higher learning institutions or technology. With todays researches, is far easier today to be a self-taught individual.

One must wonder, is the love of learning something we are born with or does it develop over time? It seems clear that most children are born with a natural inquisitiveness that causes them to ask questions and explore.

Perhaps that natural love of learning is suppressed by our surroundings. After all, children are taken out of the wild and free world and forced into classrooms where the seats are in rows and creativity is not encouraged. It could be the case that our modern schooling affects some children differently.

Whether the answer is nature or nurture, this much is clear: the world is filled with millions of books and tens of millions of websites. There are hundreds of thousands of online classes and masterclasses that a person can use to grow their bank of knowledge. As you learn more, your confidence grows. With greater confidence comes increased opportunities. Can you do what George Washington did and change the course of the world? With the resources we have today, you might be able to do a whole lot more.

The first step in becoming an autodidact is developing a love of reading. No matter where you get your knowledge, reading is likely to play a part. Do not fear if you have a reading disability. With the click of a mouse, you can easily turn to videos and text-to-speech programs that help you read. All you have to do is sit back and listen.

Summary

The lesson we are taking from George Washington’s life may seem simple, but be assured, it might be the most important lesson. Who he became as a result of his personal time in study was the foundational building block for everything that followed.

Washington’s self-driven quest for knowledge was the cornerstone of his remarkable achievements. By following his example, you too can unlock your potential and possibly achieve even more. The first step is to cultivate a passion for learning and reading, setting the stage for a lifetime of growth and discovery.

If you want to dig a little deeper on self-education & George Washington, check out my book: How to Lead Like George Washington.

Christopher S. Coopersmith is a father, Christian, Business Operations Manager, and rated Author on Amazon. He loves to study how leaders impacted the world. You can connect via: Medium, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Linkedin.

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