His memorial poem to her

His memorial poem to her, a sonnet called "The Cross of Snow", was not published in his lifetimeLongfellow often used didacticism in his poetry, though he focused on it less in his later years.[96] Much of his poetry imparts cultural and moral values, particularly focused on promoting life as being more than material pursuits.[97HP G71-340US CPU Fan ]Longfellow also often used allegory in his work. In "Nature", for example, death is depicted as bedtime for a cranky child.[98] Many of the metaphors he used in his poetry as well as subject matter came from legends, mythology, and literature.[99] He was inspired, for example, by Norse mythology for "The Skeleton in Armor" and by Finnish legends for The Song of Hiawatha.[ Toshiba Satellite L675D-S7016 CPU Fan In fact, Longfellow rarely wrote on current subjects and seemed detached from contemporary American concerns.[101] Even so, Longfellow, like many during this period, called for the development of high quality American literature. In Kavanagh, a character says: We want a national literature commensurate with our mountains and rivers... HP Pavilion dv5-2135dx CPU Fan We want a national epic that shall correspond to the size of the country... We want a national drama in which scope shall be given to our gigantic ideas and to the unparalleled activity of our people... In a word, we want a national literature altogether shaggy and unshorn, that shall shake the earth, like a herd of buffaloes thundering over the prairies.[102] HP Envy 17-3000er CPU Fan He was also important as a translator; his translation of Dante became a required possession for those who wanted to be a part of high culture.[103] He also encouraged and supported other translators. In 1845, he published The Poets and Poetry of Europe, an 800-page compilation of translations made by other writers, including many by his friend and colleague Cornelius Conway Felton.  HP Envy 17 Series CPU Fan Longfellow intended the anthology "to bring together, into a compact and convenient form, as large an amount as possible of those English translations which are scattered through many volumes, and are not accessible to the general reader".[104] In honor of Longfellow's role with translations, HP 532614-001 CPU Fan Harvard established the Longfellow Institute in 1994, dedicated to literature written in the United States in languages other than English.[105] In 1874, Longfellow oversaw a 31-volume anthology called Poems of Places, which collected poems representing several geographical locations, including European, HP Envy 17-3000er CPU Fan Asian, and Arabian countries.[106] Emerson was disappointed and reportedly told Longfellow: "The world is expecting better things of you than this... You are wasting time that should be bestowed upon original production".[107] In preparing the volume, Longfellow hired Katherine Sherwood Bonner as an amanuensis. HP 532614-001 CPU Fan Longfellow's early collections, Voices of the Night and Ballads and Other Poems, made him instantly popular. The New-Yorkercalled him "one of the very few in our time who has successfully aimed in putting poetry to its best and sweetest uses".[45]The Southern Literary Messenger immediately put Longfellow "among the first of our American poets".[45HP 532614-001 CPU Fan ] Poet John Greenleaf Whittier said that Longfellow's poetry illustrated "the careful moulding by which art attains the graceful ease and chaste simplicity of nature".[109] Longfellow's friend Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. wrote of him as "our chief singer" and one who "wins and warms... kindles, softens, cheers [and] calms the wildest woe and stays the bitterest tears!"[110]  HP KSB06105HA CPU Fan The rapidity with which American readers embraced Longfellow was unparalleled in publishing history in the United States;[111] by 1874, he was earning $3,000 per poem.[112] His popularity spread throughout Europe as well and his poetry was translated during his lifetime into Italian, French, German, and other languages.[113] HP 493001-001 CPU Fan As scholar Bliss Perry later wrote, Longfellow was so highly praised that criticizing him was a criminal act like "carrying a rifle into a national park".[114]In the last two decades of his life, he often received requests for autographs from strangers, which he always sent.[115]John Greenleaf Whittier suggested it was this massive correspondence that led to Longfellow's death, writing: "My friend Longfellow was driven to death by these incessant demands".[116] Toshiba BFB0605HA CPU Fan Contemporary writer Edgar Allan Poe wrote to Longfellow in May 1841 of his "fervent admiration which [your] genius has inspired in me" and later called him "unquestionably the best poet in America".[117] However, after Poe's reputation as a critic increased, he publicly accused Longfellow of plagiarism in what has been since termed by Poe biographers as "The Longfellow War".[118] HP Pavilion dv5-1174ca CPU Fan His assessment was that Longfellow was "a determined imitator and a dextrous adapter of the ideas of other people",[117] specificallyAlfred, Lord Tennyson.[119] His accusations may have been a publicity stunt to boost readership of the Broadway Journal, for which he was the editor at the time.[120] Toshiba Satellite A110-101 CPU Fan Longfellow did not respond publicly, but, after Poe's death, he wrote: "The harshness of his criticisms I have never attributed to anything but the irritation of a sensitive nature chafed by some indefinite sense of wrong".[121] Margaret Fuller judged him "artificial and imitative" and lacking force.[ HP Pavilion dv5-1174ca CPU Fan Poet Walt Whitman also considered Longfellow an imitator of European forms, though he praised his ability to reach a popular audience as "the expressor of common themes – of the little songs of the masses".[123] He added, "Longfellow was no revolutionarie: never traveled new paths: of course never broke new paths."[124] HP 535442-001 CPU Fan Lewis Mumford said that Longfellow could be completely removed from the history of literature without much effect.[101] Towards the end of his life, contemporaries considered him more of a children's poet[125] as many of his readers were children.[126] A contemporary reviewer noted in 1848 that Longfellow was creating a "Goody two-shoes kind of literature.. HP Pavilion dv6-3049tx CPU Fan . slipshod, sentimental stories told in the style of the nursery, beginning in nothing and ending in nothing".[127] A more modern critic said, "Who, except wretched schoolchildren, now reads Longfellow?"[101] A London critic in the London Quarterly Review, however, condemned all American poetry, saying, ACER Aspire 5730Z Series CPU Fan "with two or three exceptions, there is not a poet of mark in the whole union" but singled out Longfellow as one of those exceptions.[128] As an editor of the Boston Evening Transcript wrote in 1846, "Whatever the miserable envy of trashy criticism may write against Longfellow, one thing is most certain, no American poet is more read".[129]  HP KSB06105HA CPU Fan Longfellow was the most popular poet of his day.[130] As a friend once wrote to him, "no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime".[131] Many of his works helped shape the American character and its legacy, particularly with the poem "Paul Revere's Ride".He was such an admired figure in the United States during his life that his 70th birthday in 1877 took on the air of a national holiday, with parades, HP Pavilion dv5-2135dx CPU Fan speeches, and the reading of his poetry. Over the years, Longfellow's personality has become part of his reputation. He has been presented as a gentle, placid, poetic soul: an image perpetuated by his brother Samuel Longfellow, who wrote an early biography which specifically emphasized these points.[132] Toshiba Satellite L650-1MT CPU Fan As James Russell Lowell said, Longfellow had an "absolute sweetness, simplicity, and modesty".[121] At Longfellow's funeral, his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson called him "a sweet and beautiful soul".[133] In reality, Longfellow's life was much more difficult than was assumed. He suffered from neuralgia, which caused him constant pain, and he also had poor eyesight. SONY Vaio VGN-NW350F CPU Fan He wrote to friend Charles Sumner: "I do not believe anyone can be perfectly well, who has a brain and a heart".[134] He had difficulty coping with the death of his second wife.[73] Longfellow was very quiet, reserved, and private; in later years, he was known for being unsocial and avoided leaving home.[135] Toshiba Satellite M35X-S329 CPU Fan He had become one of the first American celebrities and was also popular in Europe. It was reported that 10,000 copies of The Courtship of Miles Standish sold in London in a single day.[136] Children adored him and, when the "spreading chestnut-tree" mentioned in the poem "The Village Blacksmith" was cut down, SONY Vaio VGN-TX2XP/B CPU Fan   the children of Cambridge had the tree converted into an armchair which they presented to the poet.[137] In 1884, Longfellow became the first non-British writer for whom a commemorative sculpted bust was placed in Poet's Corner ofWestminster Abbey in London; he remains the only American poet represented with a bust.[ LENOVO IdeaPad S10 20015 Laptop Keyboard In 1909, a seated statue of Longfellow sculpted by William Couperwas unveiled in Washington, D. C. More recently, he was honored in March 2007 when the United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating him. ACER TravelMate 6292 Laptop Keyboard A number of schools are named after him in various states as well. Neil Diamond's 1974 hit song, "Longfellow Serenade", is a reference to the poet.He is a protagonist in Matthew Pearl's murder mystery The Dante Club (2003). Longfellow's popularity rapidly declined, beginning shortly after his death and into the twentieth century as academics began to appreciate poets like Walt Whitman, FUJITSU Lifebook S7110 Laptop Keyboard Edwin Arlington Robinson, and Robert Frost.[141] In the twentieth century, literary scholar Kermit Vanderbilt noted, "Increasingly rare is the scholar who braves ridicule to justify the art of Longfellow's popular rhymings."20th-century poet Lewis Putnam Turco concluded "Longfellow was minor and derivative in every way throughout his career... nothing more than a hack imitator of the English Romantics."[  DELL Vostro 3550 Laptop Keyboard George Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731][Note 1][Note 2] – December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States (1789–1797), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.[3] TOSHIBA PK130260100 Laptop Keyboard He presided over the convention that drafted the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation and remains the supreme law of the land. Washington was elected president as the unanimous choice of the electors in the elections of both 1788–1789 and1792.[4] Lenovo 45N2205 Laptop Keyboard He oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that maintained neutrality in the wars raging in Europe, suppressed rebellion, and won acceptance among Americans of all types.[5] His leadership style established many forms and rituals of government that have been used since, HP 636376-001 Laptop Keyboard such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address.[6][7] Further, his retirement after two terms and the peaceful transition from his presidency to that of John Adams established a tradition that continued up until Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to a third term.[8] Washington was hailed as "father of his country" even during his lifetime.[3][9] HP Pavilion dv6-2112sa Laptop Keyboard Washington was born into the provincial gentry of Colonial Virginia; his wealthy planter family owned tobacco plantations and slaves. After both his father and older brother died when he was young, Washington became personally and professionally attached to the powerful William Fairfax, who promoted his career as a surveyor and soldier. HP 517865-031 Laptop Keyboard Washington quickly became a senior officer in the colonial forces during the first stages of the French and Indian War. Chosen by the Second Continental Congress in 1775 to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, Washington managed to force the British out of Boston in 1776, HP Compaq NC8430 Laptop Keyboard but was defeated and almost captured later that year when he lost New York City. After crossing the Delaware River in the dead of winter, he defeated the British in two battles, retook New Jersey and restored momentum to the Patriot cause. Because of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured two major British armies at Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781. SAMSUNG NP-N102-JA01DX Laptop Keyboard Historians laud Washington for his selection and supervision of his generals, encouragement of morale and ability to hold together the army, coordination with the state governors and state militia units, relations with Congress and attention to supplies, logistics, and training. In battle, however, Washington was repeatedly outmaneuvered by British generals with larger armies. DELL V119525BS1 Laptop Keyboard After victory had been finalized in 1783, Washington resigned as Commander-in-chief rather than seize power, proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to American republicanism. Dissatisfied with the weaknesses of the Continental Congress, TOSHIBA Satellite P500 Laptop Keyboard in 1787 Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention that devised a new Federal government of the United States. Elected unanimously as the first President of the United States in 1789, he attempted to bring rival factions together to unify the nation. He supported Alexander Hamilton's programs to pay off all state and national debt,  Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E520 Laptop Keyboard to implement an effective tax system and to create a national bank[11] (despite opposition from Thomas Jefferson). Washington proclaimed the United States neutral in the wars raging in Europe after 1793. He avoided war with Great Britain and guaranteed a decade of peace and profitable trade by securing the Jay Treaty in 1795, despite intense opposition from the Jeffersonians. TOSHIBA Satellite L300 Laptop Keyboard Although he never officially joined the Federalist Party, he supported its programs.Washington's Farewell Address was an influential primer on republican virtue and a warning against partisanship, sectionalism, and involvement in foreign wars. He retired from the presidency in 1797 and returned to his home, DELL AEFM8U00310 Laptop Keyboard Mount Vernon, and his domestic life where he managed a variety of enterprises. He freed all his slaves by his final will. Washington had a vision of a great and powerful nation that would be built on republican lines using federal power.  DELL 0P445M Laptop Keyboard He sought to use the national government to preserve liberty, improve infrastructure, open the western lands, promote commerce, found a permanent capital, reduce regional tensions and promote a spirit of American nationalism.[12] At his death, Washington was eulogized as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" by Henry Lee.[13]  TOSHIBA Mini NB 255-SP1002L Laptop Keyboard The Federalists made him the symbol of their party but for many years, the Jeffersonians continued to distrust his influence and delayed building the Washington Monument. As the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire in world history, Washington became an international icon for liberation and nationalism, especially in France and Latin America.[ SONY Vaio VGN-SZ73B/B CPU Fan He is consistently ranked among the top three presidents of the United States, according to polls of both scholars and the general public. The first child of Augustine Washington (1694–1743) and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington (1708–1789), Dell Latitude E6510 CPU Fan George Washington was born on their Pope's Creek Estatenear present-day Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia. According to theJulian calendar and Annunciation Style of enumerating years, then in use in the British Empire, Washington was born on February 11, 1731; SONY UDQFRZH13CF0 CPU Fan when the Gregorian calendar was implemented in the British Empire in 1752, in accordance with the provisions of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, his birth date became February 22, 1732.[15][Note 1][Note 2] Washington's ancestors were from Sulgrave, England; his great-grandfather, John Washington, had emigrated to Virginia in 1657.[16] HP Pavilion dv6-3370ca CPU Fan George's father Augustine was a slave-owning tobacco planter who later tried his hand in iron-mining ventures.[17]In George's youth, the Washingtons were moderately prosperous members of the Virginia gentry, of "middling rank" rather than one of the leading planter families.[18] HP G62-341NR CPU Fan At this time, Virginia and other southern colonies had become a slave society, in which slaveholders formed the ruling class and the economy was based on slave labor.[19] Six of George's siblings reached maturity, including two older half-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, from his father's first marriage to Jane Butler Washington, and four full siblings, Samuel, HP 535438-001 CPU Fan Elizabeth (Betty), John Augustine and Charles. Three siblings died before becoming adults: his full sister Mildred died when she was about one,[20] his half-brother Butler died while an infant,[21] and his half-sister Jane died at the age of 12, when George was about 2.[20]George's father died when George was 11 years old, after which George's half-brother Lawrence became a surrogate father and role model. Dell Vostro 3450 CPU Fan William Fairfax, Lawrence's father-in-law and cousin of Virginia's largest landowner, Thomas, Lord Fairfax, was also a formative influence. Washington spent much of his boyhood at Ferry Farm in Stafford County near Fredericksburg. Lawrence Washington inherited another family property from his father, a plantation on the Potomac River which he named Mount Vernon, DELL XPS M170 CPU Fan in honor of his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon. George inherited Ferry Farm upon his father's death and eventually acquired Mount Vernon after Lawrence's death.[22] The death of his father prevented Washington from crossing the Atlantic to receive the rest of his education at England's Appleby School, as his older brothers had done. SONY Vaio VGN-SZ2XP/C CPU Fan He received the equivalent of an elementary school education from a variety of tutors,[23] and also a school run by an Anglican clergyman in or near Fredericksburg.[24] Talk of securing an appointment in the Royal Navy for him when he was 15 was dropped when his widowed mother objected.[ HP Pavilion dv6z-3100 CTO CPU Fan Thanks to Lawrence's connection to the powerful Fairfax family, at age 17 in 1749, Washington was appointed official surveyor for Culpeper County, a well-paid position which enabled him to purchase land in the Shenandoah Valley, the first of his many land acquisitions in western Virginia. HP KSB06105HA CPU Fan Thanks also to Lawrence's involvement in the Ohio Company, a land investment company funded by Virginia investors, and Lawrence's position as commander of the Virginia militia, Washington came to the notice of the new lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. Washington was hard to miss: At exactly six feet, he towered over most of his contemporariesSONY Vaio VPC-EB2S1E/WI CPU Fan In 1751, Washington travelled to Barbados with Lawrence, who was suffering from tuberculosis, with the hope that the climate would be beneficial to Lawrence's health. Washington contracted smallpox during the trip, which left his face slightly scarred, but immunized him against future exposures to the dreaded disease.[  Dell Vostro 3500 CPU Fan Lawrence's health did not improve; he returned to Mount Vernon, where he died in 1752.[28] Lawrence's position as Adjutant General (militia leader) of Virginia was divided into four offices after his death. Washington was appointed by Governor Dinwiddie as one of the four district adjutants in February 1753, with the rank of major in the Virginia militia.[ ASUS BFB0705HA CPU Fan Washington also joined the Freemasons fraternal association in Fredericksburg at this time.[30] The Ohio Company was an important vehicle through which British investors planned to expand into the Ohio Valley, opening new settlements and trading posts for the Indian trade In 1753, the French themselves began expanding their military control into the Ohio Country, HP Pavilion dv6720er CPU Fan a territory already claimed by the British colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania. These competing claims led to a war in the colonies called the French and Indian War (1754–62), and contributed to the start of the global Seven Years' War (1756–63). By chance, Washington became involved in its beginning. HP KSB06105HA CPU Fan Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia, was ordered by the British government to guard the British territorial claims including the Ohio River basin. In late 1753 Washington was ordered by Dinwiddie to deliver a letter asking the French to vacate the Ohio Valley;[31] DELL Inspiron 1720 laptop keyboard he was eager to prove himself as the new adjutant general of the militia, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor himself only a year before. During his trip Washington met with Tanacharison (also called "Half-King") and other Iroquois chiefs allied with England at Logstown to secure their support in case of a military conflict with the French; TOSHIBA Satellite A300-1BZ laptop keyboard Washington and Tanacharison became friends. Washington delivered the letter to the local French commander Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, who politely refused to leave.[32] Washington kept a diary during his expedition which was printed by William Hunter on Dinwiddie's order and which made Washington's name recognizable in Virginia.HP COMPAQ NC6120 laptop keyboard This increased notoriety helped him to obtain a commission to raise a company of 100 men and start his military career.[34] Dinwiddie sent Washington back to the Ohio Country to protect an Ohio Company's crew constructing a fort at present-dayPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, before he reached the area, a French force drove out colonial traders and began construction of Fort Duquesne. FUJITSU Lifebook S7110 laptop keyboard A small detachment of French troops led by Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, was discovered by Tanacharison and a few warriors east of present-day Uniontown, Pennsylvania. On May 28, 1754 Washington and some of his militia unit, aided by their Mingoallies, ambushed the French in what has come to be called the Battle of Jumonville Glen. DELL Inspiron 1564 laptop keyboard Exactly what happened during and after the battle is a matter of some controversy, but a few primary accounts agree that the battle lasted about 15 minutes, that Jumonville was killed, and that most of his party were either killed or taken prisoner. Whether Jumonville died at the hands of Tanacharison in cold blood or was somehow shot by an onlooker with a musket as he sat with Washington or by another means, is not completely clear.  Lenovo 45N2205 laptop keyboard The French responded by attacking and capturing Washington at Fort Necessity in July 1754.[37] However, he was allowed to return with his troops to Virginia. Historian Joseph Ellis concludes that the episode demonstrated Washington's bravery, initiative, inexperience and impetuosity.[38] These events had international consequences; SAMSUNG NP-N102-JA01DX laptop keyboard the French accused Washington of assassinating Jumonville, who they claimed was on a diplomatic mission.[38] Both France and Great Britain were ready to fight for control of the region and both sent troops to North America in 1755; war was formally declared in 1756.[39] Braddock disaster 1755  SONY VAIO VGN-NW50JB laptop keyboard In 1755, Washington was the senior American aide to British General Edward Braddock on the ill-fated Braddock expedition. This was the largest British expedition to the colonies, and was intended to expel the French from the Ohio Country. The French and their Indian allies ambushed Braddock, who was mortally wounded in the Battle of the Monongahela. SONY VAIO VGN-CR36G laptop keyboard After suffering devastating casualties, the British retreated in disarray; however, Washington rode back and forth across the battlefield, rallying the remnants of the British and Virginian forces to an organized retreat. COMPAQ Presario CQ40-133TU laptop keyboard Governor Dinwiddie rewarded Washington in 1755 with a commission as "Colonel of the Virginia Regiment and Commander in Chief of all forces now raised in the defense of His Majesty's Colony" and gave him the task of defending Virginia's frontier. The Virginia Regiment was the first full-time American military unit in the colonies (as opposed to part-time militias and the British regular units).  HP Pavilion DV7-3173nr laptop keyboard Washington was ordered to "act defensively or offensively" as he thought best.[41] In command of a thousand soldiers, Washington was a disciplinarian who emphasized training. He led his men in brutal campaigns against the Indians in the west; in 10 months units of his regiment fought 20 battles, and lost a third of its men. DELL 9Z.N1K82.C01 laptop keyboard Washington's strenuous efforts meant that Virginia's frontier population suffered less than that of other colonies; Ellis concludes "it was his only unqualified success" in the war.[42][43] In 1758, Washington participated in the Forbes Expedition to capture Fort Duquesne. SONY 148084122 laptop keyboard He was embarrassed by a friendly fire episode in which his unit and another British unit thought the other was the French enemy and opened fire, with 14 dead and 26 wounded in the mishap. Washington was not involved in any other major fighting on the expedition, and the British scored a major strategic victory, gaining control of the Ohio Valley, SAMSUNG NP-Q320-FS01UK laptop keyboard when the French abandoned the fort. Following the expedition, he retired from his Virginia Regiment commission in December 1758. Washington did not return to military life until the outbreak of the revolution in 1775.[44] Lessons learned SONY VAIO VGN-N38Z/W laptop keyboard Although Washington never gained the commission in the British army he yearned for, in these years the young man gained valuable military, political, and leadership skills.[45][46] He closely observed British military tactics, gaining a keen insight into their strengths and weaknesses that proved invaluable during the Revolution.  ACER MP-04653U4-698 Laptop Keyboard He demonstrated his toughness and courage in the most difficult situations, including disasters and retreats. He developed a command presence—given his size, strength, stamina, and bravery in battle, he appeared to soldiers to be a natural leader and they followed him without question.[  IBM ThinkPad T42 2375 Laptop Keyboard Washington learned to organize, train, drill, and discipline his companies and regiments. From his observations, readings and conversations with professional officers, he learned the basics of battlefield tactics, as well as a good understanding of problems of organization and logistics.[49] He gained an understanding of overall strategy, especially in locating strategic geographical points.[50] GATEWAY MT6919 Laptop Keyboard Historian Ron Chernow is of the opinion that his frustrations in dealing with government officials during this conflict led him to advocate the advantages of a strong national government and a vigorous executive agency that could get results;[45] other historians tend to ascribe Washington's position on government to his later American Revolutionary War service.[  COMPAQ Presario CQ45-208TU Laptop Keyboard He developed a very negative idea of the value of militia, who seemed too unreliable, too undisciplined, and too short-term compared to regulars.[51] On the other hand, his experience was limited to command of at most 1000 men, and came only in remote frontier conditions that were far removed from the urban situations he faced during the Revolution at Boston, New York, Trenton and Philadelphia.[52] Lenovo 3000 Y500 Laptop Keyboard On January 6, 1759, Washington married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis, then 28 years old. Surviving letters suggest that he may have been in love at the time with Sally Fairfax, the wife of a friend.[53] Nevertheless, George and Martha made a compatible marriage, because Martha was intelligent, gracious, and experienced in managing a planter's estate.[54]  HP Mini 110-3105tu Laptop Keyboard Together the two raised her two children from her previous marriage, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis; later the Washingtons raised two of Mrs. Washington's grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis. George and Martha never had any children together – his earlier bout with smallpox in 1751 may have made him sterile. Lenovo 45N2106 Laptop Keyboard The newlywed couple moved to Mount Vernon, near Alexandria, where he took up the life of a planter and political figure. Washington's marriage to Martha greatly increased his property holdings and social standing, and made him one of Virginia's wealthiest men.  TOSHIBA Mini NB 505-SP0160 Laptop Keyboard He acquired one-third of the 18,000-acre (73 km2) Custis estate upon his marriage, worth approximately $100,000, and managed the remainder on behalf of Martha's children, for whom he sincerely cared.In 1754, Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie had promised land bounties to the soldiers and officers who volunteered to serve during the French and Indian War. HP Pavilion dv4-1030ee Laptop Keyboard Lord Botetourt, the new governor, finally fulfilled Dinwiddie's promise in 1769–1770,[58][59] with Washington subsequently receiving title to 23,200 acres (94 km2) near where the Kanawha River flows into the Ohio River, in what is now western West Virginia.[60] He also frequently bought additional land in his own name. HP COMPAQ NX6310 Laptop Keyboard By 1775, Washington had doubled the size of Mount Vernon to 6,500 acres (26 km2), and had increased its slave population to over 100. As a respected military hero and large landowner, he held local office and was elected to the Virginia provincial legislature, the House of Burgesses, beginning in 1758.[61] HP AELX6U00210 Laptop Keyboard Washington lived an aristocratic lifestyle—fox hunting was a favorite leisure activity.He also enjoyed going to dances and parties, in addition to the theater, races, and cockfights. Washington also was known to play cards, backgammon, andbilliards. Like most Virginia planters, he imported luxuries and other goods from England and paid for them by exporting his tobacco crop. HP Probook 4520S Laptop Keyboard