Written by Sue Tone

George Washington, speaking through reenactor Steven C. Monez, set the record straight about two rumors—no, he did not cut down a cherry tree as a boy, and no, he never had wooden false teeth. He was, however, appointed general in 1755 and led the nation to break away from its former government, Great Britain.

The famous painting by Emanuel Leutze of Washington crossing the Delaware River depicts one scene during the struggle for independence that took place Dec. 25, 1776.

“It took us five days to cross the Delaware because the men were out of clothes, they were out of supplies, out of food. A storm came up and the ice was heavy. We had camped along the river where the men read the 13 essays of Thomas Paine. That made them feel like they had a purpose—fighting for freedom,” Washington related.

On that day, the men marched toward Trenton through the bitter cold. Some of the men had no shoes. “You could see the blood stains in the snow,” he said.

Seven years later, the war officially ended in 1783 after 176 years under British rule. Three years later, the Continental Congress elected Washington as the nation’s first president. “We moved on to form a government. This was not easy. It was very new to me and I was not prepared,” Washington said.

Looking back from 250 years ago to today, Washington stressed the importance of loving one’s country and joining together. “When we fight for our freedom, we end up with a better country overall.”

Washington and his wife Martha rewrote their wills late in life to release—after their deaths—several hundred enslaved people from slavery into freedom.