True or False: George Washington was born in England?

While his family roots were indeed in England, George Washington himself was a native of colonial America. He was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His birthplace, a plantation on Popes Creek, was part of a continent that was then under British rule, but it was geographically very much separate from England. By the time of his birth, the Washington family had been established in Virginia for several generations.

The journey of the Washington family to America began with George's great-grandfather, John Washington, who emigrated from England in 1657. This means that George Washington was a third-generation Virginian. Both his father, Augustine, and his paternal grandfather, Lawrence, were born in Virginia. His mother, Mary Ball Washington, also came from a family of English descent that was well-established in the colony.

Unlike some of his older half-brothers who received their formal education in England, Washington's upbringing was entirely Virginian. The death of his father when he was just eleven years old meant he did not get the opportunity to study abroad. Instead, he received a practical education in his home colony, learning skills like mathematics and land surveying, which would prove crucial in his early career. His life and identity were shaped by the culture and landscape of Virginia, not the English homeland of his ancestors.