Washington's Legacy

Throughout his presidency, he advocated for the establishment of a national university to promote these goals, and he privately gave money to support the establishment of schools throughout the country.

Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness

–George Washington, First Annual Address to Congress, January 8, 1790

In his will, Washington set up a trust for the Alexandria Academy specifically to support the education of orphans, and an endowment for the establishment of a national university, which would prepare the youth of America to maintain the “true and genuine liberties” of the United States. The university project was never realized, but in honor of his vision, Columbian University in D.C. was renamed George Washington University in 1904.

Over the last 200 years, more than 10,000 books have been written about Washington, inspiring readers of all ages much as the biographies of ancient and European leaders once inspired Washington. Some of the works written about him incorporated more fiction than facts about his life.