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Oct 31, 2023 · The iron-willed and determined young woman was brought to the Court of Castile when she was in her early teenage years so that her father could keep an eye on her.
- Isabella I of Castile was best known for her love and passion of her kingdom and improving Castile through the Reconquista and the voyages of Chris...
- Isabella I of Castile was a queen who loved her kingdom and would do anything for it, and this was recognized by the people of Castile. To this day...
- She was not a warrior and Isabella I of Castile actually let her husband deal with military responsibilities, with the exception of the Reconquista...
In April 1832, Black Hawk and about a thousand Sauk and Fox, including women and children, crossed to their former lands on the east bank of the Mississippi to plant crops and reclaim their ...
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- HISTORY Vault: George Washington
In the drama of her son’s life, Mary Ball Washington has been cast as a villain and a saint—or written out entirely. In reality, she was an independent woman at a time when few others were.
Here are some of the ways Mary Ball Washington, George Washington’s mother, has been described by historians: Crude. Greedy. Illiterate. Self-centered. Slovenly. A Loyalist. An especially ruthless slave-owner. An impediment to her son’s success.
Alternatively, she has been described as a saint, a perfect Christian mother who raised a perfect son.
In reality, none of these things are true. “She has been the object of both meaningless praise and more often antagonism from writers who dreamed of a different mother for their hero George,” historian Martha Saxton writes in The Widow Washington, a biography of our first president’s deeply misunderstood mother.
George Washington
Mary Ball Washington was neither a villain nor a saint—but rather an exceptionally strong and resilient woman, a single mother who raised five children and instilled in them qualities of fortitude and purpose. She was independent in ways few other women were at the time, choosing not to remarry after her husband Augustine’s death and refusing to give up her property.
This three-part special series brings to life America's founding father, whose name is known to all, but whose epic story is understood by few.
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Despite her modest means, she did the best she could to provide her children with an improvised education. Although she could barely afford it, she loaned George money for dancing lessons, which she knew were essential for entrance into elite Virginia society. (He ended up paying her back.) Mary loved tea, and she trained all her children in the genteel art of tea serving and drinking, something George would carry with him his whole life. In letters he sent his mother throughout his adolescence, George often addressed her as “Honourd Madam,” which some interpret as a lack of affection. Rather, it speaks to the respect and courtesy she instilled in him.
George moved out in the late 1740s, first to become a land surveyor and then to join the Virginia militia. As the years went on and her children grew up or died, money became increasingly tight for Mary. Even with enslaved workers, the expenses of running a farm were manifold. Money soon became a contentious issue between her and her oldest son. For the rest of her life, she would occasionally write to him asking for small sums of money.
“It is too much while I am suffering in every other way (and hardly able to keep my own estate from sale) to be saddled with all the expenses of hers,” George complained in a letter to his brother at one point. Historians point to this as evidence of Mary’s avarice or ineptitude, ignoring that George was famously penny-pinching, even though he was worth an estimated $525 million in today’s dollars. Additionally, the way Virginia inheritance laws were structured, after a father’s death, land was supposed to transfer to the oldest son—and George likely resented that his mother refused to relinquish control of the family property.
A young George Washington as he listens to his mother, Mary Ball Washington.
Sep 23, 2024 · As the reader learns more about Sethe’s childhood, separated from her mother and taken care of by other young children, one can understand how she comes to see the world as harsh and unforgiving. “Iron” brings up connotations of toughness, strength, and unbreakability, but also dullness, emptiness, and imprisonment.
Aug 22, 2023 · The idiom "an iron will" is a figurative expression that compares someone's determination or resolve to the metal iron. Iron is known for its hardness, strength, and durability. This means someone with an iron will is determined to do something or achieve a goal, even if they encounter difficulties.
Sep 14, 2021 · Strong-willed children are natural leaders, highly empathetic, and intelligent. In generations past (and before the research on temperament and personality became more mainstream) strong-willed children were often referred to as a ‘willful child’, defiant, spoiled, or naughty.
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