George Washington faced a number of challenges in his youth. He was just eleven years old when his beloved father passed away, and in the following years he and his large family would move around from place to place, making it difficult for young George to settle down in any one place.

Although George's father Augustine was a prosperous farmer and plantation owner, George himself never received any of his father's money or property. Under the custom known as primogeniture, Augustine's eldest son Lawrence received the lion's share of his estate. The remainder passed to George's mother Mary, who used it to help raise George and the other children.

The death of his father disrupted Mary's plans for George's education. She had originally wanted to send George to England, where he would receive the education of a gentleman. However, in the wake of Augustine's death this was no longer feasible and so it was decided that George would now be schooled in the colonies.