George Washington's
Rules of Civility
George Washington (1732-1799)
Holograph manuscript,
ca. 1753
Page 2 - Page
3
Manuscript Division
State Department transfer, 1904
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A youthful George Washington copied out these 110 simple "Rules
of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation" as
a school training exercise. This code of conduct is a simplified
version of Francis Hawkins' Youths Behavior, or Decency in Conversation
Amongst Men, which was based on a sixteenth-century set of rules
compiled for young gentlemen by Jesuit instructors. Washington's
handwriting, grammar, and spelling reflect his youth, and the
"Rules" reflect his strong desire to be a gentleman planter.
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