George Washington :: essays research papers

Find in this articlePrint articleSend us feedback more than Media (11 items)Article OutlineIntroduction, Early Life, Early Career, General of the Continental Army, Return Home, President of the United States, Second Term as President, Last Years I. IntroductionPrint sectionWashington, George (1732-1799), first president of the United States (1789-1797) and one of the most important leaders in United States history. His role in gaining independence for the American colonies and later in unifying them under the new U.S. federal government cannot be overestimated. Laboring against great difficulties, he created the Continental Army, which fought and won the American Revolution (1775-1783), out of what was unretentive more than an armed mob. After an eight-year struggle, his design for mastery brought final defeat to the British at Yorktown, Virginia, and forced Great Britain to grant independence to its overseas possession.With victory won, Washington was the most revered man in the United States. Advertisement A lesser person might have used this power to give way a military dictatorship or to become king. Washington sternly suppressed all such attempts on his behalf by his officers and continued to obey the faint and divided Continental Congress. However, he never ceased to work for the union of the states under a strong central government. He was a leading influence in persuading the states to participate in the Constitutional Convention, over which he presided, and he used his immense prestige to help gain ratification of its product, the Constitution of the United States.Although gaunt out by years of service to his country, Washington reluctantly accepted the presidency of the United States. Probably no other man could have succeeded in welding the states into a lasting union. Washington fully understood the significance of his presidency. I walk on untrodden ground, he said. There is scarcely any(prenominal) part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.