‘Subject’
History 2010 - George Washington
Few leaders in history have managed to be as successful in the roles of both a military leader and political leader like Washington. George Washington’s leadership both in military and in politics was basically rooted in the same principles – patriotism, energy, courage, temperament and highest moral character. A man of many facets, George Washington was not just a war hero but a person who was able to successfully make the transition from a military leader to a politician and ably lead the newly born nation he brought into being.
George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732 to Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington on the family estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Born into a wealthy family, Washington grew up with six siblings. His father died when he was eleven, and his half-brother Lawrence became sort of a surrogate father to him. Because of his father’s demise, he could not travel across the Atlantic to receive education in England like his brothers, and received his education from various private tutors and in schools near Fredericksburg, VA.
He was appointed to his first public office in the year 1749, when he was made the surveyor of the newly created county of Culpeper. When Lawrence died, he took over his duties as adjutant of the colony, and as a part of his duty, Major Washington provided training to the militia assigned to him. He gained notoriety when he volunteered to carry a message to the French advancing into the Ohio territory on 1755, during the French and Indian war.
He carried a message from Gov. Robert Dinwiddie warning the French to quit the territory claimed by the British. However, the French planned a further advance and Washington hastened back to Virginia and warned Dinwiddie about the plans of the French. Dinwiddie made Washington a lieutenant colonel, and under his leadership, some 400 men marched towards a post at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.
However, the French had already captured the post before Washington’s men could reach there and Washington retreated to the Great Meadows. He won his first victory as a military commander when he surprised a small group of French troops. However, the French retaliated back when they overwhelmed Washington’s troops with a large army and Washington surrendered on July 3, 1754 and returned to Virginia. These battles, during the end of the French and Indian wars, marked the beginning of Washington’s military career.
After that debacle, he was made the commander in chief of the Virginia regiment in the year 1755. He married Martha Dandridge Custis, a rich young widow, in 1759. He became one of the main voices of Virginia in opposition to the British colonial polices and served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, during 1774-75.
After the revolution broke out, Washington was named commander-in-chief of the continental forces, mainly through the efforts of John Adams. He took command at July 3 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, an army consisting of poorly equipped and untrained soldiers managed by insubordinate officers. The war lasted for six grueling years and in the end, with the aid of France, the war ended with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Historians’ account of the revolutionary war brims with colorful information about the delicacy of Washington's military maneuver and his war tactics. He realized early in the war, that harassing the British is the best strategy and reported to Congress, “we should on all Occasions avoid a general Action, or put anything to the Risque, unless compelled by a necessity, into which we ought never to be drawn.”
The War was not without serious setbacks. In general, Washington suffered many setbacks in his military career. Many battles, in which Washington lead or was a part of, like the Battles of Fort Necessity, Long Island, White Plains, Fort Washington, and Germantown, ended in defeat. However, Washington’s ability to accept defeat and learn from it, rally the men around him, instill morale in the army and his administrative skills distinguished him as a leader. Washington won the revolution not only by his own triumphs but also by his skill in directing other operations.
This skill of delegating tasks and getting the best out of others proved handy for him, during his presidential days. According to Joseph J. Ellis, compared with Washington, Benjamin Franklin was wiser, Alexander Hamilton more Brilliant, Thomas Jefferson had more intellectual prowess, and James Madison was politically more astute. But all of them unanimously accepted Washington as their leader, which shows the respect he commanded among his contemporaries and his ability to extract the best out of people – be it soldiers or fellow politicians.
After retiring from command, he went back to Mount Vernon and tried to return to his private life. Yet, the difficulties of establishing a new nation drew him back. His sense of duty to the nation, which made him command the continental army, is the same reason why Washington returned to politics. He sensed that division among the various states might destroy the national liberty and he decided to join the constitutional convention in 1789.
During the years between revolution and the commencement of presidency, Washington was content to be a farmer and behind the scenes political figure and his entry into politics was reluctant and forced. He played a quiet but vital role, when he chaired the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The document demanded battles and compromises between the federalists and anti-federalists, and Washington’s leadership skills and the respect he commanded played a huge role in drafting the constitution.
When Washington took office, the United States was a small nation consisting of 11 states and there was no precedent as to how the President should conduct himself. Knowing that his actions will set the precedent for his successors, Washington conducted himself with prudence, integrity, dignity and fairness. Both during his military tenure and Presidency, Washington followed a simple and straightforward policy – lead by example.
Washington was a man of vision and worked towards long term goals. He was the only prominent founding father to arrange for manumission for his slaves in his will. He opposed slavery privately, and did not openly come out in opposition of the slavery institution only because he feared it might cause a divide in the newly formed republic. In a letter he wrote to Robert Morris in 1786, he says, "There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery."
After his term as President, Washington retired to his farm and helped his successors whenever they sought his assistance. Aptly termed as the ‘Father of His Country,’ Washington’s life is one of selflessness and utmost devotion to his country. The following comment, which Abigail Adams made to her husband John Adams, sums up the character of George Washington - "the gentleman and the soldier look agreeably blended in him.”
Works Cited
Columbia University Press. "George Washington." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2014): 1-3. Web. <www.ebscohost.com>.
Ellis, Joseph J. His Excellency: George Washington. Plymouth, Vermont: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2004. Print.
Harvey, Robert. A Few Bloody Noses. London: Hachette UK, 2013. Print.
Larson, Edward J. "THE RETURN OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 1783-1789." Kirkus Reviews. 82 1(6) (2014): 136. Web. <Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA>.
Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. George Washington- Key facts. 2015. Web. <http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/key-facts/>. 18 April 2015.
The Whitehouse. George Washington. 2015. web. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/georgewashington>. 18 April 2015.
Washington, George. The papers of George Washington. 1786. Web. <http://web.archive.org/web/20060503040039/http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/project/volumes/confederation/essay4.html>. 18 April 2015.
www.history.com. George Washington. 2015. web. <http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-washington>. 18 April 2015.
