George Washington's Achievements

Before ascending to the prestigious title of president, George had some governmental experience that prepared him for the office. However, most of the experience he gained was not through meetings or political roles, but rather through battle. After Lawrence’s death, he took over his position as the commander of a local Virginian militia, as well as surveying. “For five years, from 1754 to 1759, Washington spent the bulk of his time west of the Blue Ridge, leading a series of expeditions in the Ohio Country...” (Ellis 12). This was like training wheels for Washington. Later on he would command larger armies, but for the time being this role gave him an idea of who he wanted to be. He went through personal experiences that allowed him to discover

Washington, at the time, served as a British military envoy. Even though he had a hatred for Great Britain, his position made him work for them. He viewed it more as working for the colonies and not Great Britain themselves. He figured the faster he could get the French out of the land, he could get the British out as well. Under that mindset, George led a group of volunteers to spy on the French and collect information to give back to the British. He also gave a speech direct toward the French to leave. When they refused, he came up with the idea to build a fort to stop the advancement. Thus, came the poorly constructed building known as Fort Necessity. Along the way, Washington and his men came across a small French regiment and promptly attacked it. Once member that was killed was a French envoy delivering a message to the British. “Because one of the men killed was a French envoy delivering a message to the British, Washington had taken part in the killing of an ambassador, a serious violation of international protocol” (millercenter.org). Even though he was not the one to kill this man, he was still punished. After, he decided to resign from the military. Upset that the British government did not try to defend him, his hatred toward the British grew slightly

He accepted, and finally led a successful mission. Under his leadership, his troops captured Fort Duquesne. Again he resigned, and he settled into Mount Vernon with his wife, Martha. However by the mid 1760’s, colonial hatred toward Great Britain became widespread. The feeling that he had finally made an appearance throughout the colonies. When the seed of rebellion was finally planted, the call to fight became apparent. Washington was a huge supporter of the rebellion. “In 1774, the Virginia legislature voted him one of seven delegates to the First Continental Congress” (millercenter.org). Washington also attended the Second Continental Congress one year later. At this meeting, there was talk of appointing Washington as the commander of the army. Although he was rather insecure about his abilities, Congress unanimously voted him the commander of the Continental