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How Did George Washington's Loyalties Lie In Patriotism

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Where Loyalties Lie in Patriotism History started taking serious notes on February 22, 1732: the birth day of George Washington. Ever since his birth, many questions regarding Washington’s life arose. For example, why did English-raised George Washington want independence from England? Why, after all the years of English service in the military, did Washington decide to become an American Patriot? Although George Washington was raised Loyal to England; bad experiences in the English military created resentment towards Mother England, and therefore was willing to fight for independence when he realized that England was too controlling. Before analyzing the change in Washington’s beliefs, we must first examine his childhood; the root of his loyalty to England. George Washington came from impeccable English descent, which had been settled in Westmoreland County, VA by the Potomac River, for three generations. His father and grandfather, John and Augustus, were members of elite self-governing and practicing representative rule in the English Parliament tradition for years. Needless to say, George was …show more content…

On a frequent basis, his Virginia Regiment was mistaken for a mere Militia Unit. Given how hard he worked to train the yeoman farmers into an elite army, he had a right to be upset (Adler, 2004). Also, he wasn’t paid that of a British Regular, even though he was doing the same, if not more, work than they were assigned. Washington said, “We can’t conceive that because we are Americans we should be deprived of the Benefits Common to British Subjects” (Meaning that now, Britain thought of the colonies as a lower class, not of people of equal status. In Washington’s eyes, this was not fair; he was being taken advantage of and not being appreciated. At this point, resentment started building towards Great

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