![]() His plantation had suffered greatly during his absence and the war. With independence secured in 1783 by a peace treaty with Britain, Washington appeared before Congress and publicly resigned his military position, returning to Mount Vernon a private citizen of the new nation. Though his army was inexperienced, often outnumbered, and poorly supplied, Washington was able to avoid defeat, wear down the British forces, and eventually achieve victory. He served for the eight and a half years of the Revolution without pay. Yet he was among the first to raise the possibility of armed resistance and accepted command of the Continental Army. He had achieved both wealth and fame as a British subject in colonial Virginia. Washington had nothing to gain from the American Revolution, at least in a material sense. He also established himself as a successful tobacco planter at the family plantation, Mount Vernon, married Martha Dandridge Custis, and won election to the Virginia House of Burgesses. As a soldier he demonstrated enough courage and decisiveness to become the commander of the Virginia troops that defended the state's western frontier during the French and Indian War. He became a professional surveyor in his late teens but soon thereafter turned to military service as a way to realize his ambitions. His father's early death interrupted George's formal education. George Washington (1732–1799) was born and grew up in rural Virginia, at a time when it was a royal colony with British traditions of government by aristocracy and an economy based on growing and exporting tobacco. When you have completed this lesson, you will be able to evaluate, take, and defend a position on the contributions of the "Father of His Country" to the nation's traditions of constitutional government and citizenship. His career as soldier, revolutionary, constitution-maker, and chief executive of a new nation demanded a range of skills and talents with few precedents in history. Through his achievements as commander-in-chief during the Revolution, in support of the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and as first president, Washington was instrumental in transforming the ideals of the Revolution into reality. ![]() This lesson looks at the legacy of George Washington, perhaps the most influential leader in the creation of the American nation. Your donation or purchase will support civic education throughout the United States. You can help us continue to provide free lessons like this one! Donate to support the Center or purchase a pocket Constitution or an ebook. The competitive hearings for 1998–1999 included questions on Washington's place in the nation's constitutional legacy. To this end, the Center for Civic Education collaborated with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association to produce this supplement to We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution. A Note to Teachers The 200th anniversary of George Washington's death in 1799 provided an appropriate opportunity to examine George Washington's contributions to American constitutionalism and citizenship.
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