George Washington was the very first president of the United States (1789 — 1797) and is regarded as a national hero even to this day. Born into an aristocratic Virginia plantation family, he commanded the Virginia Militia in the Anglo-French Wars over control of the Ohio region (1753 — 1758). Later, he was made Commander-in-Chief of the newly formed American army in the war to gain independence from England. He distinguished himself by developing a loyal and well-trained fighting army from just a rag-tag group of men armed with rifles. He was not a man prone to making spontaneous decisions, but he pursued his belief in victory with dogged determination and unshakeable conviction. In spite of numerous defeats, he persevered courageously until, with the help of France, a victorious conclusion to the war was made possible. 

After relinquishing command of his army, George Washington headed the Constitutional Congress in 1787 in Philadelphia. The Constitution of the United States was drafted here and George Washington unanimously elected as the country’s first president. Under his direction, financial and administrative affairs of state were put into their proper order. 

In the conflict between revolutionary France and monarchial England, America remained strictly neutral. The USA organized itself into a federation of states. George Washington is acknowledged as the founder of American independence and as a result, is the most honored and revered statesman in America.

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