ABSTRACT
George Washington was a Virginia militia leader and small plantation owner who led the Continental Army of the United States during the eight year revolutionary war against Great Britain. After the war, he emerged the hero of the revolution and was elected the fi rst president of the United States. He served two terms as president and endured controversy, criticism, conspiracy, and threats of further war. During his presidency he led the new country from being a great political experiment in the ability of a people to govern themselves without an aristocracy, to a republic with established institutions that took its place in the world of nations. For his contributions to his country during its tumultuous formative years, Washington is often referred to in the United States as “the father of our country.”
