George Washington, known as the “victorious general” of the American Revolution, was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1732  to Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington (The Washington Family). In his childhood, he lived on the ferry farm, and his farm had many enslaved people. Washington’s father died when he was 11 years old, and as a result, Washington inherited his slaves (George Washington).  Washington never received any formal education and helped his mother around the farm. At 17, he secured a spot as a surveyor in Culpeper County (George Washington). He lived a very reserved childhood and didn’t have the outside exposure that most would have expected from such a great man.

After his years in the military, he decided to enter politics. He started out in the House of Burgesses after running unsuccessfully for office. In the 1760s, Washington backed many non-importation efforts, urging the people of Virginia to boycott British goods (George Washington). As he had a good and modest start, the house acted as a training ground for him and the others. In this, he was able to refine his legislative philosophy and was able to gain influence, which we will see how that helps in the future.  In 1774, his legislative record laid down the framework for his selection to the Continental Congress, where his stance was a voice of measured yet firm opposition to the British issues(George Washington, 1732-1799). In 1775, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army 1775 after being elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774. In eight years, he guided colonies to many victories and resigned once again in 1783, stating that it was the greatest act of his life.

After retiring, George Washington decided to rejoin his political journey because of the growing concern about the weakness of the Articles of Confederation in 1786; it was getting even worse after Shay’s Rebellion. In 1787, He was called back to Virginia to serve as a delegate to the constitutional convention. The delegates crafted a constitution that was meant to create a strong central government(Constitutional Convention and Ratification, 1787–1789). He was a very important part to the convention because many of the conversations were tense and when people weren’t reaching a conclusion he was able make people compromise in a way it would benefit the U.S. He also made sure that he was not biased and made sure that the others would not sway due to someone else's interests (Presiding over the convention: The indispensable man). Because of his large contribution and his past efforts, and his popularity, he was elected as president of the U.S and contributed greatly to the lives of civilians.