Most important figure in American History Essay

Most important figure in American History - Essay Example "And it may be truly said, that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a man great" - Jefferson (Hawkinson, 2005: 243). Washington served in the American Revolutionary War as a commander in the Continental Army. He had been appointed in 1775 as Commander-in-Chief of the American revolutionary forces by the Continental Congress. The next year it was due to him that the British were driven out of Boston. He also failed New York City that same year plus went across the Delaware River in New Jersey. He astonished and defeated the enemy units. It was because of his tactics that the Revolutionary forces were able to capture the two major British combat armies at Saratoga and Yorktown. When the war was over Washington went back to his private life which prompted the surprised King George III to say, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world" (Higginbotham, 2001: 221). Washington presided over the Philadelphia Convention which was responsible for drafting the Constitution of America due to there being mutual discontent with the Articles of Confederation. This happened in 1787 and two years later he became the president of the country (Freidel, 1994). Following his presidency he set up several customs and a using of the novel government's executive department. Washington attempted at creating a country that would have the capability of surviving in a world that was going down due to the ongoing war between Britain and France. He was in favor of plans for building a powerful central government which could be done if funded through the national debt, if there was an implementation of an efficient tax mechanism, and also through the creation of a national bank. Instead of going for war, Washington peacefully negotiated with Britain through the Jay Treaty in 1795. Washington was in favor of the programs organized by the Federalist Party but never actua lly joined the group. Washington is a great figure in American history and is perceived to be the country's identification plus said to be republicanism with regard to his practices. The early American politicians admired Washington greatly. He was given the first award of Congressional Gold Medal with the Thanks of Congress. Washington expired in the year 1799. Several scholars have named him as one of the greatest Presidents of United States. Biography Washington was born in the February of 1732 (Leibiger, 2001). His father passed away when he was 11 and his half brother assumed the part of his father. Washington experienced a lot of protectiveness and demand from his mother who did not allow him to join the British navy as Lawrence, his brother, wanted. When Washington was 16 he went on to live with Lawrence on Mount Vernon. He had his schooling at Colonial Virginia but did not go to college. In 1749 Washington became the surveyor for Culpepper County, Virginia. This happened following a trek for Lord Fairfax. From 1752 till 1758 he was in the military after which the Virginia House of Burgesses elected him. His speeches were in opposition to Britain's policies. Then he even became a leader in the Association. From 1775-1783 Washington led the Continental Army during the American Revolution after which, in 1787, he was made the president of the Constitutional Convention. Although