George Washington

Abstract

As a soldier and statesman in the formative years of the American republic, George Washington provided leadership in a time of bitter conflict by embodying the basic values espoused by his countrymen: patriotism, honesty, integrity and the democratic process. With his total commitment to these values - as well as disciplined leadership on the battlefield against overwhelming odds - he was the universal choice to lead the colonies’ army, head its Constitutional Convention, and win a remarkable unanimity of electoral votes on two occasions as the country’s President. As Douglas Southall Freeman puts it, ‘in nothing transcendent … he [became] a moral rallying point, the embodiment of the purpose, patience and determination necessary for the triumph of the revolutionary cause.’ (Freeman, 1968, 264).