(1) Everyone should know who George Washington is. He was the first president of the United States and one of the country’s Founding Fathers. He was a hero of the American Revolution. All of these facts should be common knowledge. But, what many people don’t know is that before George Washington fought against the British, he fought as a soldier for the British.
(2) George Washington was born in Virginia, in 1732. That made him a British citizen since Virginia was a British colony in 1732. By 1776, Great Britain and its American colonies were engaged in a fierce war. American colonists wanted to become a separate country, but Great Britain did not want to lose part of its empire. Eventually, the colonies won the war and gained their freedom. General Washington led the colonial army to victory.
(3) The United States did not elect its first president until 1789. It was George Washington. He had defeated the British army, and he had become the first president of a brand new nation. Washington served two terms as president. After eight years, Washington refused to run for a third term. He returned to Virginia and a peaceful life.
(4) By the 1760’s, there was a lot of tension between Great Britain and its American colonies, although before that, the relationship was much better. In 1754, war broke out in the colonies, between the French and the British. Washington was chosen to lead the Virginia militia. He was not actually part of the British Army, but he fought alongside the British Army. After the war, he even tried to join the British Army. He was turned down. Twenty years later, he would lead soldiers against that same British Army.
(5) Of course George Washington was a great patriot. He was one of the first great American patriots. The American colonists knew that. That’s why they chose George Washington to lead them in war, and to govern in peacetime. He did both jobs very well. Many people might not consider that he was a loyal British citizen before he was an American general or an American president.
