George Washington - a Great Leader

George Washington – A Great Leader

The leader I chose to write about is George Washington. He stands in history as one of the greatest leaders of all time. How many leaders could have pulled off what General George Washington did in the American Revolution? Under Washington's leadership, the ill-equipped and typically outnumbered Continental Army endured countless hardships and many disappointments and yet it came out on top! In addition, Washington helped navigate the infant United States through its most formative years, refusing opportunities for dictatorship, championing civilian authority over the armed forces, presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and serving as the nation's first President of the United States. There's never been an American leader quite like George Washington.

Washington's record of military leadership began in the French and Indian War, a conflict he helped ignite. His leadership qualities included: toughness, persistence, bravery, and organization. By the time of the American Revolution, George Washington was widely respected as a proven soldier, charismatic leader, and accomplished military expert. In spite of his actual record as a battlefield commander Washington was the perfect choice for command of the Continental Army. In the course of the American Revolution, Washington's qualities of personal bravery, toughness, and organization shone through, as did his mixed record in actual battlefield command. He maintained a firm grasp on the overall strategic situation and achieved success.

As the war entered its final years, Washington dealt with enormous fatigue in the ranks of his army. His troops were underpaid and poorly supplied which took a toll in their morale, creating dangerous situations of unrest. Washington's charismatic presence, moral strength, and political maneuvering kept the Continental Army from rebelling against the weak civilian government and the Revolution declining into civil unrest. After the war,...