Before our states became unified under one Constitution, there were colonies, and the British Parliament. When tyranny took its toll on the colonists, a revolution for the people began, called the American Revolution. If this revolution were to fail, America would never see independence from Britain. Many contributions to the revolution allowed it to succeed, including Britain’s trouble fighting a war from thousands of miles away, and the colonist determination, to win. Important figures lead the colonists through tough times, and our independence was born at last. Although if a few people made different decisions, none of this would ever happen. These decisions lay enough importance to impact the entire outcome of the colonists’ final rebellion
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Four distinct phases throughout the war justify each decision Washington made (Zabecki). The first phase was when grievances were given to the British. During this phase, the British control within the colonies were weak, calling for aggressiveness before the British Army gained reinforcement. Washington saw the opportunity and attacked the British. This paid off in the Siege of Boston, proving Washington’s aggressive tactics worked. The second phase started once the Declaration of Independence was drafted. This established that the war had to defend their independence, requiring caution from the army. General Washington understood that establishing independence needed cautious tactics. While writing to the Second Continental Congress in September 8th, 1776, he says “...on our side the war should be defensive...It has even been called a war of posts...we should on all occasions avoid general action...we should protract the war if possible.” This outlined his key concepts throughout the second phase (Zabecki). Even though Washington was a self-taught general, he was able to learn from the mistakes he made throughout the war, such as defending New York City with his whole army, which led to his defeat. This characteristic to learn from mistakes kept Washington’s army alive and made him an able general. The third phase of the war begins …show more content…
He was an icon amongst the people and represented American values giving him the support of the public, and politicians. He set many precedents throughout his two term presidency, such as salary, the title “President,” social life of the President, but more importantly the precedent of the amount of terms served (Stockwell). This was one of Washington’s most important impacts on the United States. The idea that there can only be two terms, which was officially ratified in 1951 as an amendment but mainly followed before that, truly limited the President’s ability to turn the democracy into a tyrannical monarchy. Many military leaders took advantage of a revolution, and seized political power. Leaders like Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and even Muammar Gaddafi (Mount Vernon) have all been known for seizing power after a revolution. Washington’s resignation after his second term proved to the world that America would be founded on new ideas, and different principles. Even King George III said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” (Mount Vernon). Ultimately, George Washington’s humbleness, and his ability to resign his presidency leads to our nation being led the way it is to this day. Most other men would continue his presidency until voted out of office, setting the precedent of there being no limit on terms. This could have caused
Four distinct phases throughout the war justify each decision Washington made (Zabecki). The first phase was when grievances were given to the British. During this phase, the British control within the colonies were weak, calling for aggressiveness before the British Army gained reinforcement. Washington saw the opportunity and attacked the British. This paid off in the Siege of Boston, proving Washington’s aggressive tactics worked. The second phase started once the Declaration of Independence was drafted. This established that the war had to defend their independence, requiring caution from the army. General Washington understood that establishing independence needed cautious tactics. While writing to the Second Continental Congress in September 8th, 1776, he says “...on our side the war should be defensive...It has even been called a war of posts...we should on all occasions avoid general action...we should protract the war if possible.” This outlined his key concepts throughout the second phase (Zabecki). Even though Washington was a self-taught general, he was able to learn from the mistakes he made throughout the war, such as defending New York City with his whole army, which led to his defeat. This characteristic to learn from mistakes kept Washington’s army alive and made him an able general. The third phase of the war begins …show more content…
He was an icon amongst the people and represented American values giving him the support of the public, and politicians. He set many precedents throughout his two term presidency, such as salary, the title “President,” social life of the President, but more importantly the precedent of the amount of terms served (Stockwell). This was one of Washington’s most important impacts on the United States. The idea that there can only be two terms, which was officially ratified in 1951 as an amendment but mainly followed before that, truly limited the President’s ability to turn the democracy into a tyrannical monarchy. Many military leaders took advantage of a revolution, and seized political power. Leaders like Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and even Muammar Gaddafi (Mount Vernon) have all been known for seizing power after a revolution. Washington’s resignation after his second term proved to the world that America would be founded on new ideas, and different principles. Even King George III said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” (Mount Vernon). Ultimately, George Washington’s humbleness, and his ability to resign his presidency leads to our nation being led the way it is to this day. Most other men would continue his presidency until voted out of office, setting the precedent of there being no limit on terms. This could have caused