George Washington: The 3 Ways He Changed History Forever

Born	February 22nd, 1732
Died	December 14th, 1799
Famous Quote	“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace”
Known For	Helping to fight in the French and Indian War, helping to win the American revolutionary war, serving as the first president of the United States
Region of World	United States, 18th century
Further Reading	Benjamin Franklin: 3 Reasons He Is Important To American History and The 3 Ways Cicero Influenced The Development of The U.S

Every couple centuries a person is born that forever changes history. In the mid 18th century an unlikely militia commander named George Washington was that person.

George Washington forever changed history in 3 major ways. First, George Washington played a major part in defending the British colonies during the seven years’ war. Second, George Washington became an international symbol of anti-colonial power after he helped the United States win independence for the British crown. Third, Washington set a precedent of returning power back to the American people by only serving two terms as the first U.S president.

It is because of these 3 reasons that George Washington is remembered today as one of the most influential 18th century people of all time. As a result of this influence, across the United States you can see images of George Washington on monuments, books, and even the U.S 1 dollar bill.

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Without further ado, here are the 3 ways that George Washington changed history forever.

George Washington Played A Major Part In Defending The British Colonies During The Seven Years’ War.

One of the main ways that George Washington forever changed history was by playing a major role in the 7 Years’ War also known as the French and Indian War.

The 7 Years’ War was in many ways the worlds first world war. It was fought between the British and French Empire during their peaks. This conflict stretched across northern Europe and North America.

George Washington was a young military commander at this time serving as an officer in the Virginia Militia. While serving in this militia George Washington would eventually distinguish himself as a good commander and also learn how to efficiently fight in the woods of North America.

Washington discovered that the typical European method of fighting a battle was ineffective in North America. Instead of lining up in long rows of infantry with cavalry flanking as a typical European army would do it was better to engage another military using small fast military groups.

After learning how to fight in the dense woods of North America George Washington would change history by improving the militia of Virginia’s military tactics. Washington is remembered for defending over 300 miles of colonial frontier against attacks from the French and their Indian allies. More importantly Washington created a professional fighting military force by increasing the militia size from 300 to 1,000 men while learning how ineffective the European style of fighting would be in North America.

Today George Washington is remembered for changing the course of history by learning how to effectively lead a military force through the woods of North America. This marks a turning point in military history, up until this point militaries still used late Medieval tactics, Washington introduced fast moving military tactics that he learned from fighting in the French and Indian War. Later on in his life this would prove vital when he would fight on the side of the colonists against the British Empire.

George Washington Became An International Symbol Of Independence After The American Revolution

One of the main ways that George Washington forever changed history was by playing a major role in helping the British colonies become independent from the British Crown.

This was called the War of American Independence. It took place from 1775 up through 1781. In this war George Washington would take the lessons he learned from the French and Indian War and apply them successfully against the British.

The British Empire had the largest military during the 18th century. However, this military was trained to fight in the open fields of Europe instead of the densely wooded lands of North America. British infantry, artillery, and cavalry had trouble maneuvering properly.

The forces under George Washington utilized a military tactic called Fabian strategies. Here all direct military conflict would be avoided by Washington and a guerilla war was to be fought. Since the British army could not maneuver as fast as the colonial military it could slowly win a battle of attrition.

This strategy was directly created by George Washington. Today it remains one of the main reasons that the British colonists ended up winning the war.

The world was stunned by the defeat of the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War. This defeat sent shockwaves across the western world. Even George Washington was astonished to hear that the colonists had won, calling it a “miracle.”

However, the reason that George Washington changed history was through his international image. Washington had successfully demonstrated that a much smaller military could beat out a professional military. Over the next 100 years several colonies would fight and win their independence.

Internationally George Washington became a symbol of independence from colonial powers. His influence can be seen in France, India, Germany, and Japan. For example, the image at the top of this section is a 19th century Japanese depiction of George Washington fighting the British Tiger.

Because of this international image of independence George Washington forever changed history.

Washington Set A Precedent By Only Serving Two Terms As Standing President

One of the main ways that George Washington changed history was by setting a precedent of a president only serving two terms.

At first there was no limit to the amount of terms a United States president could serve. Initially there were fears among the colonists that they would be trading a British King for an American one.

George Washington set a precedent by only serving two terms as president. After his second term he voluntarily stepped down and allowed another person to become president.

This changed history. The 18th century world saw that a leader of a nation voluntarily returned power back to the people and allowed another person to be elected.

The reason that George Washington changed history was because he purposely limited the amount of power the President could have. Washington feared that if he served as president until he passed it would set a precedent of presidents serving for life, which was the same as a monarch.

Today all real democracies in the world follow George Washington’s precedent of having a president return power back to the people by stepping down. As such George Washington forever changed history by only serving two terms as president.

Conclusion

There you have it; an entire article that goes over the 3 ways George Washington changed history forever.

George Washington today remains a fascinating figure in American history. Not only did he help to start the French and Indian war but he also helped to frame the U.S government. Potential graduate students looking for research ideas will find a wealth of information surrounding George Washington.

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Until next time,

Nick