Washington’s Influence on the American Revolution
Kevin Bishara
11464 Anderson St. Ca Loma Linda 92354
909-810-8609
[email protected]
Redlands High School
840 E Citrus Ave, Redlands, CA 92374
909-307-5500
Grade 11
Washington’s Important Role During the American Revolutionary War
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
and was the most influential person in the events of the American Revolution that occurred in
1775. His leadership skills and determination proves his influential role in the war. He served as
a general and commander-in-chief of the United States army and had a large influence on the
soldiers that fought with him. After the American Revolution, he became the first president of
the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington had many advantages during the American
Revolutionary War such as his strength in leading an army and trust in his men just as his men
trusted fully in him. Washington’s father Augustine owned large areas of land, owned slaves and
grew tobacco. The colonists won the Revolutionary War greatly due to George Washington’s
role as a general in the army.
In the early midst of the American Revolutionary War, George Washington was far more
interested in thinking as a business man instead of a revolutionary. The book “George
Washington” by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn states “Indeed, he would soon
develop new manufactures at Mount Vernon and discontinue the production and export of
tobacco. Washington was thinking as a businessman and budding industrialist, not yet as a
revolutionary (Burns and Dunn, 16).” This quote demonstrates Washington’s admire for his
work over the political problems at hand. Although he grew older to become an amazing
revolutionist, he was not perfect and had many flaws that people don’t see. Washington was not
the most fearless general in the American Revolutionary War. In the book titled “The
Revolutionaries” it states “It was possible, Washington feared, that Howe might be heading
directly for New York, the control point for Communication between the Northern and Southern
colonies. Washington believed it was absolutely and indispensably necessary for the whole of
this army to march south as fast as possible to defend the entry to the Hudson River. He had
already dispatched a brigade of foot soldier to New York against this possibility (The
Revolutionaries, 66).” This quote demonstrates how Washington did not fully think through with
his course of action which could have resulted in a negative way. In the end his actions were
correct because he successfully defended the Hudson, making him even more of a hero. The
importance of his effect on the soldiers that fought alongside with him was their faith in him as a
leader. They felt confident as he led them into battle and that is what allowed the Americans to
take on one of the greatest military forces in the world at that time.
General George Washington was victorious in many battles that occurred during the
Revolutionary War. He had such a brilliant mind set for every battle that he engaged in and had
thought out escape plans. In the book “The American Pageant Fifteenth Edition” by David M.
Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen, it states “Washington, who was now almost counted out, stealthily
recrossed the ice-clogged Delaware River. At Trenton, on December 26, 1776, he surprised and
captured a thousand Hessians who were sleeping off the effects of their Christmas celebration. A
week later, leaving his campfires burning as a ruse, he slipped away and inflicted a sharp defeat
on a smaller British detachment at Princeton (Kennedy and Cohen, 144).” This quote
demonstrates Washington’s ability to direct his army safely through the midst of battle. The
article titled “George Washington, Genius in Leadership” by Richard C. Stazesky states “It is
clear that several factors led to his selection: his character, they knew that they could trust him;
he was the best known military person in the colonies; he was a Southerner and the delegates
believed he could unite the forces of all the colonies; he was a man of wealth and presumably
would be less tempted to corruption and he was known as a fearless, determined and competent
leader (Stazesky).” This quote explains why George Washington was chosen to become a
general in leading the colonists through the American Revolutionary War.
Trust is one of the most important factors when it comes to fighting a war where the odds
are not in your favor. George Washington was not able to win the majority of the battles that he
took part in but he was able to keep all of his men’s trust and win the most important battles
during the Revolutionary War. The article titled “George Washington, the Greatest Leader of all
Time?” by Bob Cordery states “Washington created the Continental Army; his organizational
and administrative skills, coupled with the trust of his citizen soldiers, enabled him to weld them
into a fighting force able to take on the British … and win (Cordery).” Without the soldier’s trust
in George Washington, the colonists would not have been able to defeat the British. The British
had one of the most advanced and experienced military force on Earth at that time, putting the
colonists at a huge disadvantage but still demonstrated George Washington’s leadership skills to
its full potential.
Washington’s actions during the Revolutionary War resembled the characteristics of a
great leader. Without George’s actions the colonists may have not been so confident and
encouraged to battle. There was always a possibility for a different leader to become elected to
lead the colonists into battle. With this chance the leader may not have been as great as
Washington and it was possible that the colonists could have lost the Revolutionary War due to a
weak leader. It is important to acknowledge George Washington’s important role and influence
during the American Revolutionary War.
Bibliography
System Used: MLA Manual of Style

Burns, James MacGregor, and Susan Dunn. George Washington. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

The Revolutionaries. Alexandria, VA: Time Life-, 1996. Print.

Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant: A History of the
American People. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

Cordery, Bob. "George Washington – the Greatest Leader of All Time?" Military History
Monthly. N.p., 17 Oct. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Stazesky, Richard C. "George Washington, Genius in Leadership - The Washington
Papers." The Washington Papers. Washpapers, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
My name is Kevin Bishara and I attend Redlands High School. My after-school activities consist
of me going to wrestling practice and track practice. My plans for college is to attend a great
engineering school such as UC Irvine or Cal Poly Pomona. I would like to attend UC Irvine
because that is where my brother attends. I would like to be able to live with him my second year
of college if he were to be able to get a job near the campus. I want to become a mechanical
engineer therefore I am taking many challenging classes such as physics E and I plan to take AP
physics next year.