Elected to the First Continental Congress as a delegate and served as the commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution
The First Continental Congress met at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Delegates were present to represent the colonial states, and George Washington was there to represent Virginia along with six other individuals. Addressing the colonists' complaints against the King and Parliament was one of the principal objectives of the Continental Congress. This meeting was the first real attempt to bring the colonies together to represent themselves as a group when dealing with the King because up until that time, each colony had considered itself as more or less an individual.
George Washington had fought in the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) on behalf of Great Britain against France before the American Revolution. He had learned essential military skills during the fight, such as how to plan supplies, how to lead, how to construct forts, and how to manage subordinates. On April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord ignited the American Revolutionary War. The colonial revolutionaries at that time lacked an army. They instead used the local militia.
On May 10, the Second Continental Congress met, with Washington in attendance as a representative of Virginia. On June 14, 1775, Congress established the Continental Army. The freshly organized army's commander-in-chief was named the following day: George Washington. Aside from his prior military expertise, Washington was appointed owing to his prominence and the belief that having a southerner command what was mostly a northern army would help bring the colonies together. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Washington would go on to command the Continental Army.
