WASHINGTON recruited and trained the Army of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain. He supported and even financed it, against all odds until victory was won over the best army in the world. This was the first decolonization. Many wanted to proclaim him king, but he refused even to consider it. Later, in Philadelphia, he was asked to preside over the deliberations of 55 Representatives of the thirteen new states, in order to create the Constitution of the United States of America. He was unanimously elected first President. During two terms, he established the new Capital of Washington DC, had the Constitution first amendment adopted with a Bill of Rights and implemented federal institutions such as the Central Bank. Most of all, he prevented a reconquest, by a treaty of trade with Great Britain and protected the fragile new republic from international pitfalls. He retired at the end of his second term and died three years later on his land.
© Alice Labrèque and Jean Routier, 2012