Read this article carefully.

2 George Washington was born in 1732 on a farm in Virginia. At that time Virginia was still a colony under
   British rule. When he was in his twenties, George joined the army. He became a major in charge of training
   militia, or troops, in southern Virginia. When the French and Indian War broke out, he helped lead British
   troops to victory. It was during his command that Washington began to realize how unfairly the British
   treated American colonists.

3 In the years following the French and Indian War, trouble was brewing in the American colonies. The
   colonists were unhappy with how they were treated by the British. Great Britain made them pay a lot of taxes
   but did not let them fully participate in the government. The colonists wanted to fight for their rights.

4 The Revolutionary War began. The colonists wanted to be independent from Great Britain. The first battle of
   the war was at Lexington and Concord. Soon after, Washington became commander in chief of the
   Continental Army. In 1776, the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. George Washington was a
   strong leader. he cared about his soldiers. After years of fighting, in 1781, Washington and his army beat the
   British at Yorktown. The war was over. The colonists were free.

5 The colonists' first important job was making their own government. George Washington and others thought
   that a strong government was needed. At the Constitutional Convention, people from every state met and
   wrote a constitution for the new country. Washington helped write this constitution. These people also
   needed someone to run the country. They elected a president--George Washington.

6 George Washington was president of the new country for eight years. He was an excellent president because
   he listened to both sides first and then made decisions. He also did not want to be paid for being president. he
   said that he felt it was his duty to help his country.

7 After being president, Washington went back to his home, Mount Vernon in Virginia. He focused on running
   his farms. Washington never fully retired, though. Up until his death in 1799, he remained a strong voice in
   United States government.

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