"If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War."
George Washington was an American military leader and statesman who became the first president of the United States. He commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolution and helped shape the new constitutional government. He served two presidential terms from 1789 to 1797.