When General George Washington took command of the Continental Army, the challenges he faced were formidable. Instead of one unified force, every colony had its own militia, each at various stages of development. Consequently, training was non-existent, discipline was lax, and the men were disrespectful to their officers. By comparison, the British Army was a force of well-equipped and well-trained soldiers, led by professionals, and far more numerous than the Continentals.

George Washington was elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses in 1758, becoming active in colonial politics. Washington was a moderate and initially took a measured but critical approach to English policies. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and King George’s harsh response, delegates from twelve colonies met at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, with Washington as one of Virginia’s seven representatives. When delegates reconvened in May 1775, the American colonies were at war with England following the Battles of Lexington and Concord and found a capable leader in George Washington.

Martha Washington was born on June 2, 1731 in New Kent County, Virginia. At 18, she married Daniel Parke Custis, who died unexpectedly, leaving Martha a 26-year-old wealthy widow with two children. Martha’s parlor became the destination of many bachelors in Virginia, including George Washington. They were married in 1759 and lived a fairly quiet life at Mount Vernon until George was named the commander of the Continental Army in 1775.

George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy 26-year-old widow, on January 6, 1759. They were a couple well suited for each other and made their home at Mount Vernon. Washington managed the estate with his customary zeal and energy, rising early every morning and working the land six days a week, leaving Sunday for church and entertaining friends. As was typical on plantations, enslaved people performed most of the work at Mount Vernon. Washington was opposed to the institution of slavery but did not free his slaves until he died, granting them their freedom in his will, the only founding father to do so.

In February 1753, George Washington began his illustrious military career as a major in the Virginia militia. In November, with England and France struggling for control of North America’s lucrative fur trade, he was sent to a French fort near present-day Pittsburgh with an ultimatum for the French to leave the area, but they refused to comply. The following year, Washington, recently promoted to Colonel, was again dispatched to this outpost, but this time with two infantry companies and orders to drive out the French.

George Washington’s American story begins in 1656 when his great-grandfather, John Washington, emigrated from England to Virginia and established an acreage in Virginia’s Northern Neck. George’s father, Augustine, married Mary Ball and moved to Pope’s Creek, Virginia, where, on February 22, 1732, they had their first child, a strapping boy they named George.

Ben Franklin was truly one of the marquee members of the Founding generation. No American spent longer on the world stage nor had more impact in a greater variety of areas than this brilliant man.

America declared its independence from England on July 4, 1776, but our leaders knew that success would depend on securing the assistance of France, England’s eternal enemy. In December 1776, Congress sent Ben Franklin to Paris to negotiate with the French. Although Franklin was seventy years old and in poor health, he willingly accepted the post as he was now fully committed to the American cause.

Ben Franklin became a member of the Philadelphia City Council in 1748, beginning more than four decades in American politics. As deputy postmaster-general, he began to consider the colonies as one entity instead of thirteen individual parts, and even proposed a plan of union at the Albany Congress in 1754.

In 1619, the Colony of Virginia created a General Assembly, which included 22 men called burgesses. These men had been elected by Virginia’s eligible voters, making the House of Burgesses the first representative legislature in British America. In the years leading to the American Revolution, as Parliament introduced more burdensome legislation, the House of Burgesses was at the forefront of colonial opposition and had an outsized influence on the founding of our great nation.

The colonies of British America were not created in the same mold, but rather were governed under three different systems: royal, self-governing and proprietary. The different systems of colonial government created diverse attitudes towards English rule and our independence.

Ben Franklin was one of the world’s foremost inventors and scientists, using his creative genius for the betterment of mankind. His most famous discovery came in the field of electricity, which became his all-consuming passion. Amazingly, Franklin refused to patent any of his inventions as he felt they should be shared.

Ben Franklin devoted much of his life to the betterment of mankind. He notably did this in the areas of science and politics, but he also worked to improve his local community.

Ben Franklin wrote two of the greatest treasures of American literature, Poor Richard’s Almanack and his autobiography. Through both, readers had a chance to see the world from the perspective of one of the most talented men America has ever produced.

Ben Franklin was one of the most extraordinary men America has ever produced. Born in Boston on January 17, 1706, to a soap and candle maker who emigrated to America in 1683, Franklin had only two years of formal schooling before going to work for his father. After a few years, he went to work as an apprentice printer for his older brother James who owned a newspaper called The New-England Courant. That job would spark an interest that led to a prosperous career in printing.

Colonists convened at the Albany Congress of 1754 to discuss how to help the British improve their relationship with the Iroquois Confederation. More importantly, delegates also discussed joint efforts to enhance the safety of the colonies and other common interests, which led to the proposed Albany Plan, calling for a unified colonial government.

In the 1750s, American colonists were happy to be part of the British Empire. Were it not for the French and Indian War, fought between England and France from 1754 to 1763, America might not have sought her independence.