what war was george washington associated with?
American Revolutionary War
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 As the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire in world history , Washington became an international icon for liberation and nationalism . The Federalists made him the symbol of their party but for many years , the Jeffersonians continued to distrust his influence and delayed building the Washington Monument . After Yorktown , his service as Commander in Chief brought him election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . 

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 Washington played a leading military and political role in the American Revolution . His involvement began as early as 1767 , when he first took political stands against the acts of the British Parliament . After the war broke out with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 , his role became military with his appointment as commander @-@ in @-@ chief of the Continental Army . He appeared before the Second Continental Congress in military uniform , signaling that he was prepared for war . Congress created the Continental Army on June 14 ; the next day it selected Washington as commander @-@ in @-@ chief . The task he took on was enormous , balancing regional demands , competition among his subordinates , morale among the rank and file , attempts by Congress to manage the army 's affairs too closely , requests by state governors for support , and an endless need for resources with which to feed , clothe , equip , arm , and move the troops . 

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 Washington played a leading military and political role in the American Revolution . His involvement began in 1767 , when he first took political stands against the various acts of the British Parliament . He opposed the 1765 Stamp Act , the first direct tax on the colonies imposed by the British Parliament , which included no representatives from the colonies ; he began taking a leading role in the growing colonial resistance when protests against the Townshend Acts ( enacted in 1767 ) became widespread . In May 1769 Washington introduced a proposal , drafted by his friend George Mason , calling for Virginia to boycott English goods until the Acts were repealed . Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts in 1770 . However , Washington regarded the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 as " an Invasion of our Rights and Privileges " . Washington told friend Bryan Fairfax , " I think the Parliament of Great Britain has no more right to put their hands in my pocket without my consent than I have to put my hands into yours for money . " He also said that Americans must not submit to acts of tyranny " till custom and use shall make us as tame and abject slaves , as the blacks we rule over with such arbitrary sway . " 

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 Washington 's activities from late 1778 to 1780 were more diplomatic and organizational , as his army remained outside New York , watching Sir Henry Clinton 's army that occupied the city . Washington strategized with the French on how best to cooperate in actions against the British , leading to ultimately unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the British from Newport , Rhode Island and Savannah , Georgia . His attention was also drawn to the frontier war , which prompted the 1779 Continental Army expedition of John Sullivan into upstate New York . When General Clinton sent the turncoat General Benedict Arnold to raid in Virginia , Washington began to detach elements of his army to face the growing threat there . The arrival of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia after campaigning in the south presented Washington with an opportunity to strike a decisive blow . Washington 's army and the French army moved south to face Cornwallis , and a cooperative French navy under Admiral de Grasse successfully disrupted British attempts to control of the Chesapeake Bay , completing the entrapment of Cornwallis , who surrendered after the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781 . Although Yorktown marked the end of significant hostilities in North America , the British still occupied New York and other cities , so Washington had to maintain the army in the face of a bankrupt Congress and troops that were at times mutinous over conditions and pay . The army was formally disbanded after peace in 1783 , and Washington resigned his commission as commander @-@ in @-@ chief on December 23 , 1783 . 

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 Congress dutifully voted in July 1777 to commission Lafayette as a major general , and sent him to meet Washington . The two men formed a very close relationship despite a quarter @-@ century difference in age . Franklin 's wish to keep Lafayette safe was frustrated by the young man 's desire to be where battles raged , and he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777 . France soon entered the war on the American side , and was instrumental in the victory . Lafayette helped lead the decisive Yorktown campaign , leading to the surrender of British Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis . 
