The Washington Monument, built at intervals between 1848 and 1885 with funds from public subscriptions and Federal appropriations, memorializes George Washington's achievements and unselfish devotion to principle and to country. It shows the gratitude of the people of the United States to the father of their country and their living faith in the causes for which he stood.

George Washington's rise to enduring fame really began in July 1775, when he took command of the newly formed Continental Army. He was already an international figure because of the part he had played in the French and Indian War. However, the quarter of a century that loomed ahead of that July day was to place him high in the ranks of the world's great. The problems that confronted the new commander and his country were colossal. Thirteen small colonies, with potentially rich but yet undeveloped resources, had embarked on armed conflict with the richest and most powerful empire in the world. It was an empire whose far-flung commerce supplied an abundance of the weapons of war.

As commander of the small Continental Army seeking to win independence for the colonies, Washington was an inspiring leader. He showed remarkable ability to secure the best results with the scanty material resources and untrained armed forces at his command. His persistence secured essential reinforcements and supplies from reluctant governors and assemblies and enabled him to strengthen the army and feed and clothe his frequently cold and hungry troops. He made of this Continental Army an easily maneuverable force which survived the worst blows of its foe and even won significant victories in the first 3 years of the war. He thus assured the important alliance with France which was to guarantee the achievement of American independence.

By the close of the Revolution the outstanding position of Washington in the minds of the American people was generally recognized. More than any other American, he symbolized the Revolution and its triumphant conclusion; he had been its military leader for more than 8 years. No figure in American military or civil life commanded the same general respect and admiration as were shown to him. At times, it was by his military ability that he had prevented the Revolution from collapsing. No other American military hero has possessed in equal measure so many outstanding qualities of leadership. It is not strange that he has come to be regarded as the father of this country and that he has remained the preeminent figure in American history.

The years that followed the Revolution added further to the fame of Washington. This was a critical period in the life of the young republic, when its very existence was endangered by the weak central government established under the Articles of Confederation. The public debt remained unpaid, and public credit declined. The States levied their own customs duties and disputed among themselves over the regulation of interstate commerce and other vital matters. In this national crisis, Washington was again summoned to serve his country and chosen to preside over the Convention of 1787 that drew up the Federal Constitution. In 1789 his outstanding ability was recognized by his unanimous election as first President of the United States.

In his new office, Washington showed the same high administrative qualities that had marked his work as commander of the Continental Army. His choice of executive officers again proved his capacity to select men of high competence and to place them in positions where their ability could be used to the best advantage. During his administration, the public credit was restored, and irritating disputes among the States over domestic commerce disappeared with the Federal regulation of interstate commerce. The adoption of these measures was accompanied by bitter charges directed partly against Washington himself. Nevertheless, the laws which successfully launched the new government on its course have won the general approval of all succeeding generations of American citizens.

When Washington retired to Mount Vernon in March 1797, he left behind him a great work successfully completed. As the people had looked to him for leadership in war, so they looked to him for leadership in peace, and he did not disappoint them.

Steadily through the years that have passed since Washington's death in 1799, his fame has burned brightly. All Americans have recognized him as a truly great man. Abroad, the fame of Washington grew as the French Revolution gave emphasis to the republicanism and nationalism that he symbolized. The acceptance of democratic principles increasingly became the fashion in 19th-century Europe and South America, where liberals and nationalists spread his fame. Chateaubriand, the celebrated French commentator on America said: "The name of Washington will spread with liberty from age to age."