Directions:  Fill in each blank with the word that best completes the reading comprehension.

     After (1)  _______________________   in the British army during the French and Indian War, George Washington returned to his favorite spot, Mount Vernon. His plan was to remain there and to become a (2)  _______________________   farmer. He liked this life most of all. He could supervise the crops, manage the slaves, play cards, and be part of the local government. The colonists had set up their own government in Williamsburg, Virginia, called the House of Burgesses. It was their job to make the rules to be followed by the colonists. Of course, King George III had the final say about these rules. George Washington decided to become a member of the House of Burgesses but was defeated in his first attempt to be elected. He tried again in 1758 and won. He took his place in Williamsburg thinking that he would follow the lead of the British government. He didn't know how life would change for all colonists in the next few years.
     Members of the House of Burgesses began to question the right of the king to tax them. They wrote to the king and Parliament about their questions. They sent representatives to England to talk to the king. The king was not used to being questioned about his decisions, so he just ignored the colonists. The colonists then boycotted English imports. They dumped a (3)  _______________________   of tea into Boston Harbor. When the king could no longer ignore their "whining," he ordered that the House of Burgesses be disbanded in 1774. They were no longer going to be allowed to make decisions for the colonies. You can imagine that this decision did not sit well with the colonists. George Washington was among the unhappy members the king sent back to their homes.
     George Washington was sent to the First Continental Congress which was set up by colonists because they believed they had the right to make their own decisions. At its (4)  _______________________  , Washington returned to northern Virginia with a mission. He was to organize the groups of (5)  _______________________   soldiers into militias. He also wanted to be elected to the Second Continental Congress. He was (6)  _______________________   in both of his goals.
     The people in the colonies were quickly being separated into two groups. The Patriots were the colonists who believed it was time to rid themselves of British rule. They wanted to make their own decisions for the (7)  _______________________   of this new world. The second group was known as Loyalists. They were loyal to the king and believed that he was the only one who could, or should, make decisions concerning the colonies. George Washington sided with the Patriots. He had seen and experienced enough poor (8)  _______________________   at the hands of the British during his time in the British army to convince him that his country was better off making its own decisions.
     (9)  _______________________   the Second Continental Congress, it became very clear to the delegates that they needed to be ready for a war. They didn't want to fight, but they knew they had to be ready if it came to that. An army must be formed under the leadership of one man. After much (10)  _______________________  , John Adams rose before the assembled men. He told the group that there must be a group of volunteers assembled to be called the "(11)  _______________________   American Army." (12)  _______________________   had already been fired at Lexington and Concord. Who could say where fighting might break out again? In John Adams' mind there was only one man who had the experience and knowledge of the military needed to lead such an army. That man was George Washington. The entire group of men agreed with Adams. George Washington accepted. It is interesting to know that George Washington told the Congress that he would do the job they had asked him to take, but only if they let him do it for no pay. Can you imagine that? He would be going against the best supplied, best trained, and most (13)  _______________________   army in the world at that time. His troops had no (14)  _______________________  , little training, and no experience fighting together. What they did have was (15)  _______________________   and a belief in their own freedom. Only George Washington could bring this rag tag group of men together.

George Washington - Revolutionary

Write a sentence using each word in the space provided.

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