3. Authorities & decisions: Revolutionary military leadership

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

The Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander in chief in June 1775. Washington coordinated campaigns with French assistance after 1778; the surrender at Yorktown in 1781 depended on French naval forces under de Grasse.

Washington resigned his commission in December 1783, reinforcing civilian authority over the army. Soldiers’ pay, state debt and veterans’ claims remained unsettled for years.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.