Washington was a physically dominating figure who was not well educated, but married into elite society. Possessing an outsized ego, he managed his image closely, particularly regrinding early military failures. After a successful French and Indian War, he accumulated land and aspired to fulfill the promise of the west, but debts to British cotton agents catalyzed his transformation to revolutionary. Ideology played no real role, although he did wrestle with the question of slavery. As a Revolutionary War general, he favored attack but realized survival was the victory, a la Fabius. He grew to recognize the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation during this time, and subsequently agreed to lead the Constitutional Convention and become the first president. He disliked partisan politics, reluctantly agreed to a second term, and all but dismissed Jefferson as a schemer. Hamilton was responsible for much of the administration’s success. Ultimately, says Ellis, Washington never conquers his ego but recognized posterity is the final judge and had the confidence to submit — unlike Napoleon, Lenin, Mao, etc.