Did you know that George Washington, first president of the United States and commander of the Continental army during the American Revolution, was also a fashion designer? Unfortunately, barely any of Washington’s uniforms have survived to today, with no known surviving uniforms from the American Revolution. However, it’s still reasonable to assume that Washington’s uniform from 1789 is highly similar to that of his Revolution uniform, which can be seen in numerous paintings from the time. Washington’s uniform looks a bit similar to the uniforms of the British army’s Redcoats, having a similar style jacket in blue, going along with a black tricorn hat, white linen shirts white breeches(pants), and black leather shoes. Washington was actually the one who designed the Continental army’s uniforms as well, mainly just modifying the pre existing Redcoat uniforms by changing the color ways to blue exterior wool, with interior red or white lining, instead using cockades(knots of ribbon) to indicate the rank of a soldier. Washington likely chose to make the uniforms blue for two reasons: blue dye was cheap, being grown in the colonies, and the color also made it much easier to differentiate a Patriot soldier from a Redcoat.
Washington’s uniform would play a key role in organizing the Continental army, as Washington’s new uniforms helped the Patriots arrange themselves into separate groups and units, creating a sense of unity and professionalism between each colonial militia. Another impact of Washington’s uniform comes from how the uniform also reinforced American identity. Washington’s uniform matched the colors of the recently created American flag, serving as another way for Patriot soldiers to represent America and separate themselves from the British empire. Overall, Washington’s uniform can symbolize the struggles of the colonists and British empire during the American Revolution, as even though Washington’s uniform was only a modified version of the Redcoats uniform, Washington’s uniform represented and stood for completely different values compared to the British, similar to how America was a country made up of British people, but those British people ended up forming a separate, independent society with different values and priorities than those of the British empire. The success of Washington’s uniform as a symbol of unity, strength, and independence for the Colonial army also gives insight into the state of colonial society before the Revolution, showing the great need for, and vast impact that having a leader to unite the colonies made throughout the American Revolution.