Final answer:
The governor of Virginia sent George Washington and Virginia's militia to western Pennsylvania due to escalating land disputes between British colonists, French, and Native American tribes. These conflicts eventually sparked the French and Indian War. Washington's involvement was part of a broader strategy of territorial defense and expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Virginia governor sent George Washington and Virginia's militia to western Pennsylvania primarily due to escalating tensions over land disputes between British colonists, the French, and Native American tribes, which eventually led to the French and Indian War. The western frontier had been marked as a 'middle ground' for diverse imperial powers and native peoples, yet this balance was disrupted when colonists aggressively sought to claim these territories. As an officer in the Virginia colonial militia, George Washington was involved in key confrontations during this conflict, for instance, his surrender at Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania.
Washington, a surveyor himself, and other Virginians were particularly interested in these lands as a means to diversify their holdings beyond tobacco farming. The relentless westward movement of these settlers led to increased conflicts with native tribes who resisted further intrusion. Hence, the deployment of George Washington and the militia to this region was essentially an act of territorial defense and expansion.
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