The First President of the United States Chapter 8, Section 1

The New Cincinnatus Following the Revolutionary War, George Washington was looking forward to retirement. Instead of retiring, citizens elected George Washington to the highest office in the land. He felt it was his duty to lead the infant country.

The First President On April 30, 1789 Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. He was 57 years old. John Adams became the first vice president.

Interesting Washington Facts Washington was the only Founding Father to free his slaves. (After his death) John Adams and John Quincy Adams only 2 of first 12 presidents that did not own slaves at all. The nation's capital, along with 1 state, 31 counties and 17 cities are named in his honor. As a farmer, he is credited with introducing the mule to America. He was the only president to win a unanimous vote of the Electoral College.

President George Washington Difficulties: Many feared he would become king. How would he shape the future of the U.S.? How would he use the power he was granted? Positives: Many people trusted Washington to make good decisions. He was a proven leader during the Revolutionary War.

The President’s Cabinet George Washington now had to select men to advise him on important decisions He selected trusted colleagues to run departments that focused on the important issues.

These departments together would be known as the presidential cabinet. These men were responsible for advising the president.

State Department The State Department is responsible for handling relations with other (foreign) nations. George Washington picked Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state.

Treasury Department The Treasury Department would deal with U.S. financial matters. Washington picked Alexander Hamilton as secretary of the treasury.

War Department The War Department would provide for the nation’s defense. Washington named Henry Knox as secretary of war.

Attorney General Congress also created the office of attorney general to deal with governments legal affairs. Washington appointed Edmund Randolph as attorney general.

Modern Day Cabinet Our modern president now has a cabinet with 15 departments and members. Some of these include: Department of Energy Department of Education Department of Homeland Security

The First Supreme Court George Washington was also in charge of setting up the Supreme Court. Washington nominated John Jay to lead the Supreme Court as the first chief justice.

The Bill of Rights Anti-Federalists insisted the Constitution needed to include guarantees of personal liberties. In December 1791, 10 amendments were added to the Constitution and became known as the Bill of Rights. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect individual liberty such as freedom of speech and the right to trial by jury.

Financial Problems Washington concentrated mainly on foreign affairs and military matters. Washington left economic policies to his secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton.

Financial Problems The new nation faced serious financial problems. Hamilton tried to find ways to improve the governments financial reputation and strengthen the nation at the same time.

Hamilton’s Economic Plan Hamilton's plan to fix America’s economy had three major parts:

Step 1: Take Over All Debt The federal government should pay off the millions of dollars in debt to both foreign countries and to individual citizens. The new government would absorb the debt of each state

Step 2: Taxes Hamilton established a tax on IMPORTED goods to promote American manufacturing and business. Hamilton also wanted to place a tax on whiskey which was primarily made by farmers from the corn they grew.

Step 3: Build the Economy To build a strong economy, Hamilton wanted to create a National Bank. A bank would give the U.S. another source of revenue

Opposition Hamilton received strong opposition from the Southern states (especially Virginia) over his economic plan. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in particular felt that Hamilton’s Plan was an abuse of power. To get Southern support for his plan Hamilton promised to move the nation’s capital into the south between Virginia and Maryland along the banks of the Potomac River.

A Cabinet Divided Hamilton and Jefferson had opposing views on the powers of government This dissention led to political conflict between the two members of the President’s cabinet.