A Thought to Remember: George Washington was not the first president?
George Washington was not the first president of the United States.
“Roland Harris,” you say, “just because you just had your birthday, it doesn’t give you the right to write untruths. Defend yourself!”
We have been taught that Washington was our first president. See if you change your mind after reading the following.
My brother Udell was given a 1975 article in The Star, about the original first president of the United States, and it wasn’t George Washington. I had filed it away after Udell gave it to me, thinking it would make a good story for some February, Washington’s birthday. I pulled it from my file in January, then put it aside. Then, I had to see what Wikipedia had to say about who was the “first president.”
The United States declared its independence in 1776, yet Washington did not take office until April 30, 1789. So who was running the country? Well, the first eight U.S. presidents.
John Hanson of Maryland was actually the first president. He was chosen by Congress. Washington even voted for him. Here’s how the story goes.
“The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among all 13 original states in the United States of America and served as its first constitution. It was drafted by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress, which began on July 12, 1776, and an approved version was sent to the original 13 states for ratification in late 1777. The formal ratification by all 13 states, was not completed until early 1781.
“Even when not yet ratified, the Articles provided a system for the Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with Europe and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations.
“Today’s history books do not tell the complete and accurate history of the original Statesmen of the first Congress of the United States of America and the man who served as first president, John Hanson.
“With a significant void in American history, the United States of America celebrates its birthday on July 4, 1776, the day the nation was conceived while under the control of Great Britain. Therefore, the United States of America does not celebrate the actual day on which the first representatives and first president took office, under the operation of the original Constitution, that Americans patriots fought and died for, to bring a new nation forth.
“We, the people, celebrate a declaration and announcement to the American people and to the king of England of our resolve to separate from Great Britain. The Americans continued to fight a war, while under the rule of Great Britain, for an additional five years. American colonists knew all too well that, despite this new declaration of independence, they would need to defeat the British army, before they could give birth to the United States of America, under the commencement of the first constitution. Only then could they establish a new nation, with the operation of the government of the United States of America.
“The Revolutionary War was fought in order to create the most democratic government in the history of the world. A government of the people, consisting of the first constitutional representatives and first American president. It was established for a new nation to be called the United States of America. This accomplishment was one of the greatest and most significant achievements in the history of the world — a society that set a course to establish the natural rights of all people with full representation of their government, but who were these first people? Who were these patriots, these movers and shakers who truly ‘put forth the highest degree of contributions and sacrifice in order to establish this new nation’?
“With the defeat and surrender of the British army at Yorktown in October 1781 came new found freedom, and the first U.S. constitution was put into operation that November.”
The first president, John Hanson of Maryland, was elected in 1781, though the office was not as we think of it today. Seven other presidents were elected after him — Elias Boudinot (1782-83), Thomas Mifflin (1783-84), Richard Henry Lee (1784-85), John Hancock (1785-86), Nathan Gorman (1786-87), Arthur St. Clair (1787-88), and Cyrus Griffin (1788-89) — all prior to Washington taking office.
“Nevertheless, the weakness of the government created by the Articles of Confederation, became a matter of concern for key nationalists.”
On May 25, 1787, 55 delegates started almost daily gatherings in the Independence Hall in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. By the middle of June, it became apparent to the delegates that to merely amend the Articles of Confederation would not be sufficient. On Sept. 17, 1787, 42 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting and ratified the U.S. Constitution, which officially created the three branches of government we know today, including the executive office of “President of the United States.”
On Feb. 4, 1789, 69 members of Congress cast their ballots to elect George Washington the first president of the United States under this new Constitution.
“As for the first constitution, it is the only document that gives the nation its name: United States of America.”
(Information from The Star and Wikipedia.)
This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 3:14 AM with the headline "A Thought to Remember: George Washington was not the first president?."