Who was the first US president?

[EZ_E]

Very Interesting!!!

 

 

Who was first President of the USA?

 

I'm sure that George Washington was your best guess. After all, no one else

comes to mind.

But think back to your history books - The United States Declared its

independence in 1776, yet Washington did not take Office until April 30,

1789. So who was running the country during these initial years of this

young country? It was the first eight U. S. Presidents.

 

In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson. I can

hear you now - John who? John Hanson, the first President of the United

States. Don't go checking the encyclopedia for this guy's name - he is one

of those great men that are lost to history. If you're extremely lucky, you

may actually find a brief mention of his name.

 

The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of

The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June

11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777.

Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded

their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too

much power in the new government from such large amounts of land).

Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the

country.

 

John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George

Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run

against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely

influential member of Congress.

 

As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever

been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would

set precedent for all future Presidents.

 

He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the

troops demanded to be paid. As would be expected after any long war, there

were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to

overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch.

 

All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only

guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down

and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have

fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King

Washington.

 

Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well

as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering

the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States

since the days following Columbus

 

Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents

have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson

also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of War,

and the first Foreign Affairs Department.

 

Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be

Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. The Articles of Confederation

only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year

period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time.

 

Seven other presidents were elected after him -

 

1. Elias Boudinot (1782-83),

2. Thomas Mifflin (1783-84),

3. Richard Henry Lee (1784-85),

4. John Hancock (1785-86),

5. Nathan Gorman (1786-87),

6. Arthur St. Clair (1787-88), and

7. Cyrus Griffin (1788-89) -

.....all prior to Washington taking office.

So what happened?

 

Why don't we hear about the first eight presidents?

It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The

individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon.

A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution.

 

 

And that leads us to the end of our story. George Washington was definitely

not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of

the United States under the Constitution we follow today.

And the first eight Presidents are forgotten in history.

 

 

There you are, another lesson in U.S. History and you may have learned

something new today

[MBA101]

Definitely something that you are not taught in the history books...

 

Thanks!

[123cents]

Great article. Thanks Victor.

[TJ'S Coins]

I love it! If only these mens had a national mint producing coins, then they would be remembered

[TomB]

John Hanson was the first President of the Continental Congress, but was certainly not a President of the United States. Similarly, the others on your list could make claims of being President of the Continental Congress, but not President of the United States. These are different positions.

[Hoot]

What Tom said... these men did not possess nearly the authority that Washington did after ratification of the Constitution. The states ceded a great deal of authority to a central government under the Constitution that did not exist with the Articles of Confederation.

 

Hoot

[EZ_E]

I love it! If only these mens had a national mint producing coins, then they would be remembered

 

Great point! I think history would have remembered them if this was the case.

 

TomB: semantics....still an interesting read.

[TomB]

I love it! If only these mens had a national mint producing coins, then they would be remembered

 

Great point! I think history would have remembered them if this was the case.

 

TomB: semantics....still an interesting read.

The difference is far beyond semantics.

[WinstonWare]

I love it! If only these mens had a national mint producing coins, then they would be remembered

 

Great point! I think history would have remembered them if this was the case.

 

TomB: semantics....still an interesting read.

The difference is far beyond semantics.

 

I could see this coming...

 

Maybe we should talk about coins some more

[EZ_E]

The difference is far beyond semantics.

 

I'm not biting. I know better than to debate a PHD 'cause you guys can pile IT higher and deeper than the average Joe.

[midwest]

Victor, remember that snopes is your friend

[IGWT]

TomB: semantics....

 

If it's merely a case of semantics, then I think that King George III was the first President of the United States.

[EZ_E]

Thanks for the input, Travis.

 

 

 

Origins: A prime example of why history is best learned from history books, not comic books (or the modern equivalent, web sites of dubious validity).

 

John Hanson was not the "first president of the United States." John Hanson has not been purged from history books by a wave of revisionist historians who refuse to acknowledge his true importance to American history. The plain truth is that John Hanson was never considered "the first president of the United States," even in his own time. And John Hanson couldn't possibly have been the "first president of the United States," because neither the office of President of the United States nor the nation known as the United States of America was created until after he was dead.

 

When representatives of thirteen British colonies in North America, assembled in an organization known as the Continental Congress, declared in July 1776 that those colonies would henceforth be independent of Great Britain, they realized that unity would be necessary in order to sustain and win a war of independence (and to maintain that independence afterwards). Accordingly, they soon began debating the Articles of Confederation, a plan for a permanent union, which was approved and sent to each of the states (as the former colonies now called themselves) for ratification. Disputes over the several issues (including the western boundaries of some states) delayed the approval of the Articles of Confederation until 1781.

 

It is important to note that although both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation used the phrase "united states of America," neither of those documents was intended to create a single, unified country out of the thirteen former British colonies. Colonial leaders feared the creation of a too-powerful national government dominated by factions and so specifically refused to create a unified nation or to transfer sovereignty to a central government. Instead, they in effect created a national Congress to whom they could subcontract administrative tasks performed on behalf of all thirteen states: conduct foreign affairs, make war and peace, deal with Native Americans living outside the states, coin and borrow money, supervise the post office, and negotiate boundary disputes. Congress could not, however, raise money to carry out these tasks by levying taxes on the states, nor could it raise troops in order to defend the country or wage war, or even compel states to comply with the laws it passed. In short, the Articles of Confederation created a Congress extremely limited in authority, with insufficient power to carry out the duties assigned to it. Inevitably, Congress could neither pay off the war debt (because it could only print more paper currency, not raise money through taxation) nor protect the states' territories from encroachment by the Spanish and British (because it could not compel states to provide troops for the common defense); eventually the Confederation Congress lost much of what authority it had, often could not take legislative action because representatives had stopped attending meetings (thereby preventing the attainment of a quorum), and finally — out of money itself — transferred reponsibility for the national debt to the states in 1787. The Confederation government had been, in the words of George Washington, "little more than the shadow without the substance."

 

The key point here is that the Articles of Confederation did not create a nation called "the United States of America." They created, as stated in the first two articles, an alliance of thirteen independent and sovereign states who had agreed to "enter into a firm league of friendship with each other" while retaining their "sovereignty, freedom, and independence." The title of the confederacy so created was designated "The United States of America," but no nation with that name was created by the Articles of Confederation, any more than the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization resulted in the establishment of a nation known as "NATO."

 

The failure of the Articles of Confederation led to calls for establishment of a centralized federal government with much broader powers than the Congress of the Confederacy, a task accomplished through the drafting and ratification of a new Constitution in 1787-88. It was this Constitution, not the Articles of Confederation, that created the office of a chief executive as part of a truly federal government for the United States — an office bearing the title "President of the United States of America" and first filled by George Washington, unanimously selected as the first President in February 1789.

 

Sometimes historical figures are relegated to the background because societal attitudes have led to a minimalization of their accomplishments, leaving future generations to re-discover and re-emphasize their contributions. Sometimes, however, they're relegated to the background simply because they were minor figures to begin with. John Hanson was far from an insignificant figure in American history, but if few Americans know that he was the first person chosen to preside over Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the primary reason is that the office wasn't one of much importance. Claiming that John Hanson was the first President of the United States doesn't help to preserve the memory of his real accomplishments — it merely perpetuates historical misinformation for trivia's sake.

[physics-fan3.14]

I am glad that you clarified with your second disposition -- very interesting.

[MAULEMALL]

What Tom said... these men did not possess nearly the authority that Washington did after ratification of the Constitution. The states ceded a great deal of authority to a central government under the Constitution that did not exist with the Articles of Confederation.

 

Hoot

I think the real question on everyones mind is "Who did Tom and Hoot Vote for"...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WinstonWare]

What Tom said... these men did not possess nearly the authority that Washington did after ratification of the Constitution. The states ceded a great deal of authority to a central government under the Constitution that did not exist with the Articles of Confederation.

 

Hoot

I think the real question on everyones mind is "Who did Tom and Hoot Vote for"...

 

 

Supertooth?

[TomB]

What Tom said... these men did not possess nearly the authority that Washington did after ratification of the Constitution. The states ceded a great deal of authority to a central government under the Constitution that did not exist with the Articles of Confederation.

 

Hoot

I think the real question on everyones mind is "Who did Tom and Hoot Vote for"...

 

 

Supertooth?

Supertooth was already long retired by that time, or else ol' George would have had good chompers.

[MAULEMALL]

What Tom said... these men did not possess nearly the authority that Washington did after ratification of the Constitution. The states ceded a great deal of authority to a central government under the Constitution that did not exist with the Articles of Confederation.

 

Hoot

I think the real question on everyones mind is "Who did Tom and Hoot Vote for"...

 

 

Supertooth?

Supertooth was already long retired by that time, or else ol' George would have had good chompers.

[RWB]

It would be nice to see some of the "forgotten founders" honored on coins – accompanied with good historical information.

[MutantKeys]

Who was the first US president?

 

George Washington

[MikeKing]

this is a great post!

[EZ_E]

this is a great post!

 

I posted it with you in mind, Mike, in honor of your Washington copper.

[EZ_E]

US Citizenship Test: Can you pass?

[michael]

Who was the first US president?

 

in terms of the start of the american revolution that made the first prez. and that made this country

 

paul reverse )and his midnight ride

 

he is truly the first prez.

 

 

http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/real.shtml

[michael]

 

 

 

In 1774 and the Spring of 1775 Paul Revere was employed by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of resolutions as far away as New York and Philadelphia.

 

On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren and instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. After being rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown by two associates, Paul Revere borrowed a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin. While in Charlestown, he verified that the local "Sons of Liberty" committee had seen his pre-arranged signals. (Two lanterns had been hung briefly in the bell-tower of Christ Church in Boston, indicating that troops would row "by sea" across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than marching "by land" out Boston Neck. Revere had arranged for these signals the previous weekend, as he was afraid that he might be prevented from leaving Boston).

 

On the way to Lexington, Revere "alarmed" the country-side, stopping at each house, and arrived in Lexington about midnight. As he approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, a sentry asked that he not make so much noise. "Noise!" cried Revere, "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!" After delivering his message, Revere was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, who had been sent on the same errand by a different route. Deciding on their own to continue on to Concord, Massachusetts, where weapons and supplies were hidden, Revere and Dawes were joined by a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott. Soon after, all three were arrested by a British patrol. Prescott escaped almost immediately, and Dawes soon after. Revere was held for some time and then released. Left without a horse, Revere returned to Lexington in time to witness part of the battle on the Lexington Green.

[michael]

http://www.earlyamerican.com/Auctions/Cl...a74ab86d2eb88ed

 

the sword in hand notes at least for me is a required thing from the early american history

 

it is a great note the the key to any grouping of colonial currency

 

printed engraved designed by paul revere himself in august 18 1775 a few months after his famous ride and used to pay colonial minutem,an troops with a minuiteman on the notes holding the magna charta with the words issued in defence of american liberty and also the words with the sword with by arms he seeks peace and liberty

 

a really scarce one of a kind historical note ... heads and tails over any other coloniAL CURRENCY or any federal bank notes in terms of rarity historical significance and in beauty of the note

 

amazing

 

 

 

[BillJones]

I don’t buy into any of these theories that these men who were elected to be what amounted to the speaker of the house of the Articles of Confederation Congress were early presidents. They did not have the power, and they did not have the prestige and respect of the country. All they did was to preside over a very weak legislature. They were not true chief executives.

 

The congress that was formed under the Articles of Confederation was a weak, ineffectual body that had little power. The main problem was that the Articles provided the Congress with little power over the states. In essence the central government was kind of like the League of Nations which could recommend but not enforce anything over the states. It did not even have the power to levy taxes or get the states to abide by international treadies.

 

The secondary problem was that the major leaders who had been the main players in the American Revolution and who would be the prime movers in writing and implementing the Constitution had mostly packed up and gone home to their respective states. They went back home because that was where the power was. Serving in the Congress was largely a waste of their time, and many of the people who did serve in those congresses were “the not ready for prime time players.”

 

What you folks are trying to do is promote men who had far less power and less responsibly into presidential status. It just doesn’t wash. It might be great for a game of trivia, but taking this issue to the counts as one jerky guy has done down here in Florida is waste of the court’s time and taxpayers’ money.

[Zoins]

Wikipedia says John Hanson was the first President of the Continental Congress that served a full term under the Articles of Confederation but not a President of the United States. Another page says George Washington was the first person to use the title "President of the United States."

 

The formal Articles of Confederation title that was adopted on March 1, 1781 was the “President of the United States, in Congress Assembled.” Some people have shortened this to “President of the United States" which seems to be an error, like how 19th century New Haven Fugio reproductions are called "restrikes" in error.

 

And, as it turns out, Samuel Huntington was the first “President of the United States, in Congress Assembled," not John Hanson

[Dcoin]

US Citizenship Test: Can you pass?

 

I failed and am leaving the country

 

I hear Fiji is nice this time of year.

 

Great post EZ!