Download The First President of the United States

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:
1. Many feared he
would become king.
2. How would he shape
the future of the
U.S.?
3. How would he use
the power he was
granted?

Positives:
1. Many people trusted
Washington to make
good decisions.
2. 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.
 The four departments were:

 The
State Department
 Treasury Department
 War Department
 Attorney General
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.