Download The First President

The First President
Washington
(President)
Adams
(Vice-President)
• George Washington – elected as the first
President of the United States under
the U.S. Constitution.
• John Adams – Washington’s Vice
President.
• Bill of Rights – written mostly by James
Madison, was added to the U.S.
Constitution during the First Congress.
Washington’s Cabinet:
• Secretary of State – handles
relationships with other nations,
Thomas Jefferson was appointed first.
• Secretary of Treasury – deals with
financial matters, Alexander Hamilton
was appointed first.
• Secretary of War – provides national
defense, Henry Knox was appointed
first.
The New Court System:
• Judiciary Act of 1789 – set up a federal
court system. Allowed state courts to
remain intact, but gave federal courts
the ability to reverse state decisions.
• John Jay – first Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court.
• Financial Problems – the Revolutionary
War left the United States with millions
of dollars in war debt.
• Washington, D.C. – a city created
between the state boundaries of
Virginia and Maryland as a compromise
for paying state debts.