Our first? president

[Kruse]

Because there was a "July 4th" posting, I'm going to give you a little food for thought on this post.

Traditionally, George Washington has been credited as being the first president of the United States. Heck, this is in about every history book that has ever been printed.
Also, history dictates that 1776 was year 1 for the United States. I remember in 1976 celebrating our bicentennial, so we will say that 1776 was the first year of our country.

Now, if 1776 was the first year of our country, AND George Washington was our first president, who were the presidents from 1776 to 1789? Remember that George Washington was not our president until 1789....

(A little clue here....Some people say George Washington may have been our 8th or 9th president.....)


Food for thought people. Research this for yourself and learn some history.

 

[Johnny]

Presidents of the Continental Congress as
The United Colonies of America

Peyton Randolph
September 5, 1774 to October 22, 1774
and May 20 to May 24, 1775

Henry Middleton
October 22, 1774 to October 26, 1774

John Hancock
October 27, 1775 to July 1, 1776

Presidents of the Continental Congress
United States of America

John Hancock
July 2, 1776 to October 29, 1777

Henry Laurens
November 1, 1777 to December 9, 1778

John Jay
December 10, 1778 to September 28, 1779

Samuel Huntington
September 28, 1779 to February 28, 1781

Presidents of the United States
In Congress Assembled

Samuel Huntington
1st President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
March 1, 1781 to July 6, 1781

Thomas McKean
2nd President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
July 10, 1781 to November 5, 1781

John Hanson
3rd President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
November 5, 1781 to November 4, 1782

Elias Boudinot
4th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
November 4, 1782 to November 3, 1783

Thomas Mifflin
5th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
November 3, 1783 to June 3, 1784

Richard Henry Lee
6th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
November 30, 1784 to November 23, 1785

John Hancock
7th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
November 23, 1785 to June 6, 1786

Nathaniel Gorham
8th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
June 1786 - November 13, 1786

Arthur St. Clair
9th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787

Cyrus Griffin
10th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
January 22, 1788 to March 4, 1789


Presidents of the United States
United States Constitution


George Washington (F)

John Adams (F)

Thomas Jefferson (D-R)

James Madison (D-R)

James Monroe (D-R)

John Quincy Adams (D-R)

Andrew Jackson (D)

Martin Van Buren (D)

William H. Harrison (W)

John Tyler (W)

James K. Polk (D)

David Atchison (D)*

Zachary Taylor (W)

Millard Fillmore (W)

Franklin Pierce (D)

James Buchanan (D)

Abraham Lincoln (R)

Jefferson Davis (D)**

Andrew Johnson (R)

Ulysses S. Grant (R)

Rutherford B. Hayes (R)

James A. Garfield (R)

Chester Arthur (R)

Grover Cleveland (D)

Benjamin Harrison (R)

Grover Cleveland (D)

William McKinley (R)

Theodore Roosevelt (R)

William H. Taft (R)

Wilson Woodrow (D)

Warren G. Harding (R)

Calvin Coolidge (R)

Herbert C. Hoover (R)

Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)

Harry S. Truman (D)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)

John F. Kennedy (D)

Lyndon B. Johnson (D)

Richard M. Nixon (R)

Gerald R. Ford (R)

James Earl Carter, Jr. (D)

Ronald Wilson Reagan (R)

George H. W. Bush (R)

William Jefferson Clinton (D)

George W. Bush (R)

Barack H. Obama (D)

 

[BrianWC]

From Wiki:
Quote:
The following list is of those who led the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation as the Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled. Under the Articles, the president was the presiding officer of Congress, chaired the Cabinet (the Committee of the States) when Congress was in recess, and performed other administrative functions. He was not, however, a chief executive in the way the successor President of the United States is a chief executive, but all of the functions he executed were under the auspices and in service of the Congress.

Samuel Huntington (March 1, 1781– July 9, 1781)
Thomas McKean (July 10, 1781–November 4, 1781)
John Hanson (November 5, 1781– November 3, 1782)
Elias Boudinot (November 4, 1782– November 2, 1783)
Thomas Mifflin (November 3, 1783– October 31, 1784)
Richard Henry Lee (November 30, 1784– November 6, 1785)
John Hancock (November 23, 1785– May 29, 1786)
Nathaniel Gorham (June 6, 1786– November 5, 1786)
Arthur St. Clair (February 2, 1787– November 4, 1787)
Cyrus Griffin (January 22, 1788– November 2, 1788)


Washington was the first president with actual powers. The presidents under the articles were more of a continuation of the role of president of the Continental Congress. More like a speaker of the house or neutered prime minister.

Still, good insight on history!

 

[Pablo]

It is interesting this portion of our history is glossed over. I think we spent maybe a total combined 2 hours on the subject from primary to high school. This is in OC 60's-70's.

 

[BrianWC]

The textbooks don't say much about that period, other than Shay's Rebellion. When you consider the fact that the Revolutionary War wasn't over until 1783, it's not too terribly long of a time between it and the Constitution. It was a formative period, yes. But when you consider all the other glossing over that goes on in history classes...

 

[rshaw125]

1776 was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. NOT the beginning of the US as an independent nation. That did not happen until the English (Cornwallis) surrender at Yorktown Virgnia.
After George Washington was elected as the first president of the US.

 

[Tempest]

Quote:
Before the Constitution....there was The Articles of Confederation — in effect, the first constitution of the United States. Drafted in 1777 by the same Continental Congress that passed the Declaration of Independence, the articles established a "firm league of friendship" between and among the 13 states.

Created during the throes of the Revolutionary War, the Articles reflect the wariness by the states of a strong central government (Kinda' obvious as to why 200+ year later) . Afraid that their individual needs would be ignored by a national government with too much power, and the abuses that often result from such power, the Articles purposely established a "constitution" that vested the largest share of power to the individual states.

Under the Articles each of the states retained their "sovereignty, freedom and independence." Instead of setting up executive and judicial branches of government, there was a committee of delegates composed of representatives from each state. These individuals comprised the Congress, a national legislature called for by the Articles.

The Congress was responsible for conducting foreign affairs, declaring war or peace, maintaining an army and navy and a variety of other lesser functions. But the Articles denied Congress the power to collect taxes, regulate interstate commerce and enforce laws.

Eventually, these shortcomings would lead to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. But during those years in which the 13 states were struggling to achieve their independent status, the Articles of Confederation stood them in good stead.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/articles/

 

[Johnny]

Maybe that's what there talking about when they say "the good old days".

 

[buster]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
It is interesting this portion of our history is glossed over. I think we spent maybe a total combined 2 hours on the subject from primary to high school. This is in OC 60's-70's.


Indeed.