Washington Sworn In: The Presidency Begins

George Washington placed his hand on a Bible and took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789, becoming the first President of the United States. Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the oath before a crowd that filled Wall Street and Broadway. When Washington finished, Livingston turned to the crowd and shouted, "Long live George Washington, President of the United States!" Church bells rang across Manhattan. Cannons fired from the Battery. The American experiment in self-government had its first executive. Washington had not wanted the job, or at least he said he did not, and the historical evidence suggests the reluctance was genuine. He had retired to Mount Vernon after the war, intending to spend his remaining years as a planter. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 drew him back into public life, and every delegate understood that the presidency was being designed with Washington in mind. His unanimous election by the Electoral College was a foregone conclusion. The journey from Mount Vernon to New York took a week and resembled a triumphal procession, with crowds gathering at every stop to cheer the man they considered the father of the nation. The inauguration itself was improvised in ways that reflected the newness of everything. No one knew exactly how the president should be addressed; Vice President John Adams suggested "His Highness, the President of the United States and Protector of their Liberties," a title the Senate debated seriously before the House insisted on the simpler "Mr. President." Washington's inaugural address, delivered to Congress inside Federal Hall after the outdoor ceremony, was modest, philosophical, and deliberately vague about policy. He wore a suit of brown broadcloth manufactured in Connecticut, a choice designed to promote American manufacturing. Every precedent Washington set during his presidency carried constitutional weight because there were no precedents. His decision to serve only two terms established a tradition that held for 150 years until Franklin Roosevelt broke it. His creation of a cabinet, his deference to the Senate on treaties, his insistence on civilian control of the military, and his refusal to accept a royal title all shaped the presidency in ways that persist today. Washington understood, perhaps better than anyone in American history, that how you do something the first time determines how it will be done forever.