February 4, 1789–Let’s Make It Unanimous!

After the Revolutionary War ended, George Washington felt that he had done all that he needed to do for our new nation. Because of this, on December 23, 1783, he resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. At this point, he could have asked for any title or power in the new republic, and he probably would have received it. Instead, he gave it all up to return to the greatest loves of his life: Mount Vernon and his wife Martha.

While George enjoyed a relatively peaceful life, the new country hit a few bumps as it tried to establish itself. The first form of government under The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1781, gave too much power to the state governments and too little power to the national government. This made life difficult for many in the new United States. By 1787, the Founding Fathers realized that they needed to make some changes. These changes resulted in the writing and adoption of the Constitution of the United States which is still in place today. One of the main provisions of this new government was that there would be one leader, a President, to oversee it all.

As the delegates cast their electoral votes for the first President from December 15, 1788 to January 10, 1789, it became clear that there was only one man capable of starting this country off right: George Washington. On February 4, 1789, the electors officially named him as the First President of the United States with a unanimous vote. Four years later, he again received a unanimous vote for a second term. To this day, George Washington is the only President to be elected unanimously, a record that will most likely never be broken.