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Essay On How Did George Washington Set A President

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THE EXTENT TO WHICH GEORGE WASHINGTON’S PRESIDENCY SET A PRECEDENT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE NATION Noah Pitcher AP United States History 23 May 2018 The first presidential election in United States history was held in 1789. Prior to this election, the United States operated under the Articles of Confederation. In this system, the federal government had no chief executive but was instead led by the congress of the confederation. However, this all changed with the augmentation of the executive branch into the constitution. The constitution was ratified in 1788, just one year before the first election. In this election, the widely popular George Washington was elected as the first ever President of the United …show more content…

One of the most notable precedents that he set was a peaceful transition of power. The election of 1796 was one of the first times in world history, if not the very first, that power was transferred without the predecessor’s death or violent overthrow. Instead, George Washington resigned peacefully and stood by as his successor took over. On Inauguration Day, 1797, he even stood by as John Adams took the oath of office. There seemed to be a mutual respect between the two leaders that would set an example for the transition of power. Speaking of John Adam’s inaugural address, historian David McCullough says that “he paid great tribute to Washington’s leadership.” It is important to note that this mutual respect between consecutive presidents set an example that has largely been followed for centuries. Nearly two centuries later in 1981, president-elect Ronal Reagan expressed similar sentiments, starting out his speech by addressing the sitting president of the time, Jimmy Carter. He describes the transition of power as “nothing less than a miracle” and asserts that the orderly transition of power “takes place, as it is for almost two centuries, [sic] and few of us stop to think how unique we really are.” He goes on to praise Carter for all he has done to ensure that this tradition carries on in a smooth and peaceful manner. The smooth transition from first to second president greatly shaped the way in which power would be transferred for years to

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