A New Nation
8th Grade Informational Reading Texts
George Washington served the country for many years before becoming President. He was a general during the American Revolution and served as president of the Constitutional Convention, where the Constitution was written. After all that, he was ready to retire. The Electoral College had different plans for George Washington though. All 69 electors chose him to be the first President of the United States of America. George Washington was the only President to receive all of the Electoral College's votes. Americans supported the choice for President and celebrated Washington as he traveled from his home in Mount Vernon to New York City, then onto the nation's capital.
On April 30, 1789 George Washington, at age 57, took the first oath of office as President of the United States under the Constitution. John Adams was his vice president. As the first President of the United States of America, Washington knew that he would be an example for future presidents. One of the first decisions to be made was how the first President was to be addressed. Vice President John Adams wanted people to call him "His Highness the President of the United States". Congress debated the issue and many other title ideas were shared. In the end, they chose the simplistic title "Mr. President".
The President would need to be surrounded by trusted people with whom he could discuss issues. Article 2 section 2 of the Constitution addressed this with the following phrase, "...may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." The Constitution does not dictate how many departments there will be, what they will be called or what their roles will be. The President's trusted group of advisors is called his cabinet.
In 1789, Congress established three executive departments: a Department of State to manage foreign affairs, a Department of the Treasury to handle the nation's finances, and a Department of War to manage the military. Congress also established the Attorney General's office to handle the government's legal issues.
The office of the postmaster general was organized to direct the postal service. Washington's cabinet would be made up of four members. Over time the number of executive cabinet members has grown.
The people Washington chose to lead the departments were people he trusted. He chose people from different regions of the country to balance the executive branch. Washington chose Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General. These men met with Washington regularly, but there was often tension in the meetings because Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on many issues. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 to create the court systems of the judicial branch. The law provided for six Supreme Court members. Because Washington was the first President, he selected all six justices. The Judiciary Act made it official that the Supreme Court could settle disputes between states. Decisions by the Supreme Court were final. The law also created a lower court system.
The national debt, left over from the American Revolution, was a problem that weighed on everyone's mind in the early days of the country. President Washington, with the help of Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a tax to Congress. This was known as an excise tax, a tax on the sale or production of goods.
Although some people, including Thomas Jefferson, opposed this tax, Congress passed it. To Washington and Hamilton, this seemed like a simple way to reduce the national debt. In the West, many didn't see it that way. People living on the frontier in western Pennsylvania made whiskey to make use of leftover corn. It was also an easy way to transport grain to sell at market.
Whiskey was also used as a form of payment instead of money. The new tax hurt their income, and these small farmers claimed the whiskey tax was no different than the Stamp Act tax. Many farmers in the region were angry and refused to pay the tax. Trouble brewed for several years. In 1794, settlers became violent. This rebellion quickly became the first challenge to the federal government.
President Washington had to act. On the advice of his advisors, Washington gathered a militia. Washington himself led more than 12,000 men to western Pennsylvania. By the time they arrived most of the protesters were gone. The militia had been successful in ending the Whiskey Rebellion. Washington's message was loud and clear: force would be used to maintain order and citizens had to follow the steps in the Constitution to get laws changed.
On April 30, 1789 George Washington, at age 57, took the first oath of office as President of the United States under the Constitution. John Adams was his vice president. As the first President of the United States of America, Washington knew that he would be an example for future presidents. One of the first decisions to be made was how the first President was to be addressed. Vice President John Adams wanted people to call him "His Highness the President of the United States". Congress debated the issue and many other title ideas were shared. In the end, they chose the simplistic title "Mr. President".
The President would need to be surrounded by trusted people with whom he could discuss issues. Article 2 section 2 of the Constitution addressed this with the following phrase, "...may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." The Constitution does not dictate how many departments there will be, what they will be called or what their roles will be. The President's trusted group of advisors is called his cabinet.
In 1789, Congress established three executive departments: a Department of State to manage foreign affairs, a Department of the Treasury to handle the nation's finances, and a Department of War to manage the military. Congress also established the Attorney General's office to handle the government's legal issues.
The office of the postmaster general was organized to direct the postal service. Washington's cabinet would be made up of four members. Over time the number of executive cabinet members has grown.
The people Washington chose to lead the departments were people he trusted. He chose people from different regions of the country to balance the executive branch. Washington chose Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General. These men met with Washington regularly, but there was often tension in the meetings because Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on many issues. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 to create the court systems of the judicial branch. The law provided for six Supreme Court members. Because Washington was the first President, he selected all six justices. The Judiciary Act made it official that the Supreme Court could settle disputes between states. Decisions by the Supreme Court were final. The law also created a lower court system.
The national debt, left over from the American Revolution, was a problem that weighed on everyone's mind in the early days of the country. President Washington, with the help of Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a tax to Congress. This was known as an excise tax, a tax on the sale or production of goods.
Although some people, including Thomas Jefferson, opposed this tax, Congress passed it. To Washington and Hamilton, this seemed like a simple way to reduce the national debt. In the West, many didn't see it that way. People living on the frontier in western Pennsylvania made whiskey to make use of leftover corn. It was also an easy way to transport grain to sell at market.
Whiskey was also used as a form of payment instead of money. The new tax hurt their income, and these small farmers claimed the whiskey tax was no different than the Stamp Act tax. Many farmers in the region were angry and refused to pay the tax. Trouble brewed for several years. In 1794, settlers became violent. This rebellion quickly became the first challenge to the federal government.
President Washington had to act. On the advice of his advisors, Washington gathered a militia. Washington himself led more than 12,000 men to western Pennsylvania. By the time they arrived most of the protesters were gone. The militia had been successful in ending the Whiskey Rebellion. Washington's message was loud and clear: force would be used to maintain order and citizens had to follow the steps in the Constitution to get laws changed.