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COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY
during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) and served two terms as the first U.S. president, from 1789 to 1797. The son of a prosperous planter, Washington was raised in colonial Virginia. -
America’s First President
In 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris between Great Britain and the U.S., Washington, believing he had done his duty, gave up his command of the army and returned to Mount Vernon, intent on resuming his life as a gentleman farmer and family man. However, in 1787, he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and head the committee to draft the new constitution. -
American Revolution
During the American Revolution, he led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero. In 1787, he was elected president of the convention that wrote the U.S. Constitution. Two years later, Washington became America’s first president. -
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WASHINGTON HEADS THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
WASHINGTON HEADS THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION -
Congress enacts tariff
President Washington signed the act into law on July 4, 1789. ... The tariffs established by this and later acts would make up the vast majority of government revenue; more than 87 percent of the federal government's revenue between 1789 and 1800 came from import duties. -
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PRESIDENT
George Washington is President -
Establishing the capital
The Residence Act, officially titled "An Act for Establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States," was passed on July 16, 1790, and selected a site on the Potomac River as the permanent capital (Washington, D.C.), in ten years times. -
First naturalization law.
On this day in 1790, the second session of the first Congress approved the new nation's initial effort to codify the rules under which foreign-born persons could become U.S. citizens. out of the limits of the United States shall be considered as natural born citizens.” -
Ratifying the Constitution.
New Hampshire became the ninth state to accept the Constitution on June 21, 1788, which officially ended government under the Articles of Confederation. It was not until May 29, 1790, that the last state, Rhode Island, finally ratified the Constitution. -
George Washington’s Retirement to Mount Vernon and Death
after two terms as president and declining to serve a third term, Washington finally retired. In Washington’s farewell address, he urged the new nation to maintain the highest standards domestically and to keep involvement with foreign powers to a minimum. -
MARRIAGE
On January 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington at her home in New Kent County. For both Martha and for George, a new era had dawned. 1. Martha Custis to Robert Cary and Company, 1758 in “Worthy Partner”: The Papers of Martha Washington, ed. -
George Washington’s Accomplishments
The United States was a small nation when Washington took office, consisting of 11 states and approximately 4 million people, and there was no precedent for how the new president should conduct domestic or foreign business. Mindful that his actions would likely determine how future presidents were expected to govern, Washington worked hard to set an example of fairness, prudence and integrity.
