On February 4, 1789, the United States held its first presidential election under the new Constitution. The result was nearly unanimous: George Washington was chosen to become the nation’s first president, setting precedents that would shape American government for centuries.

Washington’s election was not just a political victory—it was an experiment in stability. The Revolutionary War had proven independence possible, but the Constitution aimed to prove something harder: that a republic could govern itself peacefully, without kings or coups.

When Washington took office, the country was fragile, uncertain, and unfinished. Many of the institutions Americans now take for granted—cabinet departments, federal courts, even the concept of a two-term tradition—would emerge from the choices made in his presidency.

Thanks for reading,

The TTC Team

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