Updated continuously by citizens like you, Newsvine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.
Article Source: Suite101
George Washington is entrenched in history as being the first President of the United States of America. Or was he? Some historians want to credit John Hanson as being the first president of the country.
Yet his actual title was President of the United States in Congress Assembled. George Washington, in a letter congratulated Hanson on being “elected first president of these United States."
John Hanson, the representative from Maryland to the Continental Congress in 1781 and elected as the first president from 1781 to 1782.
Hanson is definitely in the history books. But was he actually the first POTUS?
CoH please.
#1 - Thu Aug 11, 2011 1:56 PM EDTFrom what I have read, he was the first president elected/appointed under the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution is the 2nd attempt to institute a governmt in what was to become the United States.
#2 - Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:18 AM EDTGood point cg68doc. The Articles of Confederation didn't establish a lasting national government. The U.S. Constitution, the 2nd attempt to form a government, worked ... thus far. How should John Hanson be viewed in American history as head of government, if at all?
Most of the High School history books that I have read or have seen since I graduated in the stone age, talk about the Articles, but never mention the presidency. There was a new president every year, if I remember correctly, but the history books don't mention any of them. I think that they should. I guess that they don't because the Constitution is the document that established the permanent government in the US.
I also graduated in the stone age. I completely agree with you that history books place less emphasis on the Articles than the Constitution because the Articles failed to establish a permanent government. To complicate matters, there were numerous short-term presidents during the limited time the Articles existed. If anything, Hanson and the presidents under the Articles would be considered a footnote in history rather than a chapter. Thanks for your concise and insightful comments.
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
Log In | Register
