Washington received 132 electoral votes, one from each elector. Our Digital Encyclopedia has all of the answers students and teachers need. No one contested the election of George Washington, but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute, in . In some states, there was a nominal religious test for voting. George Washington, as the first president, was well aware of the great responsibility of defining the American presidency. The election took place following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. Three states eligible to do so declined due to political tensions at the time North Carolina, Rhode Island, and New York. Washington was both an obvious first choice for president and possibly the only truly viable choice. The candidates were Chief Justice John Jay, a Hamiltonian, and incumbent George Clinton, the party's vice presidential nominee. 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New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1998. Washington spent eight days traveling from Virginia to New York for the inauguration. [2] Adams easily secured re-election. (a) Only 6 of the 15 states chose electors by any form of popular vote, while pre-Twelfth Amendment electoral vote rules obscure the intentions of the voters, and those states that did choose electors by popular vote restricted the vote via property requirements. In 1792, presidential elections were still conducted according to the original method established under the U.S. Constitution. The party further split on two key social issues: Catholicism and prohibition. This election was the first in which each of the original 13 states appointed electors, as did the newly added states of Kentucky and Vermont. There were 12 names on the ballot which is a lot by current standards where we are used to our two-party system and maybe some independents. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. George Washington's copy of the Acts passed at a Congress of the United States of America (New-York, 1789) contains key founding documents establishing the Union: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a record of acts passed by the first Congress. Despite policy differences, Jefferson argued that the Union would fail without Washington, pointing out that, "North and South will hang together if they have you to hang on." Clinton was from an electorally important swing state, and he convinced party leaders that he would be a stronger candidate than another New Yorker, Senator Aaron Burr. Carrying large and small states, northern and southern states, Washington received 132 electoral votes, one vote from each participant in the Electoral College. Source: .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}Dubin, Michael J. Mount Vernon Ladies Association. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Although electors arent constitutionally mandated to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, it is demanded by tradition and required by law in 26 states and the District of Columbia (in some states, violating this rule is punishable by $1,000 fine). Ron DeSantis on Tuesday will release his book, "The Courage to be Free," to much anticipation ahead of his expected plunge into the 2024 presidential race. Washington also did not run unopposed for the second election. Washington Papers. George Washington. [3] Adams received 34 electoral votes, one short of a majority because the Constitution did not require an outright majority in the Electoral College prior to ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to elect a runner-up as vice president, Adams was elected to that post. Under the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, the United States had no head of state. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1988. During the first election, Washington won the electors of all ten eligible states. When Washington, in his Farewell Address, published in September 1796, announced his intention to . ", D. Jason BerggrenGeorgia Southwestern State University. This was the only U.S. presidential election that spanned two calendar years without a contingent election and the first national presidential election in American history. For the results of the subsequent election, see United States presidential election of 1796. 6577. On January 6, as a formality, the electoral votes are counted before Congress and on January 20, the commander in chief is sworn into office. The result is interesting, considering Clintons poor showing in the first presidential election. However, Clinton received only three electoral votes. Historian Edward J. Larsen discusses Washington's first inauguration in this video from Mount Vernon on Vimeo. Being from Massachusetts, Adams election provided the administration a regional balance between the South and North. According to Article II of the Constitution, each elector in the Electoral College possessed two votes. The Democratic-Republican Party, which had organized in opposition to the policies of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, supported Clinton for the position of vice president. Both North Carolina and Rhode Island were ineligible; neither had ratified the Constitution yet. All Rights Reserved. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858. University of Virginia. Adams received the support of New England, South Carolina, and the Mid-Atlantic states (excepting New York), while Clinton carried New York and most of the South. Vote totals for 13 of 76 Virginia counties exist.[9]. He won the Presidents job based on his influence and experience. One month after President Washingtonleft Mount Vernon, Martha Washington set out on her own triumphant trip to the seat of the new government in New York. John Jay was similar to John Adams regarding his influence in politics and foreign affairs. All Rights Reserved. OnMay 16 1789, Mrs. Washington and her grandchildren, Nelly and Washy, embarked on an 11-day journey through Baltimore, Philadelphia, and more. Regional and partisan divisions were evident in the vote distribution. All Rights Reserved. Answer: The first presidential elections were conducted under a system that allowed electors to cast two votes, with the . We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. George Washingtons cabinet included just four original members: Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Washington believed that the precedents he set must make the presidency powerful enough to function effectively in the national government, but at the same time these practices could not show any tendency toward monarchy or dictatorship. The next highest total was that of Founding Father John Jay, who got nine of the second choice votes compared with six for both R.H. Harrison and John Routledge. Adams received 77 votes as Washington's running mate on the Federalist ticket to 50 for Democratic-Republican George Clinton, 4 for Thomas Jefferson, and 1 for Aaron Burr. George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president and John Adams became the first vice president. Learn more about George Washington's annotated copy of The Acts of Congress - one of the prized holdings in our Library collection. Retrieved October 28, 2022. But Washington's tremendous popularity was not transferable to Adams across the country, as the Vice President lost the South. The distribution of the electoral vote between the four runners-up showed a high degree of party discipline, with only two electors voting contrary to the majority in their state. Dinkin, Robert J. Who ran against George Washington for the role of president? Paullin, Charles O. . In most states, the congressional elections were recognized in some sense as a "struggle between the Treasury department and the republican interest," to use the words of Jefferson strategist John Beckley. Since leaving the hands of the Washington family in 1876, it has been treasured and preserved by several noted private collectors. Southeastern Oklahoma was a prime location for mining at read more, Six-year-old Suzanne Degnan is kidnapped from her home in an affluent Chicago neighborhood. "The First Elections Under The Constitution." Chernow, Ron (2004). On Feb. 13, 1793, the votes were counted during a joint session of Congress. The 1796 United States presidential election was the third quadrennial presidential election of the United States. Commenting on his re-election, Washington proclaimed, "I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its chief magistrate. However, some advisers and fellow statesmen argued that the volatile political . In an August 1788 letter, U.S. Minister to France Thomas Jefferson wrote that he considered John Adams and John Hancock, both from Massachusetts, to be the top contenders. Ten states cast electoral votes: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. He would spend a difficult second term desperately preserving the new nation in the face of rebellion and foreign wars. Your email address will not be published. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2003. Indeed, that alone explains his willingness to endure eight years in the vice presidency, an office devoid of power. The president and vice president are the only elected federal officials chosen by the Electoral College instead of by direct popular vote. (g) The identity of this candidate comes from The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections (Gordon DenBoer (ed. (a) Only 6 of the 15 states chose electors by any form of popular vote. George Washington, President of the United States (1789-1797) Born out of the Anti-Federalist faction that had opposed the Constitution in 1788, the Democratic-Republican Party was the main opposition to the agenda of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. George Clinton, a vehement champion of states rights. He received the congressional notification about his win on April 16th before taking part in the first-ever inauguration on April 30th. On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December of a presidential election year, each states electors meet, usually in their state capitol, and simultaneously cast their ballots nationwide. Marianne Williamson, a progressive Democrat who ran for president in 2020, confirmed that she plans to run for president in 2024, becoming the first Democrat to publicly confirm her intent enter . As the only true national, interregional hero, Washington--the inevitable president in 1789--had become the indispensable president. Required fields are marked *. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Cooper, William J., Jr. Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Washington was loath to leave the comforts of Mount Vernon, but his fellow Founding Fathers viewed his acceptance of the presidency as a foregone conclusion. Source: "The Electoral College Count for the Presidential Election of 1789". By then, Anderson was in the twilight of a career that was equal parts acclaimed and hamstrung by racism. However, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists contested the vice-presidency, with incumbent John Adams as the Federalist nominee and George Clinton as the Democratic-Republican nominee. All of his notes in this volume appear alongside the text of the Constitution, where he drew neat brackets to highlight passages of particular interest. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. pp. All Rights Reserved. Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term? The fight to ratify the United States Constitution was still fresh in the memories of the legislators, and the Anti-federalists were resentful for have been forced by events to accept the constitution without amendments. Federalists, backed by the great landed families and the city commercial interests, were the largest faction in the Senate, the smaller of the two chambers for which roughly a quarter of the state's free white male population was eligible to vote; but in the House of Representatives, with its larger membership and electorate, Anti-federalists representing the middling interests held the majority. As per the terms of the unamended constitution, each elector was permitted two votes for president, with a majority of "the whole number of electors appointed" necessary to elect a president. [4], Nine of the 15 states eligible to chose representatives to the electoral college did so by a vote of the state legislature; the remaining six employed some form of popular vote. However, some advisers and fellow statesmen argued that the volatile political climatemarked not only by the ongoing conflict between Great Britain and France but also by a growing internal dispute between Federalists and Anti-Federalists that often divided along regional linesdemanded a president who could reliably maintain the young countrys stability. Need help with homework? *Electors were chosen by legislatures in many states, not by popular vote. Elected President. The recipient of the most votes would then become president, and the runner-up vice president. The Twelfth Amendment would eventually replace this system, requiring electors to cast one vote for president and one vote for vice president, but this change did not take effect until 1804. Adams won 34 electoral votes and the vice presidency. 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