Chapter 15: George Washington sets the new government in motion.

The new nation’s first presidential election is held in December 1788 with George Washington running as an Independent, winning 78.6% of the 33,460 popular votes, and sweeping all 69 ballots in the Electoral College. The choice seems a forgone conclusion given his role in gaining independence and guiding the Constitution. While his lack of offspring also eliminates fears of a future monarchy.

Once in office, his two terms are marked by the establishment of the agencies needed to govern the country, and the selection of four key cabinet officers: State (Thomas Jefferson); Treasury (Alexander Hamilton); War (Henry Knox); Attorney General (Edmund Randolph). On the global stage, he dodges involvement in the ongoing conflicts between England and France by declaring absolute neutrality.

When Washington prepares to retire in 1797, the United States has successfully entered the league of nations, but also faces a host of challenges to its future. In his 1796 Farewell Address, he addresses one domestic concern in particular:

A wise people (will) discourage and restrain…the spirit of party. It agitates
the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity
of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens
the door…to corruption.

Over the next six decades, the seeds of disunion will germinate within partisan politics.