George washington how long in office

In , the British surrendered at Yorktown to end the American Revolution. Washington became president of the Potomac Company in , which sought to improve transportation on the Potomac River. Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention in and was one of 39 delegates to sign the United States Constitution. In , Washington was elected as the first president of the United States with 69 electoral votes.

John Adams received 34 electoral votes and 10 other candidates split 35 electoral votes. Prior to the ratification of the 12th Amendment in , the candidate who received the most electoral votes became president and the second place candidate became vice-president. Following his election, Washington established precedents that shaped the American presidency. In his first year in office, Washington signed the Judiciary Act of , which established the federal court system in the United States.

During his presidency, Washington appointed three chief justices and eight associate justices to the Supreme Court , the most of any president in the country's history. Postal Service, and established the first national bank in order to deal with the debt incurred from the American Revolution.

Washington was re-elected to a second term in He received electoral votes, John Adams received 77 electoral votes, George Clinton received 50 electoral votes, and two other candidates split 5 electoral votes. In , Washington, on the recommendation of his Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, imposed an excise tax on distilled spirits to help bring down the national debt.

Opposition to the tax came to a head in when uprisings broke out in Western Pennsylvania among farmers and distillers. To quell the uprisings, Washington led the U. By the time that they reached Pittsburgh, the rebels had dispersed, ending the uprisings. The tax was repealed by then-President Thomas Jefferson in In , Washington signed the Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed slave owners to retrieve runaway slaves if they were caught in the northwest.

He also signed the Slave Trade Act of , which limited the importation of slaves to the United States. After Washington resigned from the presidency on March 4, , he returned to Mount Vernon.

He served as commander-in-chief of the United States Army from to He died on December 14, , from a throat infection at his home in Mount Vernon.

Washington was married to Martha Dandridge Custis Washington from until his death in Washington had no biological children but helped his wife raise two step-children as well as four step-grandchildren.

Candidates in the election are labeled as Federalists or Anti-Federalists according to whether they supported or opposed ratification of the Constitution. No official federal parties existed at the time of the presidential election. Candidates did not begin to run for office as members of a political party until the election. In , Washington defeated John Adams Federalist and 10 other candidates in the general election for the United States presidency. Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.

The militia apprehended approximately men and tried them for treason. Limited evidence and the inability to obtain witnesses hampered the trials. Two men, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were found guilty of treason, though both were pardoned by President Washington. George Washington's firm actions during this crisis served to build the strength and authority of the new federal government.

Learn More: The Whiskey Rebellion. Washington rejected both pieces of legislation based on ideological concerns and in each instance Congress was unable to overturn the veto. The first bill that Washington vetoed was the Apportionment Bill of April 5, which aimed at providing guidelines for the number of congressional representatives based on the results of census.

On February 28, shortly before leaving office , Washington vetoed a bill aimed at cutting the size and cost of the military. The veto was utilized based on the advice of Secretary of War James McHenry and was policy-driven, objecting to one specific provision that dissolved two companies of light cavalry. On August 18, , congregants of the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island, warmly welcomed George Washington to both their place of worship and their city.

Washington promised the synagogue more than mere religious tolerance, explaining that "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. The text of that ever-so-brief address reads:. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America.

This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may besides incurring constitutional punishment be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.

At the conclusion of the reading, the chosen Senator signs and writes his or her thoughts on the significance of the address in the pages of a leather-bound book that is maintained by the Secretary of the Senate. Learn about the vital role that Washington played during our founding. You can explore historic Mount Vernon from your home or classroom.

Our new Virtual Tour includes degree panoramic images and clickable points of interest. Naturalization Act of Established rules to be followed in granting national citizenship Learn more. Learn more. This highly unpopular tax led to the Whiskey Rebellion. Militia Acts of Two acts that allowed the President to call out the militia when threatened by foreign or domestic threats and created a more uniform and regulated militia structure.

Fugitive Slave Act of Made it a federal crime to assist an escaping slave and created a system that would return escaped slaves to their masters. Naval Act of Ordered that six frigates be built ex. Slave Trade Act of This law restricted American ships from participating in the Atlantic slave trade. Jay Treaty Normalized trade relations with Great Britain, removed British forts along the western frontier of the United States, and resolved various debt related issues with Great Britain.

Pinckney's Treaty This treaty of friendship with Spain also helped to clarify the borders between US and Spanish held territories in North America and opened the Mississippi River to American commerce.

Treaty of Tripoli Agreement to pay a yearly tribute to the Pasha of Tripoli in exchange for free, unmolested access to Mediterranean shipping lanes. George Washington was never a man to shirk responsibility. Though he might have liked nothing better than to retire to Mount Vernon after the Revolution, he was, as he wrote Trumbull, always ready to "render any essential service to my Country," having served, after the American Revolution, in the Constitutional Convention, two terms as president, and again as commander in chief of the Army.

By , though, Washington was through with elected office despite the urging of those who knew him. Abbott, et al. Read the document introduction and transcript and apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer these questions.