The Real Story of the American Revolution

Our Forgotten Presidents

First Cont. Cong. (1774) | Second Cont. Cong. (1775-1781) | Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) | George Washington (1789-1797)

Presiding over the First Continental Congress  This Congress met 1774 Sept 04 - Oct 26 (seven weeks) in Philadelphia with 56 delegates representing all of the colonies that later revolted except Georgia. The three counties that became Delaware were listed as a separate entity although they were technically still part of Pennsylvania. Peyton Randolph of Virginia served as President from September 4 to October 21, 1774, resigning due to poor health. Henry Middleton of South Carolina was President for the final week of the Congress.

Presiding over the Second Continental Congress  This Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, not quite a month after the battles at Lexington and Concord. Peyton Randolph of Virginia served as President (as he had for the First Congress) from May 10 to 23, 1775, but was still in poor health and gave up the office. He died later that year. John Hancock of Massachusetts served as President from May 24, 1775, to October 30, 1777. He was in office when Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. Henry Laurens of South Carolina served as President from November 1, 1777, to December 9, 1778. He was in office when Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation as the operating basis for government on 1777 Nov 15 (although due to significant disagreements over the boundaries between the states they were not fully ratified until February, 1781). Laurens was later captured by an English warship and confined for fifteen months in the Tower of London. Here his health was seriously impaired. After the Battle of Yorktown he was exchanged for Gen Cornwallis, and in June 1782 Congress named him to the Peace Commission in Paris. His son, John Laurens, had a distinguished military career, helping negotiate the surrender of Cormwallis, but John was killed during the battle at Combahee Ferry SC on 1782 Aug 27. John Jay of New York served as President from December 10, 1778, to September 27, 1779. In 1783 he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs (the office now called Secretary of State) and he was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Presiding over the Congress of the Confederation  The Articles of Confederation were in force from March 1, 1781, until the Constitution (ratified on June 21, 1788 by the nineth state, New Hampshire, giving the required 2/3 majority) went into effect on March 4, 1789. The Articles state that "The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint ... one of their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years ...." Thus there was no set starting date for the office of president, and many resigned before completing a full year in office. The Presidents elected to head the Confederation were Samuel Huntington of Connecticut [Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, XIX, 223] served as President from March 2, 1781 to July 6, 1781, when he resigned for reasons of health. Thoman McKean of Delaware served as President from July 10, 1781, to October 1781, when he resigned due to the press of other obligations. He was in office when the British surrendered at Yorktown. He was the only person to served in Congress from its start in 1774 until the peace treaty was signed in 1783. In 1781 he was president (governor) of Delaware, chief justice of Pennsylvania, and president of the Confederation. He strongly supported the Constitution. In 1779 he became governor of Pennsylvania and served three successive (and stormy) three-year terms, during which he appointed only Republicans to office. John Hanson of Maryland was elected President on November 5, 1781, and was the first to serve the maximum allowed one-year term. Two of his sons were killed in action with the Continental Army. He was an ardent anti-Federalist who opposed the proposed Constitution until his untimely death in 1783. Elias Boudinot of New Jersey served a full one-year term as President from November 4, 1782, to November 2, 1783. Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania served (a bit more than) a full one-year term as President from November 3, 1783 to November 29, 1784. Hhe signed the treaty (with Great Britain) that formally ended the Revolutionary War. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia served a full one-year term as President from November 30, 1784 to November 22, 1785. He had written the resolution approved July 2, 1776, "that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states". He later wrote the Northwest Ordinances, which provided for the formation of new states from the Northwest Territory John Hancock of Massachusetts (who had been president of the Second Continental Congress) served as President of the Confederation from November 23, 1785, to June 5, 1786. Nathanial Gorham of Massachusetts served as President from June 6, 1786, to February 1, 1787. During this time Congress considered inviting a member of European royalty to form a constitutional monarchy in America. Arthur St. Clair of Pennsylvania served as President nearly a year, from February 2, 1787 to January 21, 1788. He was an anti-Federalist, fearing that the proposed Constitution would allow the intrusion of government into every aspect of life. Cyrus Griffin of Virginia served as President three months beyond the statutory one-year maximum from January 22, 1788 until George Washington's inauguration as first President under the U.S. Constitution on April 30, 1789. Although he started out an anti-Federalist, Griffin eventually accepted the new Constitution with the promise of the Bill of Rights as protection against the formation of a constitutional monarchy.

Why Was Washington Selected as President of the United States  With so many experienced political leaders available, why did the new nation elect George Washington President of the United States of America under the new U.S. Constitution? Some factors to consider: For seven years as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army he had presided over his general staff and managed a nation-wide organization. He had also negotiated with Congress to get funds for the army and to name and advance officers whom he considered as the best leaders when many others were actively lobbying for advancement. At a time when the nation was much concerned that a strong leader would become a dictator and establish a line of succession he had a strong reputation for relinquishing power (as he had when resigning his commission), and he had no children. He earned nation-wide respect for leadership skills when he served as presiding officer for the Constitutional Convention during May to September 1787.

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